LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Asheville artist Maria Andrade Troya traveled up through Greeneville, Tennessee on open roads to get to Louisville for the St. James Court Art Show. The trip was pre-planned, but now she needs the profits more than ever.
"Once we figured out we could get gas and the roads were open, I just thought, 'I'm not going to have any income for the next three months,'" said Troya.
She knew she still needed to make the trip up after her and other artists sharing the space lost their studio. Flood waters rose to the second-floor windows.
"The floor would seep [water] a little bit," said Troya. "So, we were used to that, but this was way beyond that."
Hurricane Helene has been marked as one of the deadliest storms since Hurricane Katrina, with the death toll reaching 200 on Thursday.
Troya salvaged her hand-crafted pieces but lost some of her self-made glazes and her kiln. Now, the building's owner plans to sell the property.
Even if she wanted to still work, the area is still without running water, so she can't clean up her space. Plus, there's no electricity.
Heading to the three-day show in Louisville, Troya leaves behind a damaged studio and her salvaged pieces on her porch, which she said she needs to find temporary homes for.
"I'm just going to come up here, trying to show my work," said Troya. "Maybe get some more clients to when I restart the studio."
Every piece she sells will help her rebuild her livelihood.
"For [artists] October through December are our busiest seasons," said Troya. "The fall leaf peaking season for western North Carolina is huge, so we lost the whole month."
Troya may have lost her studio, but her heart goes out to the communities in western North Carolina who've lost homes and loved ones.
Troya's booth #702 is on South Third Street. A studio-mate to Troya, Alice Scott, who also lost their studio space, traveled to Louisville from Asheville.
Scott's booth, #110, is just up the street from Troya's. A GoFundMe has been created to help out the 11 artists who've lost their studio. The proceeds from the GoFundMe will be split evenly between the 11 artists.
The St. James Court Art Show will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
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