At Marshall High Studios in the town of Marshall, a local artist started a new community writing project earlier this year, giving residents a space to reflect on and share their experiences from Hurricane Helene a year ago.
Save This Piece features 72 photographs by Marshall artist, photographer and writer Lauren Rutten that she took during Helene cleanup a year ago. All of the photos she captured were, “ beautiful in the midst of everything that was really ugly,”she said.
Following the one-year anniversary of the storm, Rutten set up tables and chairs in Room 105 in the building where visitors could sit quietly and reflect on the images on the wall of the room.
All 72 of Rutten’s images feature gold leaf line work, a very slow process where an adhesive is taken, painted in very thin lines and then covered with gold leaf.
“ The gold leaf is really representative of that, in the midst of everything that challenges us, whether it's external or internal, we have this beautiful capacity to heal,” Rutten said.
The exhibit has had many visitors. Rutten recalls one interaction with a man who came into the room, looked at the images, and sat down to write.
“When he got finished, he said he didn't know how much he needed that,” Rutten said. “It's been very interesting to see some people come in and they really take it in and they sit down and they read the prompts and they feel that they need more time.”
The storm left the town of less than 1,000 residents with destroyed businesses and homes along Main Street in the downtown area. The adjacent French Broad River crested over 20 feet.
While cleaning up in the storm’s aftermath, Rutten was taking photos on her phone, documenting the moments of recovery as they were happening. She also spent a lot of time shoveling mud and handing out safety gear.
Rutten and others made their way to Blannahassat Island where the Studios sit on a 10-acre island in the French Broad River. The building was originally Marshall High School, built in 1925. After its closure in 1973 and Madison county nearly demolishing it, local artist and publisher Rob Pulleyn bought the building in 2006.
After a major renovation, it opened in the Fall of 2007, featuring 26 artist studios, an auditorium and an enormous deck. Many artists throughout the region were attracted to the Studios, including textile creators, jewelry makers, and photographers.
The Studios once again had to go through a revamp after Helene brought around eight or nine feet of water into the building, destroying the first floor. It caused an estimated $800,000 worth of damages, according to Dave Schmucker, project manager for the reconstruction of the non-profit.
The tenants moved back in July, including Rutten. Although more work is needed to fully repair the Studios, Rutten said she feels an excitement of what's to come.
“It feels like we're at this spark that is igniting for newness and continuing the creativity that manifests through here and through the people who work here and call this their studio space,” Rutten said.
The exhibit is set up until Oct. 29 both at Marshall High Studios and in the telephone booth at the Old Marshall Jail just across the bridge. Rutten said she hopes to eventually use the responses and the images she took to make a book.
