WEB EXCLUSIVE The past and the present of art collide through NCMA’s two new exhibits opening this month.
Is there a better way to spend a cool fall day than roaming through the North Carolina Museum of Art’s eye-opening—and eye-catching—exhibits? We think not (especially if you’re sipping on a PSL while taking in all the art). Ahead of its anticipated ticketed October exhibition Alphonse Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary (and just in time for the fall season!), the NCMA is debuting two new free exhibits this month.
NC Artist Connections, which opened Sept. 4, features three local artists’ works that expand on concepts already present within the NCMA’s permanent gallery: social justice, communication (and misunderstanding), memory and ritual. By reviving themes throughout the museum, these contemporary artists hope to help visitors gain a deeper understanding of the artists, their works and their relationship with art.
NC Artist Connections: Stephen Hayes, 5 lbs (detail), 2020–2021
Break the Mold: Elizabeth Alexander, The Great Enemy of Truth, 2019
Break the Mold: New Takes on Traditional Art Making (opening Sept. 25) is all about going back to the roots of art-making and taking an innovative, modern approach to traditional styles of art—think unique takes on embroidery, quilting, ceramics and fashion accessories. The exhibition will also tackle topics like gender assumptions and inequality, racial justice, prison reform and cultural history. Modern adaptations from 25 contemporary artists will be placed next to its historical predecessors to provide important context—and contrast.
“NC Artists Connections shows how deep the talent runs in our community, while Break the Mold presents fascinating new takes on traditional art making,” says Valerie Hillings, director of the NCMA. “Presented together, these exhibitions invite reflection and conversations around museums, community and traditions.” Reserve your tickets at ncartmuseum.org/events.
Pop art fans are gonna want to head to LaMantia Gallery to peep this retrospective collection of 100+ works by iconic artist Peter Max (official artist of the Grammys and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!), celebrating America, the pop art movement, music and artistic vision.
What a “beautiful” way to spend an evening! Bands Home Again and JT Express join together for a tribute performance dedicated to celebrated pop-rock icon Carole King and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer James Taylor, respectively, for a nostalgic performance. “How sweet it is.”
The funnyman behind the “most downloaded podcast” (The Adam Carolla Show)—and radio personality, comedian, actor to boot—is here to prove how funny he can be without having anything prepared by saying “challenge accepted” to spinning on-the-spot audience ideas into honest-to-goodness hilarity. Now this is something you have to see for yourself.
It isn’t “September,” but that doesn’t mean you can’t give a little love to one of the “Shining Stars” of the ’70s. Grab your tickets now to pay tribute to one of the most well-known bands of the baby boomer generation and beyond.
New power trio: tunes + live painting + vino! Carolina-born singer-songwriter Shenette Swann brings her soulful message of strength and self-empowerment to DTR, joined by jazz trio Thrio. Xavier Carlos ART live-paints as she performs, and each adult ticket scores you two glasses of wine.
Politics these days are a joke. No, seriously. With expertly perceptive commentary and witty wisecracks, D.L. Hughley dives headfirst into current controversial topics that are sure to get audiences talking.
Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with the candlestick. Grab your seat as Carolina Youth Theatre presents this classic whodunit, Clue(High School Edition) based on the famed 1985 Hasbro board game-inspired hit mystery flick.
Ride the rollercoaster of love through Raleigh Little Theatre’s production of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, in which main character Rosalind disguises herself as a man to teach her love interest how to woo her. Juicy!
Country girls (and boys) shake it for best-selling country music artist Luke Bryan as he lights up Walnut Creek during his Proud to Be Right Here tour. That’s “my kind of night” indeed.
Duck, duck, splash! Join the Rotary Club of Wakefield for the third annual Super Duper Duck Splash at WRAL Soccer Park. Adopt a rubber duck to race (or float) to the finish line in a splashing fundraiser benefiting youth nonprofit initiatives in the community.
You know that feeling of floating—and then disaster strikes: layoffs, loss, breakups. The butterfly effect of life isn’t in the surviving—but in the choosing. This first musical by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown examines those moments of decision in an ever-changing world via a powerful collection of songs in this must-see production at Memorial Auditorium.
The stars will align when award-winning violinist and dancer Lindsey Stirling (with appearances on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Kelly and Ryan, Dancing With the Stars and America’s Got Talent) takes stage at Red Hat Amphitheater as part of her Artemis Tour promoting her fifth album, Artemis, alongside special guest Kiesza.
Everyone’s favorite nerd/comedian/musician/writer/actor—he’s starred in myriad ’90s/early-’00s TV shows and movies (think New Girl and Seinfeld)—will be in town to produce a few of his fan-favorite self-deprecating ha-has and awkwardly relatable views.
There’s nothing to wine about as you sample red, white and sparkling wine while strolling and shopping through Waverly Place. Along with a Waverly Place Wine Walk Passport (we’re talking endless vino sips!), a $25 donation benefits Kay Yow Cancer Fund—so a win-win.
Brothers and Dancing With the Stars alums Maks and Val are twirling into Raleigh to debut their intimate Stripped Down Tour, a unique and heartwarming family-friendly experience packed with dancing, personal storytelling and world-class showmanship.
WEB EXCLUSIVELocal florists have decorated the NCMA with gorgeous arrangements for its Art in Bloom exhibit.
Spring has unofficially sprung at the North Carolina Museum of Art with the opening of its perennial exhibit, Art in Bloom! Opening June 3 and spanning two weekends (June 3–6 and June 10–13), Art in Bloom features different floral designers each weekend that have created their own interpretations of works of art in the Museum collection.
NCMA Director and CEO Valerie Hillings noted how she is “always inspired by the creativity of the floral designers and the excitement of [their] visitors when they see how these living installations also bring [the] museum collection to life.”
“The beauty and creativity of Art in Bloom have made this event a perennial favorite,” adds Jim Hansen, PNC regional president for Eastern Carolinas.
Vanessa and Marc Smith
In addition to the exhibit, NCMA is hosting other Art in Bloom-related events over the next two weeks. Enjoy a virtual watercolor demo from NC-based watercolorist and illustrator Amy Richards on June 4, or drop in for a lunchtime floral demonstration on June 10 to learn about various flowers and techniques on working with color in your arrangements from Morgan Moylan of West Queen Floral Studio.
Not only is the Art in Bloom event beautiful, it’s also tasty. Visit the Art in Bloom tent at the Museum Park Theater for signature floral-inspired recipes and cocktails. Whether you’re in the mood for tarragon chicken salad on a freshly baked croissant, or a corn and blueberry salad, the food is sure to satisfy. And who wouldn’t love to try a blooming butterfly mojito? Peep the full menu here.
Attendees are encouraged to take pictures of the displays and share them on Instagram (it’s hard not to snap a photo!). Make sure to tag @ncartmuseum and use #NCMAbloom and #PNCArtinBloom.
Ailsa Tessier and Emilie Sigel, The Flower Shuttle
While the first weekend of Art in Bloom is already sold out (we told you it’s popular!), tickets for the second weekend are still available—but selling out fast. Proceeds support NCMA programming and exhibitions and benefit the NCMA Foundation. Timed tickets required, purchase online or by calling 919.715.5923
New Raleigh Murals book remembers the creations of local artists throughout DTR from last summer.
With great turmoil after the nationwide protests-turned-riots following the death of George Floyd in May 2020 came a plethora of inspirational murals splashed across the boarded-up businesses throughout Downtown Raleigh. Now, on the anniversary of Floyd’s death (May 25), local artists Akira Dudley and Laura Pfaff’s new coffee-table book, Raleigh Murals, will be available for preorder—immortalizing those pieces—and their significance. Though the murals directly followed the DTR riots, Dudley says the book isn’t solely in response to what happened here in Raleigh. Spanning more than 100 pages and including the works of 60-plus local artists, Raleigh Murals solidifies and further spreads the messages created by these artists, serving as a reminder of the necessary changes in equality that need to be made both here and across the country.
“What sparked [Raleigh Murals] in the first place was police brutality across America,” says Dudley. “I didn’t want it to be like, ‘Yeah, we put up art because of the riots.’ We put up art because we felt like a message needed to be sent about something bigger than the riots. But if the riots didn’t happen here, I’m sure we would’ve put up art because they were happening everywhere else.”
Dudley himself created five murals at Junction West. Though he was staying in Boone at the time the riots happened Downtown, he jumped at the opportunity to contribute to the beautification of the city, working on his pieces between attending virtual summer classes. “It was such a moving experience to be able to be a part of,” he says. “The murals definitely made a difference.”
When Pfaff approached Dudley about creating the mural book, he again jumped at the opportunity. Together (and with the help of The Raleigh Murals Project and contributing artists), they gathered photos of the hopeful wall art woven across DTR in an effort to showcase it long after the boards came down.
All proceeds from Raleigh Murals will be donated to Emancipate NC, which works to dismantle structural racism and mass incarceration across North Carolina; and the African American Atelier, a nonprofit art gallery in Greensboro that promotes awareness and appreciation of the arts and culture of African Americans.
In addition to availability at local retailers Father + Son and House of Swank, Dudley’s goal is to extend the book’s reach beyond Raleigh via Amazon. “If more people see this, it’ll bring the community together—not only based around the art, but around the message,” he says. After all, in the famed words of Leon Brown: “History repeats itself endlessly for those who are unwilling to learn from the past.” Preorder May 25; official release Juneteenth (June 19); amazon.com
TOP: From left: Lord Phly, Matthew Scofield BOTTOM: From left: Jalel Ronin, Thirty Sixth Murals Company, Akira Dudley, Grace Ownbey
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, as they say. Raleigh artist Amy Flynn takes that sentiment to a whole new level by turning waste materials from flea markets, junkyards, auctions and basements into one-of-a-kind “Fobot” sculptures—a combination of her passions for crafting, shopping and sustainability. Not too shabby, huh?
Each “Fobot” is made from unique pieces of scrap metal and junk that, while super-cool to look at, really make you think about how much waste humans produce (so much that artists can make literal sculptures out of it. Yikes.).
Flynn and her “Fobots” have been selected to be featured in the Smithsonian Craft Show’s Craft Optimism online marketplace, a collab between the Smithsonian Women’s Committee and Honoring the Future, an organization dedicated to educating, empowering and engaging the public on climate change.
Each piece in the craft show was nominated and recognized as a “beautifully made [and] handcrafted” piece that either addresses climate change through action (in Flynn’s case, waste reduction), or reflects the impact of climate change, according to the Smithsonian Craft Show’s website. Proceeds from the virtual event support grants to the Smithsonian.
You can check out Flynn’s “Fobots,” along with other climate-conscious art pieces, from now until May 1 on the Smithsonian Craft Show’s website. And if you’re liking what you see, peep more of her unique “Fobots” on her website.
