ASHEVILLE, NC (FOX Carolina) – A studio has opened its doors to professional potters who lost their jobs after Tropical Storm Helene nearly destroyed the iconic River Arts District, displacing hundreds of artists living in Asheville.

“I shed tears every day,” owner Gabriel Kline said. Odyssey ClayWorks in question.

Odyssey is a pottery studio paving the way for Asheville’s most famous arts district. “When I came here in 2001, I saw the River Arts District grow from about 60 artists to 250 artists,” Kline added.

While Kline’s studio was spared the storm thanks to the building’s height, this was not the case for many of his friends and colleagues.

“80% of the River Arts District, which is about 200 artists and businesses, were basically wiped out by the incoming flooding,” Kline described. “I watched pictures floating in the river during the flood.”

He also watched people’s livelihoods evaporate. So when his studio reopened, Kline started a free, independent study program for professional potters and displaced artists.

“It’s really cool to see that because it’s their profession and it also plays a meaningful, therapeutic role in their lives,” she said.

The studio currently houses approximately seven to nine displaced artists.

“I was displaced by the flood. but I have a temporary employment situation here at Odyssey ClayWorks,” said Asheville artist Cassie Butcher.

Butcher featured on FOX Carolina Shortly after Helene destroyed his studio.

“I was looking for a place to polish a small work I was able to save my studio from flooding,” he explained.

We were pleased and surprised that Kasap was one of the artists who found a home at Odyssey, where he said he started out as an artist 20 years ago. “I’m so grateful that this community is still here for me.”

The community continues to be a rock for Asheville artists; reshaping and adapting through change; This proves that even if a clay sculpture crumbles, the clay remains ready to be reshaped.

Odyssey ClayWorks and Butcher will participate RAD Festival This weekend is a two-day celebration of the first steps of recovery in the region. There will be tents where displaced artists will exhibit their works. The studios that were not demolished by Helene will also open their doors and the works of many artists will be featured here.

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