Support Resilience )'( 2025 BRC Honoraria Project

Help Bring Resilience to Burning Man—and Beyond!

"Resilience isn’t just about surviving the storm—it’s about what you create from the wreckage."

I’m honored to share that Resilience has been selected as an official Black Rock City Honoraria installation for Burning Man 2025—and now it has also been invited to appear at the Reno-Tahoe International Art Show this September.

But we can't do this alone. I need your help to bring this dream into reality.

What is Resilience?

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Resilience is an immersive art installation and functional storm shelter, crafted from salvaged materials—most notably a barn roof torn apart by Hurricane Helene and artworks damaged, lost, or reborn through the storm’s devastation.

This structure is not just shelter. It is a monument to survival and a gallery of memory, showcasing the work of artists from Western North Carolina who lost homes, studios, and entire bodies of work.

I, too, am one of them. As the lead artist, I lost nearly everything. But in the ashes of that loss, we found a way to build something new—together.

And we didn’t do it alone. When the storm hit Asheville, it was Burners who led the recovery efforts—drawing on the same systems of mutual aid, creativity, and resilience we have honed on the playa for years.

The ethos of Burning Man didn’t stay in the desert. It showed up in the streets of our flooded city.

Inside Resilience, visitors will encounter art that was recovered, repaired, or created in direct response to the storm—inviting reflection on loss, storytelling, and the enduring spirit of community creativity.

Why Do We Need Funding?

While Burning Man has generously provided a partial grant through their Honoraria program, this project relies on community support to complete.

Your gift will directly support:

✅ Materials & Construction – Transforming salvaged storm debris into a beautiful, meaningful structure

✅ Artist Compensation – Establishing the Resilience Artist Fund to honor artists by gifting them the lost value of their displayed work

✅ Transportation & Logistics – Moving Resilience from Asheville, NC, to the Nevada desert—and onward to Reno

✅ On-Site Build Costs – Covering tools, safety gear, and structural reinforcement for the harsh playa environment

✅ Travel to RTIA – Supporting a small team to showcase Resilience at the Reno-Tahoe International Art Show this fall

Our Fundraising Goal

We are raising $25,000 to cover the full realization of Resilience:

$15,000 for construction, transport, travel, and build

$10,000 to launch the Resilience Artist Fund

How You Can Help

Every contribution—whether $11 or $2,222—helps bring Resilience to life.

If we reach our goal, every artist featured in the gallery will be honored with a gift matching the pre-storm retail value of a lost piece—a tangible act of repair, dignity, and resilience.

GIVING TIERS: RESILIENCE

A structure made from storms. A gallery made from grief. A future shaped by you.

Every gift helps us bring Resilience to Burning Man 2025 and the Reno-Tahoe International Art Show—and honors the artists who survived Hurricane Helene.

These are symbolic tiers, rooted in gratitude and community.

From the storm, we rise. Together. Thank you for being part of this journey.

$11 — The Spark

A humble flicker that lights the way.

Your name listed on our website as one of the first flames to help ignite this journey.

$55 — The Ember

A warm coal under storm-soaked earth.

Recognition on our website

A Resilience thank-you packet mailed to you, including:

A limited-edition Resilience sticker

A hand-signed postcard from the team

And more—a small envelope of warmth and mystery from the wreckage

$88 — The Compass

When the road ahead is unclear, community lights the way.

All previous gifts, plus:

Your name (or a loved one’s) inscribed on the Compass Wall, a panel inside the structure honoring those who helped us find our way

A digital photo of the Compass Wall before it travels west

$111 — The Shelter

The storm may rage, but you gave us a roof.

All previous gifts, plus:

Your name engraved on a wooden plaque displayed inside Resilience at Burning Man and RTAI

$333 — The Altar

Your story woven into the space.

All previous gifts, plus:

An opportunity to place a name, object, or intention inside the Resilience altar, a sacred space for grief, memory, protection, and healing

We’ll contact you privately to receive your offering before the build

$777 — The Phoenix

This is what rising looks like.

All previous gifts, plus:

A private video tour of the completed installation

“Phoenix Patron” recognition on our website, in our catalogue, and at future exhibitions

An invitation to a private viewing of Resilience in Western North Carolina before it departs for Burning Man—a night of firelight, storytelling, and gratitude

$1,111 — The Catalogue

You helped preserve the legacy.

All previous gifts, plus:

A limited-edition printed gallery catalogue, featuring artist interviews, photos, and essays

Digital access to extended artist spotlights and exhibition materials

$2,222+ — Keeper of the Flame

You carried this gallery through the storm.

All previous gifts, plus:

A $500 voucher toward the purchase of artwork by any contributing artist, redeemable through the Resilience team

This supports artists directly and helps a piece of Resilience live on in your home