Help River Arts District artists Matthew and Erika rebuild
Donation protected
Dear friends and family,
We are Asheville locals and artists who are asking for help to save our screen printing business, gallery space, and help us rebuild our art community in beautiful Asheville after Hurricane Helene.
In 2020, we, and our colleague Jerry Cahill, founded RAD Printworks during the COVID pandemic when we were all let gof from our full-time jobs. This venture was our seed to see our dream come true - to be full-time artists. Our business thrived in the River Arts District, a vibrant part of the city we helped nurture and grow alongside fellow artists and friends. RAD Printworks was a screen printing business, creating unique and handmade merchandise for local businesses, bands, and to sell for our individual artistic endeavors. It also provided a gallery space for us to display and sell artwork, and many business essentials. It was a great community of artists and friends as well as place for visitors and locals to have fun.
Hurricane Helene brought unprecedented flooding as the French Broad River rose 27 feet, destroying our beloved River Art District. We salvaged what we could from the rubble, our gallery was a cinderblock building and walls blew out and the roof caved in. The property owner's insurance does not cover our losses and we had no insurance for our equipment or business.
We lost our major equipment, supplies and irreplaceable original artwork planned for upcoming art fairs. We now seek your help to rebuild and sustain us for the next six months. Our estimated needs are $15,000 for business essentials and equipment and the other portion will be budgeted for basic living expenses (rent, insurances, food, electric, etc.) for Matthew and I.
Your contributions will not cover all of our expenses, but it will provide a crucial foundation as we strive to create and earn during this period. The good news is our paint supplies survived as well as our creativity! Please reach out with commission requests via our website, we need and want to make art during this healing time (after our friends and family are safe in town).
Additionally, if you would want artwork for your home or as gifts, please consider us. With over 30 years plus of combined experience and two B.F.A. degrees between us, we can create anything. Portraits, abstracts, landscapes, whimsical, surrealism, murals, live paintings and more. Visit our website to see available art that was at our house during the storm and survived. Please visit our web sites to contact us directly.
(IG @erikabusse.art and @mammalmattart)
Below are some photos of our studio before and after the storm. Your support will be a miracle, helping us to get back on our feet and to rebuild the Asheville arts community. Thank you for your time and prayers. You are our angels, and we look forward to welcoming you back to see the talent and strength of this city.
Much love and gratitude,
Matt and Erika
Organizer
Erika Busse
Organizer
Asheville, NC