My situation:

When Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina, I had just announced my biggest project to date: renovating my dear deceased Uncle’s old ceramic studio, located on family land in Penland, NC. The land and building are now legally mine, though the disaster made that process quite stressful and complicated.

The building is 45 years old and needs a lot of work in order to be a safe, dry, climate-controlled fiber arts studio with plumbing and parking. Before the flooding and mudslides, I thought my work was cut out for me; now I can’t even access the building because of road damage. And all the renovation work remains to be started, and cannot begin until the road is repaired. FEMA cannot help me because this is not my primary residence, and insurance will not cover damages to private roads or collapsing mountainsides.

I have shifted my focus from selling crafts to fund this project to straight-up asking for donations. I did receive a CERF+ Grant, and an ArtsAVL Grant, but these funds are a drop in the bucket of the costs outlined below.

Right now, you can donate directly to me via Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal.

Immediate needs:

  • Retaining wall built in order to make road passable $10,000

  • Surveyor’s work $2800

  • Lawyer’s fees $775

  • Plumber experienced with spring water systems ($500 so far)

  • Demolition & debris hauling (once road is fixed, no estimates yet)

  • ROAD WORK. Since Helene struck, I cannot even get a vehicle to the studio building. The gravel road that served as access to the driveway was destroyed when half of it fell into the river below. Without vehicle access, I am walking in on foot to do any work, which makes it much more difficult to bring helpers and tools in.

  • Basement water situation overhaul (needs new springwater containment system, installation of French drains & grading, foundation leaks sealed, new water barrier applied to exterior blocks, possibly more!)

  • New roof!! Current roof is 40+ years old and has no overhang, nor gutters.

  • New steps up to the front door (current ones are soft and rotting)

  • Demolition of old kilns and their gas piping

  • Demolition of old cabin foundations

  • Drywall tear out, insulation replacement (building has original everything, from the early 80s, visible water damage)

  • Window & door replacements for improved cooling/heat efficiency

  • Mini-splits installed for drying/cooling/heating

Donate to Jessica Kaufman's big studio renovation project
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Send money via PayPal
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The only road in... impassable
A friend lends his time to helping mitigate the spring situation
And still, she flows... straight into the ground, soaking the basement.
Steeper than it looks!
An almost 90 degree landslide just below the parking area :(
The plan for the road...?
Trees on the right that will need to come down.

Maybe you know a contractor, roofer, demolition team, or handyperson? Could they lend me their time or expertise in Western NC? The building is in Mitchell County, near Penland School of Crafts.