Support Akira Satake's Recovery After Hurricane Helene

Akira Satake is one of our favorite people and artists. He's been a mentor to our son and a creative inspiration to us and countless others across the world. He is truly a one-of-a-kind artist, musician and person. We are deeply saddened to hear what he, his family and his community are going through and are happy to help in supporting their recovery.

Message from our friend Akira Satake

This September, my life changed shockingly and irrevocably when Hurricane Helene swept a path through Western North Carolina. My ground floor ceramics gallery and studio, located in Asheville's River Arts District, was inundated by flooding from the nearby French Broad River, the building submerged in water up to the middle of the second story. My employees and I were able to move about half of my pottery out before the full force of the storm hit, but all the equipment—kiln, wheel, tools, and materials—as well as furniture and hundreds of pots and all my work in progress, are now destroyed.

It will be a long road to recovery, with many months, maybe a year, to reorganize and rebuild what I've lost, if it's even possible. I will be losing these next three months of sales during what is normally the busiest time of year. I need to make sure my amazing studio assistants and gallery employees are able to continue to earn a living while we comb through the wreckage and start to rebuild.

I moved to Western NC from Brooklyn, NY 21 years ago, with my wife Cynthia, finding here exactly what I'd been seeking in order to nurture my evolving ceramics practice. I fell in love with the beauty of the land and the wonderful community of creative people I found here. Inspired, I built a pottery studio in my home in Swannanoa and, several years later, was able to establish myself and my work here, in a 1600 square foot studio/gallery close by the French Broad River, that was the heart and soul of my life's work.

Now it seems that to continue with this work, I need to ask for your help.

To try and get things going we are setting our goal at $80,000 but in reality our expenses from the damage amount to $304,330.00 upon initial estimate. Below is everything we can see that has been destroyed. This is everything that made our business run, the biggest missing item of course is the gallery space itself we do not yet know if this building can function again in time or if we will have to find somewhere else.

Our life is completely turned upside down now and ... we are the lucky ones. We have neighbors who have lost everything. We will be helping each other locally as a community while we all reach out to our larger community and ask for help. We would be so grateful for any assistance in getting our life and work back on track. Every bit helps and I hope to be bringing you more work and pots and workshops soon.

With immense gratitude,

Akira Satake"

An itemized list of losses

2 Shimpo pottery wheel $3500

Skutt Kiln $6000

Furnitures $18000

Video and camera equipment $5000

Pottery $30000

Sculpture $38000

Greenware (in fired pots) $3000

Clay $3000

Canceled workshop $36000

Next three months of gallery sales $75000

Packing materials $1200

Office tools $3500

Square processor for credit card $300

TV $300

Pottery tools small $2800

slab roller, $2500

Banding wheels x 22 $680

Rolling pins x22 $400

Carpenter tools $4000

Paintings $8000

Refrigerator $600

Ware carts x11 $10000

Shipping station $1800

Wooden boxes from Japan $5000

Payment to my employees for next 3 month $30000

Cleaning expenses $5000

Lighting $3000

Music station $650

Office supplies $ 1200

Hot water dispenser $1200

Kitchen equipment and supplies $2500

Signs $800

Business cards, club cards, $1400

Total $304,330.00