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Support Akira Satake's Recovery After Hurricane Helene

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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
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Donations 

  • Patricia Samuels
    • $50
    • 4 d
  • Jackie McFadden
    • $25
    • 5 d
  • Anonymous
    • $35
    • 5 d
  • Kenzie Clark
    • $50
    • 5 d
  • Anonymous
    • $200
    • 5 d
Donate

Organizer and beneficiary

Gideon Grody-Patinkin
Organizer
Asheville, NC
Akira Satake
Beneficiary

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