Devastated. Katherine McCarty, artist
Mica Gallery, in Bakersville, will host a special exhibition, Resilience: Artists Respond to Hurricane Helene, opening Friday, January 10, with a reception from 5–7 p.m., and running through February 28. Thirty-six invited Western North Carolina artists, all affected in various ways by the storm, are participating. Works range from ceramics to metal, sculpture to painting, photography to drawing, jewelry and more. During January, February and March, the gallery is only open on Fridays and Saturdays and by appointment.
Bakersville potter Gertrude Graham (Gay) Smith found her ceramic studio flooded by the storm and her access bridge washed away. She will be exhibiting two candelabras—one which remains covered in mud and another which has been carefully cleaned. “It’s really quite miraculous they survived,” Gay says.
Adam Whitney, artist
Adam Whitney, a metalsmith from Bakersville, wrote that the prolonged power outage gave him “a new perspective on how different types of candles illuminate the dark. Candles have always been a part of our home,” he says, “yet we realized we only had one candlestick holder. It quickly became clear that a basic candlestick offered the best light for the situation.” He promised himself he would make some candlestick holders as a result of the storm. The pieces in the exhibition are his first interpretation of that idea.
Katherine McCarty, formerly of Spruce Pine and now living in Charlotte, has a family home in Bakersville. Seeing the unimaginable devastation of Hurricane Helene in the news, she found a way to turn the chaos of twisted shapes and broken landscapes into value studies: “heartfelt prayers poured into each 4-inch square composition, bringing me a sense of hope for renewal and restoration,” she says. Knowing the resilience of the mountain people and the land itself, she adds, “I knew that somehow much good would come through adversity—beauty for ashes.” She is exhibiting oil on paper paintings.
Other artists have said the exhibition opportunity pulled them back into the studio. Helping others and cleaning up from the damage and debris has taken priority for many. “I needed this call to shift my focus to something creative, something that might give voice to what I have witnessed,” says Vicki Essig.
Mica is an artist-run gallery of fine art and contemporary craft located at 37 North Mitchell Avenue in Bakersville. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from January to March, and by appointment by calling or texting Speckled Dog Pottery at 828.434.0353. In April, the gallery resumes a daily schedule. Learn more at MicaGalleryNC.com, or follow on Facebook at Mica Gallery NC or on Instagram at micagallerync.
