December 2024 Roundup: RADfest Was Rad, Ceramist Michael Sherrill Perseveres, Plus an End-of-Year Overview
In December, we covered RADfest 1.0, interviewed acclaimed Bat Cave ceramist Michael Sherrill, and reflected on a particularly tumultuous year.
This holiday season, I harbor disparate thoughts of Asheville’s artful future. Dwelling on the horrors of Helene will dwarf our momentum forward, so I have mindfully centered on a renewed spirit based on past experiences. Two decades after Katrina, I’ve retraced my roots in New Orleans to find a thriving arts scene of new and restored venues and an influx of healthy arts tourism. In Asheville, Jeffrey Burroughs, an effervescent leader full of passion, leads the charge to revitalize the River Arts District, harnessing community spirit to pave a path forward. Thanks to the generosity of art enthusiasts locally and worldwide, events like the inaugural RADfest and Second Saturday art crawls became major successes, attracting enthusiastic buyers. Artists offset costs by sharing studio spaces and using donated supplies, making holiday sales more viable. With over a million dollars raised, the RAD is poised to chart a viable course forward.
ArtsvilleUSA’s mission remains focused on telling stories of resilience and rebirth, particularly in the most affected areas, such as Mitchell, Yancey, Haywood, Madison, and Henderson counties. In 2025, Elise Wilson, an accomplished artist with a strong background in administration and marketing, will serve as executive director and guide our timely program changes. Alongside talented editor Morgan Laurens and dynamic producer Scott Power, ArtsvilleUSA will innovate programming to attract visitors back to WNC studios, highlight craft artists, and rejuvenate our unique artistic niche.
As we move forward and I sign off as the director, I remain dedicated to ArtsvilleUSA's founding principles: democratizing the arts and nurturing creativity as a global community. Join our merry band of creatives in 2025 and tell your friends—we are better together!
Artfully yours,
River Arts District Revives Creative Spirit With Successful RADfest
On a sunny weekend in November, art lovers flocked to Asheville’s River Arts District (RAD) to celebrate the launch of RADfest 1.0. The district’s soft opening brought its once-bustling streets back to life as visitors and artists gathered to enjoy local music, participate in live demonstrations, and wander through open studios. Less than two months after Hurricane Helene unleashed its fury, damaging approximately 80 percent of the RAD’s warehouses, galleries, and studios, the heart of Asheville's creative community is determined to rise again.
See images from RADfest 1.0 here.
Ceramist Michael Sherrill Reflects on Life in Post-Hurricane Bat Cave, NC
Bat Cave, North Carolina, a bucolic gem nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, has long been celebrated for its breathtaking vistas and rich cinematic history. Once a hotbed for filmmakers eager to capture its rugged charm, the unincorporated community an hour southeast of Asheville faced an unprecedented upheaval earlier this year when Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina. As the storm’s ferocious winds and torrential rains ravaged the region, Bat Cave—with a population of just 180—struggled to keep itself above the water.
“We do live slightly pioneer-like here,” says sculptor Michael Sherrill, a longtime Bat Cave resident whose home butts up against Chimney Rock State Park.
Read our conversation with Michael Sherrill here.
ArtsvilleUSA Year-End Review Featuring Scott Power From NOT REAL ART
Excuse our language, but 2024 was a whirlwind—literally. Our final episode of the year explores the sweeping impact of Hurricane Helene on the Asheville arts community. NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power joins ArtsvilleUSA founder Louise Glickman to discuss the challenges faced by local artists and art organizations, emphasizing the urgent need for support and funding to sustain their crafts in the aftermath of the disaster. They highlight the resilience and ingenuity of the community as locals adapt to new digital platforms and outreach strategies to promote their work. The episode also introduces new initiatives, like the Helene Stories Hotline (833-622-7871), where artists can share their stories and gain visibility. In this heartfelt conversation, Scott and Louise reaffirm their commitment to amplifying the voices of artists and keeping the spirit of creativity alive in Asheville and beyond.
Listen to our 2024 review here.
News + Notes From Asheville and Beyond
Here’s where we share quick craft bites for busy hands and hungry minds. This month, we thank our collaborators, subscribers, and financial backers for their support. We experienced incredible growth in 2024—none of which would have been possible without our growing community of artists, art lovers, and arts professionals. From all of us at ArtsvilleUSA, thank you for being a vital part of our community. Learn more about ArtsvilleUSA’s 2025 programming here.
Community Support
- Support RAD Artists: Perhaps nothing is more helpful than an Excel spreadsheet for quickly sharing information and distributing resources. Support RAD artists directly by accessing the RAD Artists GoFundMe Master List.
- Heritage Hearth Charity Drive: Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (BRNHA) is collecting handmade donations, including knit or crochet hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, and cowls, through Jan. 20, 2025. The donations will benefit residents of Western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene. Learn more about the handmade charity drive here.
Exhibitions + Events
- The Land Speaks: For its inaugural 2025 exhibition, the Asheville Gallery of Art presents work from three new artists, including watercolorist Bronwen McCormick, who designed our holiday card this year. The Land Speaks runs from Jan. 1 through 31, 2025, at the Asheville Gallery of Art in downtown Asheville. Learn more about the exhibition here.
- The Art of Recovery: Multigenerational artists from Hood Huggers International, Umoja Collective, Slay The Mic Multimedia, and All a Dream Darkroom present a creative response to tropical storm Helene with an exhibition at Pink Dog Creative. Don’t miss the closing reception on Jan. 4, 2025, at 5 p.m. Learn more about The Art of Recovery here.
- Artist as Teacher: Will Henry Stevens: Asheville’s Blue Spiral 1 Gallery and Ogden Museum of Southern Art partnered with The New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts for this unique, participatory exhibition. Students at the Academy will create bodies of work inspired by master abstract naturalist Will Henry Stevens. Coordinated by Blue Spiral director Michael Manes, Artist as Teacher runs from Jan. 11 through 25, with an opening reception on Jan. 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. Learn more about the exhibition here.
- How Creativity Transforms Brokenness Into Beauty: Internationally celebrated artist Lily Yeh hosts this two-day seminar and workshop on creative placemaking in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Participants can register for the seminar on Saturday, Jan. 11, alone or add the accompanying workshop on Sunday, Jan. 12. Learn more about the event here or listen to Lily Yeh’s Ted Talk on creative placemaking if you can’t attend in person.
- Standing Strong: This benefit exhibition supports Asheville artists affected by Hurricane Helene. Standing Strong runs from Jan. 11 to 25, 2025, at Bender Gallery in downtown Asheville. Learn more about the exhibition here.
- Cool: From cool colors to cool temperatures, Haywood County Arts Council’s inaugural 2025 exhibition centers on the concept of “cool,” piggybacking off of HCAC’s Cool Jazz concert. Cool runs from Jan. 29 through March 3, 2025, at HCAC’s Handmade Gallery. Learn more here.
Special Thanks to Our Partners
This copy has been edited for length and clarity. All photos published with permission of the artist(s). Featured photo: Michael Freas Photography.