We’re in the midst of the summer season—enjoying (some of us anyway) these long, simmering days. July is often criticized for its intensity—did your grandmother also say, “It’s hot as the dickens?”—but I’ve always liked this seventh month. Nature reaches her greatest verdancy. Flowers show off. Gardens fill with bounty as canning pots steam. Families get together for reunions. Katydids sing and lightning bugs flash in the fields. It seems as if summer will last forever.
Gina Malone, Editor
As we worked on this issue, one refrain kept resounding from all around us. Artists throughout Western North Carolina, and particularly those of the River Arts District (RAD), need us. Nine months after the devastation that none of us will ever forget, things are better, yes, but the crowds roaming the streets and visiting studios, galleries and other businesses are smaller. In nearly every story that we write, the specter of Hurricane Helene moves in the memories and lurks among the words of those we interview.
Artists are still hurting, still hustling to make up for lost time, lost artwork, lost revenue, but hope springs eternal. At Plays in Mud Pottery, potters who forged friendships while sharing a space and working through the trauma will launch new work this month. Exhibitions marking resilience and a chance for artists to show new work are also being held by the Southern Highland Craft Guild, NorthLight Studios, Pink Dog Gallery and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. Dance and music are helping the recovery as well. At Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance, gathered stories of experiences during and after the storm are being brought to the stage in the production Appalachian Phoenix, and the Asheville Symphony will donate a portion of ticket sales from its Masterworks 1 performance in September to the River Arts District Artists.
“[T]he RAD is open and alive for business,” says one artist. “Yes, there will be more to come to replace what the flood took away, but the spirit never died. We are here and we are waiting for you.”
Gina Malone can be reached at gina@thelaurelofasheville.com.
