Arts AVL Launches Emergency Relief Grant to Meet Immediate Needs of Artists Impacted by Hurricane Helene
& Partners with Explore Asheville and partners on new Love Asheville From Afar initiative
October 14, 2024 | Asheville N.C. – Monday, October 14, ArtsAVL launches its Emergency Relief Grant to meet the immediate needs of artists impacted by Hurricane Helene. The grant provides $500 relief stipends to arts professionals living in the 25 counties of Western NC impacted by Hurricane Helene. The grant is intended for individual artists working in craft, literary, media, performing, visual, and interdisciplinary arts. WNC Artists can go to artsavl.org/aid to view full grant guidelines and apply.
ArtsAVL is the designated arts agency for Buncombe County, directly serving artists and arts organizations in Buncombe County. In this effort, ArtsAVL is working closely with the National Endowment for the Arts, Americans for the Arts, SouthArts, the North Carolina Arts Council, Arts NC, WNC Arts, and many others.
Katie Cornell, ArtsAVL’s Executive Director, spoke at Buncombe County’s press briefing Sunday, October 13, about the grant and related relief measures. “The mission of ArtsAVL is to keep the arts at the heart of our community, and we are working diligently to support and hopefully retain our arts community both locally and regionally,” she said.
As Hurricane Helene moved into the community, ArtsAVL immediately responded with a page of support resources – artsavl.org/aid – on Thursday, September 26. Then, on Wednesday, October 2, ArtsAVL launched a WNC Creatives Needs Assessment survey. They have received more than 370 submissions from 17 out 25 impacted counties.
From the survey results, ArtsAVL learned the most pressing need is for immediate funding to help pay for living expenses and bills due to a total loss of income. The vast majority of the region’s arts organizations are currently closed and most arts professionals are out of work. October is a pivotal month for artists in the Asheville area, with sales made this month helping many creatives make it through to February. “It’s crucial that we get our artists back to work as soon as possible or we will lose them,” shared Cornell.
According to a recent study by Americans for the Arts, Buncombe County, NC was home to 483 establishments in the arts and culture sector during 2022, and ranked #1 out of all 100 NC counties for arts and culture establishments per 10,000 residents. By this same measure, Buncombe County ranked 47th out of all 3,144 U.S. counties. Asheville’s River Arts District is, rightly, making national headlines as an estimated 80% of the district is destroyed – it previously included 26 warehouses and was home to 300 artists. Additional damage includes Highwater Clays, Southern Highlands Craft Guild, New Morning Gallery, Flood Gallery, and many others.
While these numbers paint a picture of Buncombe County’s creative loss, and ArtsAVL’s usual service area, the damage from Hurricane Helene goes far beyond. Smaller communities in the region are as artistically rich and suffering – Spruce Pine, Burnsville, Marshall, and many others. This relief effort will cover 25 counties in the region, supporting the arts that are such a significant part of Western North Carolina’s culture and economy.
In addition, Explore Asheville, along with several other partners like ArtsAVL, launched a new Love Asheville From Afar initiative last week to encourage a national audience to support local small businesses and makers. This page gathers shop links and direct donation platforms for Buncombe County businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene. You can find out more about this effort and view the page at: LoveAshevilleFromAfar.com
“We each have our distinct roles to play in these immediate relief efforts, and in the long term recovery of our community,” shared Cornell. “Our artists and arts organizations are a major economic driver and revitalizer. They can not only help us rebuild, but also provide the social emotional support we all need to process this trauma.”
You can find more information about these initiatives and other resources, as well as make a donation to support ArtsAVL’s relief efforts at artsavl.org/aid.