One year ago this month, Hurricane Helene changed our city forever.
UNC Asheville is looking back at the impact and inspiring recovery at a campus-wide Post-Helene symposium, from Wednesday, Sept. 24 to Friday, Sept. 26.
The three-day event will include panels, performances + art with the themes of Remembering, Rebuilding, and Reimagining. The symposium will be free + open to the public, inviting residents to share their experiences and discuss how we continue to move forward.
While entry is free, registration is encouraged. The symposium includes 70+ events around the UNC Asheville campus, plus a few ticketed off-campus special events.
Here are a few of the highlights:
- Looking Back to Move Forward | Art exhibit featuring work by students, faculty, and alumni on the hurricane’s devastation and ongoing recovery
- “Hard Times, No More” | Music faculty showcase concert
- Small Town, Mountain Strong | Documentary screening
- Tuned In: How Local Radio Served as a Lifeline Through Helene | Panel session
- Uplifting, Revitalizing, and Sustaining the Arts in Asheville | Panel session
- Telling the Storm: Local Media and the Legacy of Hurricane Helene | Panel session
- Impacts of Helene on Local Business: Alumni Perspectives | Panel session
- After the Storm: a Night of Resilience and Renewal | Poetry + Live Music at Zillicoah Brewery
- Sinfonietta Helene premiere | Performance by the Blue Ridge Orchestra (ticketed event)
“Plenty of people are going to write about how Helene affected Asheville in the coming years,” said the symposium’s founder, UNC Asheville professor William Bares. “This is our moment to share the voices of people who lived through it and preserve them for the future.”
Check out the full schedule here.
