Following the wake of Hurricane Helene, volunteers gathered to clean up the flooded art studios of Riverside Station in the River arts District. Matthew Rawlings and his wife coordinated the effort to clean up the river-side art studios.
“It’s been really awesome that so many members of the community have come down to help,” Rawlings said.
According to Rawlings, he sought the help of a restoration company at first but looked into gathering volunteers because of the high pricing.
“The estimate they gave us was astronomical, millions of dollars to get anywhere close to having a healthy building again,” Rawlings said.
Rawlings said he and his wife garnered help and support on online spaces like Facebook and Reddit.
“A friend that I work with who saw the post on reddit told me about this cleanup on the river arts district while we were cutting trees the other day,” said Daniel Vanbrocklin, a 38-year-old who works for the Carolina Climbers Coalition.
Vanbrocklin said the effort to clean up the riverside station is more difficult in the emotional aspect than it is physically, due to the sentimental attachment artists have with their work.
“The difficult part is the realization of how much of this is someone’s life we’re sorting through and having to trash. Art and music is a big thing, losing that in this area the river arts district is difficult, the building is here but nothing else is,” Vanbrocklin said.
Elizabeth Pearson-Snow, a piano tutor from Maryland said she saw the footage of the damage from Helene on the news and felt compelled to come help.
“I felt so much for the people of Asheville, I hoped that I could come and help bring renewed fresh energy to the recovery effort,” Pearson-Snow said.
Pearson-Snow said the contrast between the beautiful arts in the studios and the swath of destruction from the mud and flooding was surprising, but she was eager to help.
“I was working on the second floor which flooded, pulling things from this lady’s studio and we had an emotional moment together where I felt so sorry for her, going through her things and seeing the art she created that had to be thrown away,” Pearson-Snow said.
According to Rawlings, all of the personal protective equipment the volunteers used was donated by the public, they also received donations of food money and water.
“Everything here has been donated by the public, the organizers had a few things they started with themselves, but everyday more and more people have dropped off supplies and other personal protective equipment,” Vanbrocklin said.
Pearson-Snow said being in the destroyed studios among the septic mud and grime felt otherworldly and surreal.
“The first day there were well over 100 people who came to help out, the second day it was around 80 and it’s stayed around that number since then,” Rawlings said
The building contained approximately 70 individual art studios with around 200 artists who worked and displayed their art in the studios.
“I’ve been here laughing and making dad jokes and shoving septic mud into a wheelbarrow and having the time of my life,” Pearson-Snow said.
Pearson-Snow said she saw the footage of the damage from Helene in Asheville and felt compelled to come help.
“This has been the kind of experience that sort of restores your faith in humanity, it’s been great to meet a bunch of kind generous people who want to donate their time and energy,” Rawlings said.
Rawlings said despite the circumstances, he and the crew enjoy the experience and consider the cleanup effort to be a joyful time rather than a sad experience.
“I would encourage anyone who’s willing to participate to come down and join us, its dirty work and it smells a little funky in certain places but we’re like happy warriors over here,” Rawlings said
Rawlings said he does not know if the buildings will need to be demolished or not but hopes the cleanup effort will help the river arts district return to its former glory.
“There is hope for the future to build things back, it will be different than it was but maybe in a few years or a decade this place will be a thriving and bustling part of the community again,” Rawlings said.
