Melanie Norris lives and works in the rural community of Barnardsville, outside of Asheville, NC. Her work considers the natural world and her personal experiences within it. “Mama Bear Moon” is a visual short story about hitting a bear on the interstate late one night and the resulting vision of her living inside the bear’s womb, wrapped in the carcass of a beautiful and innocent creature. It also addresses personal experiences in the journey of childbearing. Norris lost her painting studio in the flooding of Helene. Both of her representing Asheville galleries were also destroyed in the flood. She is working to restore the structure of the studio and move it back to the family property.