Working through it with art - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

Working through it with art

Jeremy Ayers lives on Waterbury's Elm Street. When Tropical Storm Irene struck last August, his wife had to carry their son on her shoulders to escape rising floodwater.

"The water was about thigh-high, almost waist-high on the first floor, up to the level of the kitchen table." said Ayers.

It's a story he doesn't like to tell. Instead, he's putting his memories onto this six by six panel.

"Kind of dread telling the whole story, so doing a piece of artwork maybe is a nice way to like fully tie it off." He adds.

His work is part of the Floodgates Project. All of the work is due to be on display throughout the community on the anniversary of last year's storm. Organizers say this is just the next step in the community's recovery process.

Laura Parett is a Volunteer Coordinator, she said, "It's designed to get the community's input and feelings and expressions post-Irene, how they felt either days or weeks or months after."

Artists can work in multiple mediums... cutting and pasting, sketching, painting, and there's no rule that says you have to color in-between the lines.

These are just a handful of the more than 75 submissions already turned in, and organizers say they expect a few hundred more to be in turned in soon as the August 1st submission deadline approaches.

"It's emotions and feelings and some of it is shocking and other is just makes you remember what a great community we all live in and how great Vermont is." said Parett.

After the storm, new bonds grew between neighbors, now, new art is strengthening them even further.