Downtown Black Mountain sculpture memorializes Helene victims
‘Wings of Resilience’ turns treasured white oak into powerful reminder
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 28, 2025
A new sculpture, titled "Wings of Resilience,” was installed, Aug. 21, in front of the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center. The totem is a memorial to the victims and survivors of Tropical Storm Helene. Photo by Fred McCormick
Like a silent sentinel, a mighty white oak that once towered over East State Street likely bore witness to countless formative events and moments in the Swannanoa Valley over its estimated 200-plus years of life. When a rare tornado touched down in Black Mountain in May of 2024, the designated “Treasured Tree” was toppled by violent winds, ensuring it would not endure the historic flooding that occurred last fall.
In its newest form, however, the 9-foot tall “Wings of Resilience” totem, installed, Aug. 21, in front of the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, now stands as a monument to the victims and survivors of Tropical Storm Helene.
More than 60 trees throughout the community are labeled as Treasured Trees by the nonprofit Swannanoa Valley Tree Alliance. Before the first recorded tornado in 25 years touched down in Buncombe County, May 9, 2024, the massive oak that once stood across the street from Black Mountain Primary School was one of them. An effort to preserve the 18-foot portion of its trunk, which measured around 52.5 inches at breast height, was led by local resident Faith Butterfield, and supported by the Town of Black Mountain and Hall’s Towing & Recovery.
Butterfield’s initial plan involved curing two large slabs, cut from the hardwood trunk by Matt Christie of Green River Woods, for the eventual creation of a large bench that will be placed in the “Alley in the Valley,” adjacent to the museum. While that project, which requires the slabs to cure for up to two years, remains on track, a separate section of the tree was subsequently stored in the parking lot of the Town’s public works facility.
“Helene flooded the entire parking lot, covering basically everything in mud, including that piece of the trunk, which was buried under debris,” Butterfield said.
Unsure of what to do with the remaining section, she was moved by a profile of Helene victim Lyn McFarland, published Nov. 7, 2024, by the Asheville Watchdog. The story featured the voices of those closest to McFarland, one of the 43 Buncombe County residents lost to the devastating storm.
Woodcarver Brian Carter, of InnverVision Chainsaw Creations, who sculpted more than 20 pieces once displayed on McFarland’s Oteen property on the Swannanoa River, was among them.
“I reached out to Brian after reading about his connection to Lyn, and we discussed the possibility of him creating a Helene memorial,” Butterfield said. “He told me he could make a chainsaw sculpture from wood that wasn’t completely dry. Last January, we signed a contract that he would make the totem and the SVM would own it. It was a win-win situation.”
Butterfield commissioned the piece, while the artist agreed to participate in a live carving event at the Sourwood Festival. The SVM, with the support of its board and executive director LeAnne Johnson, offered a prominent location for the totem, which depicts a flying eagle carrying a large heart to another, perched below.
“In conversations with LeAnne, we came to the conclusion that doing this during the Sourwood Festival was a great way to share this project with the community,” Butterfield said. “We couldn’t have done it without the help of our Town employees, who moved a 14-foot piece of trunk from the public works building parking lot the lot off Sutton Avenue, where Brian did an amazing job.”
Faith Butterfield, who preserved a fallen white oak tree in 2024, commissioned Brian Carter to create “Wings of Resilience,” a memorial totem recently installed at the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center. Courtesy photo
The design was an homage to a similar piece Carter had once carved for McFarland. That totem, one of many the woodcarver completed for his friend and long-time supporter, was found, in tact, after the storm. The piece symbolized some of McFarland’s defining characteristics, according to the artist.
“Lyn was always that top eagle. He was the one sharing the fish, which was depicted in that piece,” Carter said. “He truly had a heart of giving, and when he met someone who needed help, if it was his, it was yours. It’s not often you meet someone as genuine as Lyn.”
It was a kindness that Carter experienced at a crucial time in his emerging career as professional woodcarver.
“He was an inspiration to me. One year, when I was just getting started, he represented like two-thirds of my work,” he said. “He was really interested in the process, and all of the projects I did for him were special. It was always like me, Lyn and the tree were having a conversation together. So many of my sculptures, especially at that point, gained their life through his words.”
The carver was stirred when Butterfield asked him to incorporate a similar design to one of McFarland’s totems in the Black Mountain piece.
“It was serendipitous, and almost divine in nature, because there were so many paths that crossed,” Carter said. “She loved that eagle totem and she wanted to embody similar principles to represent the community. It was one of those things where I was looking forward to seeing what would happen.”
The project continued for more than a week after the Sourwood Festival.
“I took it home for eight days after the festival, but I wanted to put in the extra work,” Carter said. “Being an artist is about that point of obsession, where you know you have to get it right, no matter how long it takes.”
Once alone with the mostly completed sculpture, struggling to execute his vision, the artist’s mind went to a familiar and comforting feeling.
"I was sitting there staring at it and I started to think about Lyn’s eagle totem,” Carter said. “Then, I started thinking about Lyn, and then I started to remember how I was inspired working on those pieces with him on that property.”
“Wings of Resilience,” carved by Brian Carter of InnerVision Chainsaw Creations, featured one large heart and 12 smaller ones. The totem, installed, Aug. 21, is a memorial for victims and survivors of Helene. Photo by Fred McCormick
He began to shape a large heart supported by a series of flowing vines. Twelve smaller hearts of varying sizes are nestled between the swirling base.
“Lyn loved hearts being hidden in everything, so if you could find a way to form in a heart in anything, whether it was a pile of wood, some rocks, whatever, it was on that property,” Carter said. “That’s where I met the muse. A place that existed in N.C. that was totally peaceful and totally still. It was a full-circle moment, because I was seeking answers, and I got the perfect answer.”
The monument, which Butterfield described as “breathtaking,” honors the memory of Helene victims and the spirt of survivors.
“I hope it brings joy to people,” she said. “We wanted something powerful, like an eagle, which is also a nod to the original name of Black Mountain. Then, Brian put so much love into this with the hearts, which feel like a memorial to those who are no longer with us. The entire sculpture is a testimony to the fact that we’re all survivors here.”
Carver is in the process of digitally rendering 3-D prints of the “Wings of Resilience” totem to be sold in the SVM.
“I want everyone to be able to have a copy of this sculpture if they want it,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier with how the project turned out, the location and how how it’s presented. The museum and community have been so appreciative, and this is a special thing to be a part of.”