CHARLOTTE, N.C. —  In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation, artists from Asheville are finding renewed purpose through an unexpected medium: basketball-inspired art at Charlotte’s Jumpman Invitational.

The “Art With Air” exhibition, featuring works from artists across the Carolinas, has become more than just a celebration of basketball’s evolution; it’s become a symbol of resilience for artists rebuilding their lives after the storm.

“A lot of my works are more abstract. And since the storm, I’ve come back to focusing on more details, more or less about what it means to kind of be present and be part of community,” said XCVI, an Asheville artist making his first public exhibition appearance since the hurricane.

The exhibition runs alongside the annual Jumpman Invitational basketball tournament. It showcases various interpretations of basketball’s influence on culture and community. For artist Mitch Capps, the opportunity presented a unique creative challenge.

“I can represent the evolution of basketball through my own personal style on the shoes,” Capps said. “It was like starting with a blank canvas, and seeing what I started filling that with was all art and all my soul, my passion, and it was so exciting.”

The exhibition has become an unexpected forum for community connection, bringing together art enthusiasts and basketball fans alike. 

“Getting to see the public reaction of smiles and stories and having people who hadn’t met each other prior to the artwork talk about a player and share their experience with that player — that’s really cool to be able to be a part of,” XCVI reflected.

For the artists, the exhibition represents more than just an artistic opportunity. 

“The art stuff has really been like carrying the weight of everything since then,” Capps noted, referring to the aftermath of Helene.

The exhibition, hosted in at the McColl Center on North Tryon Street in uptown Charlotte, demonstrates how sports and art can intersect to create meaningful community dialogue while providing a platform for artists to process and heal from natural disasters through their creative work.

The event continues North Carolina’s tradition of putting basketball in the national spotlight, this time through the lens of visual arts and community resilience.

Contact Myles Harris at [email protected] and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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