Buncombe County Cultural Asset Recovery Update – June 2025

Buncombe County’s creative sector continues to show signs of resilience and recovery in the wake of Hurricane Helene. According to the latest update to the ArtsAVL Cultural Asset Map, the number of cultural assets experiencing significant damage declined from 552 in February 2025 to 441 in June 2025—a 20% improvement over four months.

Key Findings from the June 2025 Update:

  • Overall Recovery: The percentage of cultural assets reporting significant damage dropped from 41.1% in February to 32.6% in June.

  • Retail Recovery: The retail arts sector showed notable progress. Of 368 total assets, those with significant damage declined from 286 to 235. Notably, 133 retail businesses are now fully open—up from just 69 in February.

  • Galleries and Studios: Galleries, studios, and workshops also made strides, with significantly damaged assets falling from 220 to 177. A small number (8) of new galleries were added to the registry.

  • Public Spaces: Parks saw the most dramatic recovery among public amenities, with assets reporting significant damage dropping from 26 to 15. This coincided with 11 parks reopening fully.

  • Museums & Historic Sites: Fully recovered by June, all 20 museums and historic sites are now operational, with no facilities remaining in significant disrepair.

  • Performing Arts & Music: These sectors have shown slower but steady recovery. Performing arts venues with significant damage declined slightly from 5 to 4, and music venues from 5 to 4 as well. Two music organizations permanently closed during this period, underscoring ongoing challenges in the live performance sector.

  • Cultural Service Organizations: These largely stabilized, with 35 of 37 organizations fully open and no change in the number of significantly damaged facilities (2).

  • Libraries & Community Centers: This category remained static, with 32 of 33 open and one still significantly impacted.

What This Means for the Arts Sector

While the recovery is far from complete, the June 2025 data highlights meaningful progress across multiple categories—especially retail arts businesses, galleries, and public parks. That said, more than 400 cultural assets still report significant damage, and targeted support is still needed to restore the region’s creative infrastructure.

ArtsAVL continues to advocate for additional disaster recovery funding and provide grants and technical support to impacted organizations and artists. The next update to the Cultural Asset Map is expected in June 2026, offering another critical snapshot of Buncombe County’s arts recovery journey.

This interactive map offers a snapshot of arts and cultural assets across Buncombe County as of June 2025. Created by ArtsAVL, the map includes arts businesses and cultural sites managed by the City or County. It is updated quarterly to track changes and recovery progress.

Color Coding for Impact from Hurricane Helene:

? Red – Permanently closed or destroyed
? Orange – Temporarily closed with plans to reopen, or operating online only
? Yellow – Partially open or operating with limited capacity

Explore the Map

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