Almost two years ago, much of the River Arts District in Asheville, NC was flooded by Hurricane Helene with raging, muddy water destroying art, supplies and buildings. Trackside Studios, an established creative home for 60 local artists was flooded with 6 feet of muddy water. We were part of an entire region spanning many counties impacted by wind, rain, downed trees and power lines, mud slides, and loss of homes, workplaces and lives.

Yet ... Hope always floats to the top.

To acknowledge the 2-year milestone of Hurricane Helene and continue to move toward healing thriving after its devastation, Trackside Studios' chose to create this auction to benefit artists and an organization that has worked tirelessly long before, during and since Helene to support community members. For this auction, artists have submitted art pieces that were either salvaged after the flood or created with inspiration from what we all went through individually and collectively.

Net proceeds of each sale will be split 50/50 between the creating artist, to help them with their continued re-building of their art career, and BeLoved Asheville, a grassroots non-profit organization that focuses on the betterment of local communities.

With the help of about 200 volunteers (artists, community members, people from far and near), we rebuilt Trackside Studios and reopened in December 2024, two months after the flood. We are grateful to be a welcoming place where art is created, marketed and taught.

The storm may be over, but the scars remain.

Many of the "survivor" art pieces have visible damage. Considering the scale of what each piece endured and how resilient they were to remain appreciable art in our eyes, we will boldly declare, "those are not scars - they are character."

Each "inspired" piece carries a story too ... of artists digging deep within themselves to find the energy, courage and heart to move forward when so much around them is broken.

We hope you will consider each piece thoughtfully, and if you have that perfect spot on a wall to fill, or you just want something new - maybe a piece with history, please know that your purchase will help support the artists and countless community members in the Asheville area through the work of Beloved Asheville.

PS, ALL ART was created by hand by a human artist. The pieces that are survivors of Hurricane Helene were created by the artist who is offering them for this auction. You can see the art being auctioned in person, if you're near Asheville, at Trackside 375 Depot Street in the River Arts District.

100% of net proceeds are split 50/50 to benefit BeLoved Asheville and the artist.
BeLoved Asheville is a local grassroots organization with a focus on Home, Health, Equity, and Opportunity. They were, and still are, instrumental in recovery efforts related to Hurricane Helene. BeLoved Asheville is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Tax ID: 84-3381632. Website link

Resilience: Art & Community

Support BeLoved Asheville and WNC Artists as they continue to recover from Hurricane Helene