The Asheville art community is turning the remnants of disaster into a visual symbol of resilience. Local Cloth, an art studio that saw its space damaged during the Helene floods, is leading a new community project that marks the exact height floodwaters reached within their studio.
The project invites local residents to craft fiber art strips which will be placed side by side along the interior walls to trace the high-water line. For many artists, the studio represents a place of creation and community that they feared was permanently lost after the storm.
Beth Sellars, the retail chair at Local Cloth, noted that the destruction of their looms and inventory was a difficult moment for the collective. Thanks to grants and the support of their members, the studio resumed operations last September. This latest initiative serves as a way to process that experience and reclaim the space.
Community members are still invited to contribute to the installation until September 1. Contributors can drop off their fiber strips at 408 Depot Street in Asheville. The final installation is scheduled for dedication on September 27. Participants see the effort as a definitive sign that they are moving past the damage and moving forward.