Even two weeks after the storm, I can’t shake the heart-sinking dread of approaching my mangled artist booth after the severe winds passed. From a distance, I could make out the shadowed outline of “Last Evening in the Desert” still hanging on my new mesh wall. This heirloom weaving’s fibers were heavied from rainwater, the fringe moving in the lingering wind. I knew in my bones it was a ghostly preview of what I might find inside my twisted tent.

Around 8:30am on Saturday, June 13, an amplified, extreme storm tore 70mph winds through the Omaha Art Fair at Aksarben Village. The alleys between the buildings created wind tunnels, that even some of the strongest steel-frame tents couldn’t survive. In less than 30 minutes, destruction devastated more than 40 artists’ booths and artworks.

Sarah Parys (a weaver friend and exhibiting artist, @eastparlor) and I attended the Artists’ Breakfast, seeking indoor shelter during the storm. After the worst had passed, she and I walked from the hotel towards the row of booths where my display was set up. The initial sight was perplexing, as the wind had flipped my neighbor’s Trimline tent upside down to land directly behind mine.

I detached the Velcro of the wall I’d secured the night before, and stepped into my booth. Some of my handwoven artworks were laying in dirty puddles on the ground, after the 3×8 wooden pegboards were blown off their half-moon weighted stands. Thankfully, the east mesh wall held my new mounted weavings and minis, cradling them inches above the wet road. Even so, the rain soaked 90% of my meticulously woven fiber art.

My first instinct was to collect my artwork to try and save as much as I could. Sarah and I started picking up pieces, squeezing the rainwater out of the fibers. However, I quickly realized that my destabilized tent was at risk with the continued wind gusts. I needed to remove my tent’s canopy so the whole setup wouldn’t turn into a sail of metal and fabric walls. The overwhelming questions of “Is all of my artwork ruined?” and “How the HELL am I going to take down this monstrosity of a crumpled tent safely?” hit me simultaneously.

As if they read my mind, neighboring artists sprung into action to help me. Though I was calm and collected, I needed help to safely take down the tent and displays. A metalsmith grabbed my pair of vintage English scissors to start snipping away the zip ties attaching my mesh walls to the tent frame. A tall artist was able to unclip the canopy and remove it. We slid my standing wooden pegboard to the side, allowing us to break down the broken tent frame. I wasn’t sure the extent of the damage to my (new) tent, but I needed to figure that out later.

Several artist friends approached after checking on their setups and artwork (all who thankfully fared well through the storm). Sarah, Alesha (@aleshabethoriginals) and Jeanette (@jeanettejohnsondesign) all offered hugs, then helped me load (all of the wet EVERYTHINGGG) into my car. I probably would’ve had a mental breakdown had I needed to deal with all of that by myself, but the artist community stepped in as they always do.

As I sat in the driver’s seat of my car, I finally took the deep breath I’d been holding in. At that point, I didn’t know if my artwork could be salvaged. In trying to tear down quickly and safely, I hadn’t yet inspected the integrity of my handwoven work.

Though fibers can technically be washed, I didn’t know if the integrity of my work would be damaged after being soaked by the rain. Would the texture be the same, if they could even be dried properly? Would I have to throw 90% of my carefully woven art in the dumpster?

I called my family, and my mom suggested we set up an entire drying operation in my sister’s basement. The thought of attempting to save more than 70 pieces of my artwork was completely overwhelming, but the determination of my family made me feel cautiously hopeful.

Before leaving the art fair, I walked the grounds to check on artist friends and strangers. The devastation was genuinely heartbreaking. As an artist myself, I understand how much work, time, soul and money we pour into our art. Punctured paintings and shards of ceramics scattered the wet concrete, amongst tattered walls and broken tents. Many booths survived the storm, but some were sporadically and completely destroyed by the freak storm. It was shocking to see emptied spaces in the rows of tents after artists packed up and left, while patrons were starting to arrive and shop.

*Photo: Deneena Hughes* - “Deneena experienced complete destruction of her entire booth setup and the loss of all of her painting inventory. Her professional art fair tent, display equipment, and years of creative work were damaged or destroyed in a matter of minutes.” - *GoFundMe*

Thankfully the artists who fared well were able to open their booth for Day 2, but I had a mission to try and save my artwork. When I arrived at my sister’s house, my family had a drying rack, hair dryers, fans (and lunch) at the ready. My mom and I ended up spending nearly five hours attempting to individually dry more than 70 pieces of my artwork.

Complex emotions came up as I finally sat on the floor, my wet weavings surrounding me. I had spent hundreds of hours on these pieces and I’d spent money on the heirloom quality fibers. Not to mention spending infinite time on creative ideation and process. Potentially losing several thousands of dollars of my artwork was completely overwhelming, as selling my work helps sustain my life.

*Just some of my artwork waiting to be dried.*

As my mom and I continued to use the hair dryers on my artwork, I began to realize that most of the pieces might be salvaged. My fears that they wouldn’t be the same slowly started to fade. The texture felt a little different to me in the moment, but my mom reassured me that she didn’t notice anything significant.

Around 8pm, I realized I had a decision to make. There was still one day left of the Omaha Art Fair, Sunday, and my friend Joanna (@joannagstudio) offered to let me borrow her tent. Thanks to my family and artist friends, I was able to rally (both mentally and physically) and make a plan to show up for Day 3 of the art fair.

After a sleepless night and a 24 hour whirlwind, I headed back to the Omaha Art Fair. Sarah helped me pop up my borrowed tent, and I did a simplified set up in time for Sunday’s patrons. A few quick hugs from friends later, I nestled into my job of talking about my work to potential collectors.

Many people asked how I fared through the storm, to which I emotionally responded, “I am so glad to be back here today with most of my artwork.” As people purchased weavings from me, I mentioned that most were dried from the rainwater. One woman told me that she loved the piece she chose even more, knowing the additional care put into saving my artwork. Another couple collected my “She Stands on the Canyon’s Edge,” statement weaving, vocalizing that they wanted to support an artist affected by the storm.

A sweet girl bought a round weaving for her mom. She had hoped I would be back for the last day, and she loved that Mother Nature had added another element to the artwork’s meaning. A story of resilience, respect for nature, and effort in salvaging pieces that mean so much to me. There were so many conversations on Sunday that made coming back worth it.

*“She Stands on the Canyon’s Edge,” collected on Day 3 of the Omaha Art Fair*

If not for the support of my family and friends, I truly believe I would have thrown everything in the dumpster out of overwhelm… and then would have deeply regretted that for a long time.

I feel incredibly lucky that 90% of my artwork was salvaged. My new tent frame will need replaced, and missing a well-attended second day of the art fair was certainly a difficult financial loss. I’ve had a few folks reach out asking how they can help support me in replacing my damaged tent frame, fixtures and artwork. I have set up a donation form below. While donations are certainly not expected, any amount of generosity would help me recoup losses from the storm, and allow me to continue my work in preparing for future art fairs and collections.

Donations can also be made to the Omaha Art Fair’s GoFundMe to support artists who had greater or complete loss. There is also a list of artists on the Omaha Art Fair website, all of which are incredibly talented and deserving of support. I also have artwork available online, should you like to collect a piece. (All fiber artwork has been quality checked and appropriately discounted, if needed. Please reach out should you have any questions about a piece!)

Being a working artist and doing multi-day events is not an easy feat. Is it worth it? Most of the time, I would say. The community of artists is truly something special, and I feel very grateful to be a part of that. Saturday, June 13 was perhaps the most difficult day I’ve experienced in this profession. It’s taken me two weeks to process the weekend and write this blog post. However, resilience and community care undoubtedly helped me persist through the extreme challenges, even the days following. Thank you, thank you for being in my corner.