Ceramist Michael Sherrill Reflects on Life in Post-Hurricane Bat Cave, NC

Sculptor Michael Sherrill shares the challenges of rebuilding his business after Hurricane Helene and highlights the community spirit that fuels recovery.

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. “We had a landslide that plugged the river, and when it went rushing down, it took out our bridges. For two days, we could not get out of here because you couldn't ford the river. So we just took care of one another—if somebody needed something, we cut paths to drive four-wheelers around so we could get in and out.”

Hurricane Helene destroyed essential machinery at Mudtools’ business hub near the Rocky Broad River in Bat Cave.

This sense of community has been a hallmark of Michael’s life since he left Charlotte for Bat Cave in the 1970s in search of more affordable housing and an inspiring environment. As one of the first young potters in Henderson County, Michael built a small studio in a milk barn, forming a lifelong friendship with fellow potter David Voorhees. Over the decades, he witnessed the transformation of the Asheville area from a struggling town into a vibrant hub for arts and crafts. Recognizing a growing need for specialized tools among fellow artisans, Michael invested his workshop profits into creating Mudtools, a company that would become a significant player in the ceramics industry.

Then, Hurricane Helene swept the once-thriving business away. While Michael’s nearby home and studio remained intact, losing his business—where many of his family members worked—has “been devastating.” The storm destroyed essential machinery and the heart of their operations, forcing Michael and his team to regroup and rebuild from the ground up. Despite the setback, Michael remains resolute, expressing a deep connection to the community and the land that has nurtured his creativity for decades: “This is my home. This is where I feel part of this soil.”

Can you describe Hurricane Helene's immediate impact on your home and studio in Bat Cave?

Michael Sherrill: Our house developed leaks where there weren't leaks before. We’re set up above the creek a little bit, and it widens out right at our house, so there’s a place for the water to go. It swept away a couple thousand dollars worth of saw and lumber that we used to make tools and probably about eight cords of firewood and cradles we use to heat the studio and keep warm in the wintertime. The water we bathe in and wash clothes got interrupted, but it was just a matter of finding the pieces and trying to get them back together.

As for the studio, I have two houses above me, and their drainage started to alter over time. This heavy rain came down the back of my studio through the drainage and clogged up the pipes and the big culverts, and it started running through my studio. I opened the door, and there were three inches of mud and water—it’s dried out now, so it’s really dusty. One of my volunteers has been helping me scrape and mop it up because I’ve been busy doing triage on Mudtools.

What damages did you experience?

MS: I had just photographed a piece that I finished for clients. It’s a smaller piece the husband wanted for [his wife]. He’s known me for a long time and asked me to create a cross for her. It’s not a cross-cross but a cruciform kind of look. It’s a nice, sweet piece; we’d just photographed it. When the storm hit, the piece was still on the wall with the photographic paper. All that rain came in and tore the paper, but the piece was still there. It survived.

[The cross] is a symbol for this valley in many ways. The geologist who gave the talk in the Lake Lure area talks about Bat Cave being like the center of a cross. So there’s drainage coming from Asheville, which is the head, then Black Mountain is one arm, Hendersonville the other, and Lake Lure is down below. My piece is in that shape, which is like a freaky accident because it had been in the works for a couple of years before I ever finished it.

Photographer Scott Allen shoots ‘Jesse’s Root’ in Michael Sherrill’s Bat Cave studio prior to Hurricane Helene.
‘Jesse’s Root’

Was anything else in your studio affected?

MS: I think it survived pretty good. But the bad part is that my office had my archive, all my photographs from the past, my whole archive. I just turned 70. I had slides all the way back from when I started photographing my work in my early 20s. Publications I’ve been in and show stuff that’s gone. And a lot of important photographs.

How has Helene impacted your small business operations, including sales, customer relationships, and any local partnerships you may have had?

MS: We were fortunate that our home and studio are relatively intact, but the real blow is Mudtools—most of my family works in the business. We’re trying to figure out the new normal and get to work putting everything back together. We weren't heavily leveraged as far as debt is concerned, but we took a giant hit. I'm guessing we lost somewhere between $2.5 and $3 million when our building went into the river. We hope we can claw back out.

After the flooding from Helene subsided, Michael’s studio was covered in dust and dried mud.
Michael recovers an archival photo from the debris surrounding the destroyed Mudtools business hub.

Your son, Micah, is also a Bat Cave artist. Was he affected by Hurricane Helene? Did he experience any damage to his workspace or materials?

MS: His house is destroyed—all of his records, all of his instruments, and all of his art. A lot of great art went down the river. We're trying to get him one of our little houses. We're hoping to put him in that.

Before Helene, he would work in his apartment, which was above Mudtools, because he works like a Vermeer. It’s very intense labor to do the kind of painting he did. But he loved it, and it suits his personality. That surreal iconography flows into the idea.

What does the future hold for you in Asheville and Bat Cave?

MS: I would spend more time out west anytime you ask me to, but I don't want to leave my home.

I think if you were to survey a lot of the older artists who've gone through something like I have, I think we're astounded at how many people that are makers that we have not met, we've not mixed with, and they're making cool stuff. It's richer than I even have a picture of in my mind.

Michael Sherrill: Website | Instagram | Mudtools

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. All photos published with permission of Michael Sherrill.