Dr. Philip Griffin
by Mimi Montgomery photograph by Travis Long Dr. Philip Griffin has always had a good ear: The longtime musician plays the guitar, bass guitar, and drums – and as a true child of the ’90s, his musical tastes lean toward rock…
Category: People
Paul Friedrich finds his audience
by Samantha Thompson Hatem photographs by Tim Lytvinenko Paul Friedrich has found his audience. After nearly three decades creating cartoon characters beloved by Raleighites, the city’s best-known pop artist and cartoonist is on the cusp of taking his off-beat sense…
Girl power
by Tracy Davis Great oaks from little acorns grow. And the City of Oaks has little acorns of all sorts, including a crop of girl rockers and bluegrass pickers that’s coming along quite nicely. Appearing soon on a stage near…
Matt McConnell: Beauty in the doing
by Tina Haver Currin photographs by Lissa Gotwals The Uber driver isn’t sure what to think about Dupont Circle, an industrial road west of the Amtrak station and not far from The Pit in downtown Raleigh, where a 6,500-square-foot studio…
Geeking out on 16 mm films: Skip Elsheimer
by Kevin Flinn photographs by Nick Pironio Your teacher wheeled in the projector, unfurled the screen, and dimmed the lights. Within moments, the film crackled, the speaker hummed, the bulbs brightened, and it was show time. Perhaps you saw A…
Helping Hand Mission marching band
“To share the joy of music with others is a privilege.” –Sylvia Wiggins, director, Helping Hand Mission marching band (far left, front row) by Jessie Ammons photograph by Travis Long Sylvia Wiggins has always had a penchant for band music. But as a…
Tim Giuliani
“At the end of the day, a good job is key to people’s quality of life.”–Tim Giuliani, Raleigh’s new Chamber of Commerce president by Mimi Montgomery photograph by Travis Long Not many kids want to be a chamber of commerce president when…
Pota Vallas
by Jessie Ammons photograph by Travis Long Pota Vallas, 107, took a 16-day Atlantic voyage to reach America in 1924. “I came from a little Greek town caled Chrysafa. It was like Garner or Cary, outside of Sparta,” she says. “I was…
Chess on ice
by Ilina Ewen photographs by Missy McLamb Begun with the Scots in the sixteenth century, it is hailed as one of the world’s oldest – and coldest – sports. But that hasn’t stopped the recent and unlikely renaissance of the sport of…
Clark Hipolito: Art in motion
by Tracy Davis photographs by Nick Pironio Raleigh artist Clark Hipolito is a man in constant motion, a quality he shares with much of the art he makes. His reputation was built with murals and commercial interior design – art that stays…
Meredith at 125
by Leslie Maxwell Kristen Rivera, from Johns Creek, Ga., wasn’t considering applying to a women’s college. But after visiting the largest women’s college in the Southeast, she changed her mind. At Meredith College, she says, “I just felt really comfortable.” Now a…
Assad Meymandi: Polymath, humanist, philanthropist
by Liza Roberts photographs by Jillian Clark On a sunny afternoon in early December, Assad Meymandi hurried in to the Raleigh concert hall that bears his name. As seats began to fill for the North Carolina Symphony’s matinee performance of Baroque Christmas…
Q&A with Shaluka Perera
photograph by Kelsey Hanrahan No Raleigh brewery would be complete without a dash of the city’s famous entrepreneurial spirit: By day, Nickelpoint Brewing Co. co-owner Shaluka Perera, 41, is a business development program director at IBM; after hours, the Cary resident…
Spotlight: New Year, new you
by Mimi Montgomery photograph by Jill Knight Leah Friedman has always been organized. “Starting at 6, I would rearrange my bedroom furniture every weekend with my friend to maximize floor space,” she says. It’s a habit that followed her into…