It takes A collective.
New Year Update
We are so humbled by the outpouring of donations and support these last few months! Thank you so much for standing by us in this effort to rebuild - we miss our creative community more than anything!
It has certainly been a much slower process than we were anticipating. A lot of paperwork, a lot of emails, phone calls, and waiting to make sure we’re going through the proper (sometimes confusing) channels. With our insurance claim still pending, we are limited on what we can actually accomplish construction-wise so it is hard to get a grasp on when we’ll finally be able to set a Grand Re-Reopening date. We are hoping for late February.
Right now we are still accepting donations but if you wanted to gift something more tangible, we have created an Amazon Wish List for our small business (see button below). We’ve given the restructuring of our space a lot of deep thought because, well, we’ve had no shortage of time to do so and can’t wait to reveal how we’re planning to expand what’s offered in the Gallery and Studio. By helping us gather some of these small items that were lost we are able to offset some of the bigger furnishing costs.
Closer to our re-reopening date we will also be setting up volunteer days to help with painting, staining, assembling furniture, hanging shelves, spot cleaning, and staging. We had so many folks reaching out eager to help with labor and we will definitely not be refusing your company! The fact you feel as invested in this space as we do makes our hearts sing!
That’s all the updates we have for now and will keep you posted as new things come up! Thank you again for reminding us how proud we are to be part of this community!
On September 27th 2024 Hurricane Helene brought a wrath like I've never seen in my 33 years living in WNC.
As many of you know this isn’t our first time being flooded. In August of 2021, just four days after our Grand Opening, we got remnants of Tropical Storm Fred that left 32 inches in our studio. It took time to process, recover, rebuild, and re-open for our community of 40 local artists and studio members but we did with a fierce determination to continue our mission of cultivating a brave, creative space.
Helene left over 7 feet of water in our gorgeous space.
All our wheels and kilns took far more extensive damage than the last time and we are working to save what we can. But it’s no easy feat. As any potter knows, this equipment is a huge expense.
With so many people asking to help, we are rerouting this “Benefactor” page that was initially set up to help cover our yearly Flood Insurance costs to help cover our cost of recovery (supplies, equipment repair/replacement, building materials, incidentals…) instead. Funds are really the most necessary thing right now as we look to an uncertain future. We’re far from done with our mission and are grateful for every bit that you’re able to help lift us up to achieve it.
We are grateful for your thoughtful consideration to invest in our continued presence here. With your donation, you are fostering creativity and innovation in a community on the threshold of incredible growth and development where we sit poised to lead the charge. Because you believe in what we’re doing, we can do even more with your support.
“Thank you” really doesn’t begin to cover it, but it’s the best I can do for now.
