Last Thursday afternoon, dark storm clouds overtook downtown Canton. Sitting on a couch in the Cold Mountain Art Collective on Adams Street, Hannah Burnisky gazes out at the raindrops sliding down the large front windows of the business. 

“I love rainy days,” Burnisky noted. “I’m one of those moody weather people. It doesn’t really trigger me, [at least] until they start calling for flood advisories.”

Owner of CMAC, Burnisky is an acclaimed potter and instructor at the studio/gallery. With over 50 artisan members as part of the CMAC, the small, one-story 102-year-old building has become a beacon for creativity and community within the tightly knit mountain town.

Last September, the CMAC was overtaken by devastating floodwaters due to Hurricane Helene. When the nearby Pigeon River spilled over its banks, over seven-and-a-half feet of water quickly enveloped the structure.

“It was Saturday around 1 p.m., and I rounded the top corner here on Main Street and saw [the building] — it was heartbreaking and emotional,” Burnisky said. “[The floodwaters] had peaked. And I sat there for a few hours, just watching the waters recede. As soon as it was low enough, [officials] let me come in and look at everything.”

The floodwaters busted out windows, destroyed furniture and filled the CMAC with a thick, slippery, smelly layer of mud and rotting debris. Burnisky stood there amid the absolute demise of her dream.

“As the waters were receding, we watched our picnic table float around, and it ended up down by the train tracks,” Burnisky slightly grinned, signaling a much-needed sense of humor in dark times. “And it still had the flower pots on it, so I went and retrieved those.”

Luckily, the day before the historic storm, Burnisky was able to pack up most of the artwork in the gallery.

“I spent all of my time getting every bit of artwork out of the gallery, loaded it into my [car] and took it home,” Burnisky said. “Because if something had happened to all of the artwork, I don’t think I would’ve recovered as well.”

To note, this is the second time the CMAC has been flooded since it launched almost four years ago. Back in August 2021, after being open only four days, it was inundated by the Pigeon due to Tropical Storm Fred. Burnisky reopened the facility later that year.

“I knew immediately I was going to rebuild, even seeing my building submerged,” Burnisky said of the Helene aftermath.

The “Grand Re-Reopening” of CMAC will be held on April 19. Beyond the gallery artwork for sale and its studio members, the CMAC will once again offer an array of ceramic classes and other workshops.

“It’ll be emotional. It’s exciting and also terrifying,” Burnisky said of the upcoming celebration. “I’m just trying to take it one step at a time, one foot in front of the other. I’m ready to welcome the community back more than anything.”

Thankfully, Burnisky had flood insurance. But that doesn’t erase the trauma experienced or the long road to recovery for the CMAC. Tear down the walls to the studs. Spray for mold. Sweep out the mud. Put up new drywall. Repaint everything. Hang-up the artwork again. Rebuild. Repeat. Even Burnisky’s young children helped out.

“My [then eight-year-old] son was shoveling mud out onto the street and the excavator would come over, scoop it up, take it away and wave [to him],” Burnisky reminisced. “He had on his work boots and his overalls. He was just ready to get at it.”

Originally from Asheville, Burnisky initially pursued a career as an English teacher, but it was a spur of the moment decision to take a beginner’s ceramic class at AB-Tech that forever shifted the trajectory of her life. 

“It was just a very basic wheel class, but it was so hands-on, and I’m a very hands-on, texture-oriented kind of person,” Burnisky said. “That’s the kind of art I love, and it always upset me that we didn’t have a ceramics class in high school. The second I got into ceramics, I knew ‘this is it.’” 

From there, Burnisky rented kilns in Asheville’s River Arts District. Eventually, she wanted a place of her own, and in her own style and theme. Once Burnisky became a stay-at-home mother, she knew it was her chance to become a full-time artist. In 2017, the young family relocated to Canton, with CMAC coming to fruition thereafter.

“These artistic voices need to be heard,” Burnisky said of the importance of why places like CMAC need to exist. “People need a creative outlet, and I just want to be an advocate for those voices.”

The Cold Mountain Art Collective in Canton will reopen April 19 following the devastating flood of Hurricane Helene last September. Garret K. Woodward photo

Walking outside, Burnisky looks up at the storm clouds, her eyes slowly descending and scanning the building, her mind undoubtedly thinking about all she’s been through with CMAC and everything the structure has witnessed in its century-old existence.

Soon, Burnisky points to a set of small, newly-placed plaques on the inside of one of the outer doorways. It’s the waterline markers for each of the four floods that have hit the building since the dawn of the 21st century.

The lower plaque states “Tropical Storm Fred/August 17, 2021/32 Inches,” with the next two as follows: “Hurricane Frances/September 8, 2004/4 Feet” and “Hurricane Ivan/September 17, 2004/5 Feet 6 Inches.” Standing on your tippy toes, the top plaque reads: “Hurricane Helene/September 27, 2024/7 Feet 7 Inches.”

“She’s gone through a lot, survived a lot,” Burnisky said of the building. “And as long as she’s still standing, I’ll continue coming back.”

Want to go?

The “Grand Re-Reopening” of the Cold Mountain Art Collective will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 19, at the gallery, located at 33 Adams St. in downtown Canton.

Roll Up Herbal Bar (artisan nonalcoholic beverages) will also be onsite. There will be complimentary “fairy hair,” sweet treats, popcorn, a raffle and more. Free and open to the public.

For more information, call 828.492.1333, email coldmountainartcollective@gmail.com or visit coldmountainartcollective.com.