few hours after the rain from Tropical Storm Helene subsided on Sept. 27, River Arts District Association (RADA) President Jeffrey Burroughs and their husband ventured out of their West Asheville home to see what had happened.
“We had our [car] windows down,” Burroughs says. “As we were driving toward the bridge, I turned to my husband and said, ‘Do you hear that? Is that water?’” When the two got closer, they saw that the River Arts District was completely submerged in floodwater.
“It was like being sucker punched,” Burroughs continues. “It took my breath away. It was a moment when you feel like all your dreams are just kind of washing away.”
The following day, Burroughs, who also works as a jewelry designer, joined fellow artists in the RAD in pulling artwork out of Riverview Station, salvaging as many pieces and dreams as they could. “We had this whole community engagement unlike anything I’d ever experienced,” Burroughs tells Xpress. “As tragic as everything was, we were creating this glimmer of hope.”
The RAD Renaissance event, scheduled for Saturday, May 10, continues that theme, Burroughs notes. “We’re taking that glimmer of hope and expanding the sparkle.”
A celebration of arts, renewal and resilience, RAD Renaissance will be held from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. throughout the upper River Arts District, including on Roberts Street, Artful Way, Clingman Avenue and Depot Street.
Reinvigorating the RAD
More than just an art festival, RAD Renaissance is an invitation to both locals and tourists alike to come together and breathe new life into the vibrant district that showcases the work of 700-plus artists. Visitors will have the chance to tour galleries and studios, meet and greet artists, shop for locally made artwork, watch live demonstrations and participate in art classes. There will also be face-painting for kids, storytelling performances, music and, as is only fitting in a city known for its cuisine, food trucks and pop-ups to complement the district’s many restaurants, cafés and breweries.
One feature of the event that Burroughs says they might be most excited for is the flower beautification project. “While you’re down here strolling, listening to music and purchasing art, you can also get your hands dirty and help us plant flowers in designated zones through the upper RAD.” This is part of a wider initiative to restore the beauty — in all its forms — throughout the area.
RAD Renaissance also marks the inaugural RAD Art Market, which will be held every Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Pinegate Renewables parking lot. The art market was created to give displaced artists an opportunity to showcase and sell their work.
Since December, upper RAD galleries and studios have been up and running. But the lower RAD — the area along the French Broad River, which was more highly impacted by Tropical Storm Helene — is still being rebuilt. Studios, including Riverview Station, Marquee, Cotton Mill and Warehouse Studios, are still temporarily closed with several aiming to be open by fall.
Many of the nearly 350 artists that had called the lower RAD home lost everything in the flood and desperately need spaces to exhibit and sell their work, says Burroughs. The RAD Art Market will provide an opportunity to unveil new pieces and reconnect with the community.
Suzanne Armstrong is among the creatives taking advantage of that opportunity. A fiber artist and soul art guide who leads creative journeys focused on personal transformation, Armstrong lost her space at Riverview Station during the storm. In its aftermath, she and her husband, fellow artist Paul Armstrong, have pivoted their energy into RAD Gear AVL, which sells T-shirts and swag that highlight the RAD. A percentage of proceeds from sales go to the RADA Foundation, which directly supports local artists. RAD Gear AVL will be among the many participants in the RAD Art Market.
“We’re reigniting our own livelihood and supporting a vision we’re passionate about,” Suzanne Armstrong says. “People need to remember that artists are also entrepreneurs. They’re creating their own economy.”
‘Group hug’
Displaced multimedia artist Mary Rivera will also take part in the weekly art market. While she plans to eventually open a new studio and gallery in the RAD, she sees the chance to work alongside her family of RAD artists at the market as incredibly healing. “Every Saturday will be a small-scale re-creation of the vibes visitors could experience daily pre-Helene,” says Rivera. “We hope to see everyone out to shop, eat and support each other.”
Wire sculptor Julie Bell, who runs Trackside Studios on Depot Street with Michael Allen Campbell, made it her mission to take in displaced artists when their space reopened in December after renovations — it filled with 6 feet of water during the storm. “Trackside Studios is a small business,” she says. “But the whole reason we exist is to help these other small businesses succeed.” Now the upper RAD’s largest gallery, Trackside will throw open its doors to celebrate its 10th anniversary during the RAD Renaissance event.
Bell notes that buying artwork isn’t the only way to support local artists. Like many other studios, Trackside offers a variety of classes each month taught by working Asheville artists; registering for these offerings, she says, contributes to those much-needed additional revenue streams.
RAD Renaissance and the weekly RAD Art Market are just part of a full year of planned activities, says Burroughs. In August, a sip-and-stroll event will encourage visitors to imbibe local beer and wine while shopping at RAD galleries. And RADA intends to mark the one-year anniversary of Tropical Storm Helene in September with RAD Resilience, an event featuring music, food and a community art project. In November, the RADFest art festival will return after its successful 2024 debut to round out the year.
Burroughs’ goal with RAD Renaissance, the RAD Art Market and all of the events going forward is to highlight and celebrate the district’s resilience. “I want the artists to feel so loved and so welcomed,” they say.
As Suzanne Armstrong puts it, “Every time we show up for ourselves and show up for RAD, it’s another step to rebuilding. It’s like a big group hug.”
For more information on RAD events and classes, to donate to the RADA Foundation and to see a comprehensive list of all the artists represented in the district, visit avl.mx/eat.
