Hurricane Helene destroyed Asheville’s flourishing arts community. Can they rebuild what was lost?

The River Arts District attracted artists with cheap rents. With buildings flattened, the community fears a land grab

The arts community in Asheville, North Carolina, is piecing itself together in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

In the River Arts District, artwork was destroyed, and the buildings that once housed studios and galleries are mud-caked or crumbling. As they face the immediate challenge of survival, the community now wonders if what it once had can ever be rebuilt from the ground up.