Author: Andie Freeman
The North Carolina Arts Council has been working with artists and arts organizations to find ways to recover and build their creative enterprises back stronger after the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in the fall of 2024. Our series Portraits in Resilience has been highlighting artists from the region to discover how they are responding. This month, we showcase Cindy Biggerstaff, of McDowell County. She’s a veteran and a visual artist who has been bringing joy to her community through teaching.
When Hurricane Helene disrupted life in western North Carolina, Cindy Biggerstaff knew how she could help. She was an art educator in the public school system for five years and has been teaching art to children and families at the McDowell Arts Council Association for 16 years. “When Helene struck unexpectedly, I watched, fearful, but unaware of the catastrophic destruction happening all around me,” Cindy stated. “When I emerged, I knew I had to start my children's classes back, as soon as I could. I hoped that creative activities would help to restore a sense of routine and normality and underscore that art class is also a venue for building community and togetherness while creating and having fun.” She witnessed the community coming together through her classes, as children and adults expressed their creativity and rediscovered their resilience.
During the early days of recovery, homes and lives were upended, so finding an activity that children could do, away from the destruction, was vital. Cindy told us, “When I first contacted the parents of my regular students, they were so grateful and excited. They told me that the kids were very eager to come back to create and see each other again.”
Cindy’s willingness to resume her classes when there were other demands on her time is not a surprise. She has been providing opportunities for hope and togetherness for years through the Healing Arts program for veterans and their families. The classes she had planned to provide, funded by a Healing Arts grant, had to be postponed last fall. When classes resumed this spring, she saw the impact that community building and stress relief had on families.
Cindy’s classes are a source of healing for her, as well, giving her a way to direct her energy and connect with her neighbors. “People have often thanked me ‘for what I do for the kids,’ but I am thankful for what they do for me,” Cindy said.
Cindy has found comfort and healing in art throughout her life. Before the hurricane, she had a love for drawing portraits in graphite, charcoal, and colored pencils. Cindy explained, “The face is a living canvas that shows instances of happiness, sadness, rage, and hope. I think to capture such an instance is to preserve a piece of a person's soul.” Since Helene, Cindy has shifted into acrylic landscapes with thick impasto and the fiber art, macramé.
Her impasto paintings reflect the new landscape around her, featuring formidable rock formations, while her macramé evokes the 1970s through jewelry, wall hangings, sculptures, and functional furniture.
“Macramé is very Zen and meditative for me, which is necessary for my well-being. It’s also versatile and allows for endless creativity.”
Nine months after the storm, Cindy is continuing to share her creative leadership with the community. She teaches art classes at the McDowell Arts Council Association and at summer camps at local schools, where she is working on backdrop scenes for the Children's Community Theater play Finding Nemo. She is looking forward to teaching another Healing Arts class for veterans and their families later this year. “I enjoy witnessing children's unique imaginations come to life,” Cindy reflected. “I want to help them express their feelings and thoughts with an unspoken language.”