WILMA - January 2020

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

WILMINGTON’S SUCCESSFUL WOMAN

Pop of Color

UltraMODern looks

Turn up the Heat Ar tists fire away on their works

In the Bag

Holly Aiken’s distinctive designs

THE

ARTS

I S S U E

Family.

Family.

Friends.

Friends.

Community.

Community.

We're We'reall all this together. together.

We're allinininthis this together.

hasaalong longtradition traditionofofbeing beingthere. there.That’s That’sone onereason reasonwhy whyI’m I’m State StateFarm Farm®®has ® has a long tradition of being there.

That’s one reason why I’m State Farm XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. proud proudtotosupport supportXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. ® ® XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. proud tohelp support Here Heretoto help life lifego go right. right.

Here to help life go right.®

Rob Rens, Agent Agent Agent Name, Name, Agent Agent 2528 Castle Street StreetAddress Address Hayne Road Wilmington, City, City,State, State,Zip ZipNC 28401 Agent Name, Agent MyCapeFearInsurance.com Phone Phone Street Address E-mail E-mail O: 910.599.9398 City,C: State, Zip 910.262.3355

Phone E-mail

1801075

1801075 1801075

State Farm, Bloomington, IL

State StateFarm, Farm,Bloomington, Bloomington,IL IL

WILMA’S

INTRODUCING THE

CLAS S OF 2 0 2 0 DANA ALLEN

JULIE DIXON

LEAH SHERRILL

SARAH ARCHIBALD

LAKEN GREENWOOD

SAMANTHA SILVER

Marketing & Communications Strategist NHRMC HR Director, NC Ports

NORA ARNOLD

Legal Team Manager Live Oak Bank Corporate Trainer CastleBranch

BETH HARVEY

Staff Interpreter NHRMC

MELISSA ATKINSON Associate Attorney Rountree Losee LLP

ELIZABETH BARFIELD

Health Equity Education Specialist NHRMC

MARIAH BIANCHI

Human Resources/Employee Relations Coordinator, Corning Inc.

JESSICA BOYD

Senior Marketing Programs Manager Apiture

BREANA HEBERT

Development Director Wilmington Symphony Orchestra

AMBER HOAGLAND General Manager Office Depot

JENNIE JACKSON

Business Services Coordinator UNCW Research & Innovation Team

Certified Public Accountant & Senior Accountant Williams Overman Pierce, LLP

CARTER JEWELL

JO ANN BOYLE

ASHLEY KENT

Sales & Operations Associate Meadowlark Boutique

Business Intelligence Analyst CastleBranch President Kent Homes

ALISON BRIEN

ALEXIS PERKINS

MORGAN BYERLY

ELIZABETH PETERSON

Technical Program Manager Apiture Nuclear Fuel Engineer General Electric / GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy

MEAGAN DAVID

Manufacturing Engineer Corning Inc.

Assistant Public Defender Office of the Public Defender - NHC

Founder & CEO, Special Pedals Inc. EC Teacher, Topsail Elementary Process Engineer Corning Inc.

TAYLOR SIMMS

Director Facility Planning NHRMC

MICHELE SIMPSON

Dentist & Owner Michele Simpson DDS PA

VICTORIA SPYRATOS

Interim Manager of Centralized Nursing Resource NHRMC

LOGAN THOMPSON Executive Director Welcome Home Angel

ANDREA VAN TRIGT Attorney Murchison, Taylor & Gibson, PLLC

ASHLEY WELLS

Assistant Dean for Community Engagement UNCW College of Health & Human Services

Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development, N.C. Cooperative Extension Pender County

JESSICA WILLIAMS

TRACY SAIEED

GENNA WIRTH

Community Relations Coordinator NHRMC - Pender Memorial Hospital

LEARN MORE AT

Director, Practice Support Services SEAHEC / NHRMC Executive Director Voyage

W I L M A S t o Wa t c h . c o m

january 2020

26

22

10

8 SPOTLIGHT

43 CALENDAR

10 HEALTH: Hall of Famer

46 THE SCENE: Performance arts

12 TASTE: Holiday cheers

47 TAKE 5: A creative force

14 STYLE: Mod squad

48 MEN’S ROOM: Time flies

Check out WILMA magazine here:

2

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

/WILMAMAG

14 22 I N THE BAG: Holly Aiken builds her line in Wilmington 26 A LL FIRED UP: Artists bring the heat 34 STAGE PRESENCE: Local youth find confidence onstage

WILMAmag.com

With the new year here, many of us are taking stock of plans for 2020. Just in time to inspire those efforts, our January issue has women from around the region who are getting things done – even without a resolution list.

For example, former triathlete Phyllis Mason might have retired from competition. But, the grandmother of four still swims five hours, bikes one hundred miles, and runs fifteen miles on a weekly basis (page 10).

Also, since this is our annual Arts issue, this month we talk with three artists who incorporate fire into their process in very different ways (page 26). And, designer Holly Aiken (page 22) continues to set new goals for her company, Holly Aiken Bags.

We’ve even gotten a jump-start here at WILMA. Starting January 6, our weekly Tuesday email turns into daily ones. You’ll hear from us every afternoon about women’s leadership topics, health and wellness, local shopping finds, events, food, and more. That’s assuming you’ve already signed up to receive WILMA emails. It’s free and painless to do at wilmamag.com/email-newsletter.

See? Done. You can already cross one thing off your 2020 to-do list. W

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

3

LOGAN BURKE is from St. Louis but moved

to Wilmington to get away from the busier paces of life. With a background in business, photography wasn’t always in Burke’s background. It wasn’t until his father left him with some camera equipment and curiosity to understand it all. After a few times behind the camera, he developed a motivated interest to learn what made the picture. It is the “how” that interests him most. Burke photographed this month’s Taste feature (page 12) and local youth staging The American Dream (page 34). loganburkephoto.com

JENNY CALLISON is a former Greater

Wilmington Business Journal reporter who continues as a freelancer with the Business Journal and WILMA. Before moving to Wilmington in 2011, she was a university communications director and a freelance reporter covering a variety of beats. Callison talks with theater and city officials about a new program to expose at-risk youth to more cultural offerings (page 34).

WILMA Digital Editor JOHANNA CANO is a reporter for WILMA and the Greater Wilmington Business Journal, covering the local tech and startups beat. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill where she worked at The Daily Tar Heel and the News & Observer’s College Town NC online publication. In this month’s issue, Cano talks with Holly Aiken about her bag line (page 22). At WILMAmag.com, she is spearheading our launch of daily emails that start January 6.

MELISSA HEBERT is a Wilmington-based

photographer who has had her work featured in national campaigns and magazines, including WILMA. Hebert studied photography at the Cleveland Institute of Art and specializes in editorial, portrait, and wedding photography. Hebert shot this month’s cover and style spread (page 14). melissahebertphoto. com

Publisher Rob Kaiser rkaiser@wilmingtonbiz.com President Robert Preville rpreville@wilmingtonbiz.com Associate Publisher Judy Budd jbudd@wilmingtonbiz.com Editor Vicky Janowski vjanowski@wilmingtonbiz.com VP of Sales/Business Development Melissa Pressley mpressley@wilmingtonbiz.com Senior Account Executive Craig Snow csnow@wilmingtonbiz.com Account Executives Ali Buckley abuckley@wilmingtonbiz.com Polly Holly pholly@wilmingtonbiz.com Brittney Keen bkeen@wilmingtonbiz.com Business Manager Nancy Proper nproper@wilmingtonbiz.com Events Director Maggi Apel mapel@wilmingtonbiz.com Events/Digital Assistant Elizabeth Stelzenmuller events@wilmingtonbiz.com Design & Media Coordinator Molly Jacques production@wilmingtonbiz.com Content Marketing Editor Dave Dean ddean@wilmingtonbiz.com Contributing Designer Suzi Drake art@wilmingtonbiz.com Digital Editor Johanna Cano jcano@wilmingtonbiz.com Fashion Stylist Ashley Duch Grocki Contributors Tim Bass, Jenny Callison, Johanna Cano, Nina Bays Cournoyer, Beth Klahre, Marimar McNaughton, Cheryl L. Serra, Katelynn Watkins, Lori Wilson Contributing Photographers Logan Burke, Erin Costa, Megan Deitz, Melissa Hebert Photography, Kevin Kleitches, Stephanie Savas Photography, Michael Cline Spencer, Terah Wilson

LORI WILSON is a local freelance writer

and editor and a co-director of Athenian Press & Workshops, a nonprofit serving women and femmes through creative healing workshops and literary publishing. Wilson profiles several local artists who use fire as part of their craft (page 26).

4

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

Founder Joy Allen Subscribe For a one-year subscription, please send $26.00 (check or money order) to: WILMA, 219 Station Rd., Ste. 202, Wilmington, NC 28405, or call 343-8600 x201 www.WILMAmag.com

WILMA’S

LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE FOUNDING SPONSORS

CORPORATE SPONSORS

“As New Hanover Regional Medical seeks to become an industry

Kristy Hubard Chief Strategy Officer, New Hanover Regional Medical Center

WILMAmag.com

leader in a new era of healthcare delivery, we are committed to cultivating a diverse and extraordinary workforce dedicated to our mission of leading our community to outstanding health. We are proud and honored to be a team comprised of so many empowered and innovative women throughout our entire organization, all of whom are dedicated to our patients, their families, and our entire community.”

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

5

W2W UPDATES

WILMA’s Women to Watch Leadership Initiative has updates to share as we continue to work on the effort’s core mission of helping develop more women leaders in our area. Here’s what we’ve been up to with various W2W Leadership Initiative programs and what’s coming up next: The Leadership Initiative has an advisory board that meets quarterly to provide feedback about ongoing programs and ideas for how best to expand the work we’re doing.

This Women to Watch “think tank” or “brain trust,” as we like to say, is made up of a range of women, from executives at some of the area’s largest employers to small business owners. Advisory board members also serve as judges for our annual Women to Watch Awards and Leadership Institute (board members shown above reviewing candidates for the 2020 Leadership Institute).

WILMA’s Women to Watch Advisory Board is made up of the program’s founding sponsors, selected Leadership Institute alum and community leaders. All are extremely busy, and we appreciate the time and input they bring to what we’re trying to accomplish through WILMA’s leadership initiative.

2020 WOMEN TO WATCH ADVISORY BOARD WANDA COLEY VP of Strategy and Execution (UnitedHealth Group)

KENDALL HURT* Owner (Meadowlark) POONAM KAHLON Director of Talent Development (CastleBranch)

DONNA ESTEVES NA Regional Supply Chain Manager (Corning Incorporated)

LILY LOIZEAUX Human Resources Leader (GE Hitachi)

CHRISSY HOSKINS* Regional Sales Manager (Well Care Health)

RUTH RAVITZ SMITH President (RR Smith Strategic Solutions LLC/R2S3)

KRISTY HUBARD Chief Strategy Officer (NHRMC) *WILMA’s Leadership Institute Alum

6

WILMA

JUSTINE REEL* Interim Director of Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance (UNCW); Associate Dean of Research and Innovation and Professor (UNCW College of Health and Human Services) DELORIS RHODES Former Assistant Superintendent (Pender County Schools) KELLY SCHAUDT

- Vicky Janowski, WILMA editor, and Maggi Apel, events director, Co-directors of the Women to Watch Leadership Initiative W2W@WILMAmag.com

JANUARY 2020

President (Shout Out Solutions) SHERI SHAW* Assistant Dean for Student Success (UNCW College of Health and Human Services) DEBBIE WARWICK EVP of Operations (Live Oak Bank) KAREN WEAVER Client Advisor for PNC Wealth Management (PNC Bank)

The Women to Watch logo: When you see this throughout WILMA’s pages, it means this is a woman on the rise to know, an experienced leader to learn from, or a local program worth checking out. W

10 TRIPLE THREAT: Phyllis Mason’s triathlon milestones 22 BAGGIN' RIGHTS: Holly Aiken sets up shop in Wilmington 26 FANNING THE FLAMES: Artistic talents forged by fire

JANUARY

leadership opportunities

8

Linda Stinson, of RLS Focused Solutions, and Ashley Morrison, of Abundant Marketing, hold a session on 2020 BUSINESS PLANNING to help attendees set their business goals for the year, determine what those goals mean for business growth, and marketing campaigns to consider. The session is 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at tekMountain. Info: ashley@ abundantmarketingsm.com

10

Cape Fear Community College’s Small Business Center offers its “Spring Business Breakthrough Series: 28 KEYS TO BUILDING A BUSINESS THAT BOOMS” 9 a.m.-noon at the school’s Union Station building in downtown Wilmington. The seminar is free, but preregistration is recommended. Info: cfcc.edu/sbc

11

The Inspiration Lab holds its signature BANNER YEAR BLUEPRINT (BYB) annual, goal-setting workshop at The Terraces on Sir Tyler for group members. Info: theinspirationlab.co/events

WILMAmag.com

15

UNCW’s Swain Center offers a PROJECT MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM that runs January 15-February 20. The course meets 6-9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Participants must attend eight of the ten sessions to receive the certificate and pass the course exam. Info: uncw.edu/swain January’s networking event for the PORT CITY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS is 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the restaurant JohnnyLukes KitchenBar. (Port City Young Professionals also hosts a “Happy Hour” for real estate agents and mortgage lenders at the City Club 5:30-7:30 p.m.

January 16.) Info: pcypapp.com

16

UNCW’s QENO (Quality Enhancement for Nonprofits Organizations) holds a seminar for current or incoming board leaders.

The SUCCESSFUL BOARD CHAIR session includes discussion on finding tools to help in their role, leading effective meetings, understanding communication styles, and more. Participants can expect to leave

the training with completed action plans, communications plans, and meeting agendas.

The training is 2-5 p.m. in Shallotte. Info: uncw.edu/qeno

29

The Greater Wilmington Business Journal holds its 2020 BOOK ON BUSINESS party 4:30-7 p.m. at Country Club of Landfall. The annual publication includes local industry stats and information. Networking and the official launch is part of the event. Info: wilmingtonbiz.com/events

30

The first-ever CAPE FEAR WOMEN’S SUMMIT takes place 5:30-7:30 p.m. at nCino, 6751 Parker Farm Drive. The event, organized by Cape Fear Women in Tech, is intended to bring together the area’s various women’s networking groups to collaborate and connect. Info: cfwit.com

Sign up for the WILMA Weekly newsletter at WILMAmag.com. To include your group's event, email W2W@WILMAmag.com

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

7

WILMA EXPO

T

photo by Michael Cline Spencer

Thousands turned out December 14 for the ninth annual WILMA Expo & Holiday Market. Held at the Wilmington Convention Center, the Expo is a live version of the magazine, with vendors displaying gift ideas, family friendly products, health and wellness services, local food and art, and more. For more photos from the event, go to WILMA’s Facebook page at facebook.com/wilmamag.

8

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

CREW NAMES BOARD OFFICERS FOR 2020

Cape Fear CREW, Commercial Real Estate Women, recently selected members for its 2020 board of directors and officers.

JULIE ANDREWS, of Logan Homes, succeeds CONNIE RONNER as the chapter’s president.

“Connie provided Cape Fear CREW with excellent leadership and vision, guiding the chapter through our first commercial real estate awards and broadening our reach and visibility throughout the Cape Fear region,” Andrews (above) says about Ronner’s year of leadership.

Other officers this year are: President-Elect/CREW Network Delegate: GALE WALLACE, of Clarendon Properties LLC; Past President: Ronner, of SunTrust, now Truist; Secretary/ CREW Network Delegate: JULIE DIXON; Treasurer: JENNY MIZELLE, of WithersRavenel; At Large: KELLY DEDEO, of First National Bank; At Large: JENNIFER KRANER, of Big Sky Design Inc. The group will hold its Awards of Excellence on February 27 at the Wilmington Convention Center to recognize projects and leaders in commercial real estate in the region.

Event info: capefearcrew.org

W

OLSON-BOSEMAN, KUSEK PICKED TO LEAD NHC COMMISSIONERS

Before the end of the year, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners elected JULIA OLSON-BOSEMAN as chair and PAT KUSEK as vice-chair.

“This is the first time in the history of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners that two women will hold both the chair and vice-chair positions,” county officials said in a news release.

Olson-Boseman and Kusek were elected to their positions at the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting Dec. 2.

Olson-Boseman previously held the vice-chair position in 2019. The commissioners elect their chair and vicechair every December.

“This is a momentous day for New Hanover County, to have two women elected to lead the board,” OlsonBoseman said in the release after the vote. “I look forward to (2020) and the work this Board of Commissioners will accomplish on behalf of our community and our citizens.”

ant more WILMA? Check out our daily emails, which include even more profiles and stories for Wilmington’s successful women.

To sign up for the free emails, go to WILMAmag.com

FIRST CAROLINA BANK HIRES CAMERON

DONNA CAMERON has returned to Wilmington to help First Carolina Bank open its first area retail branch this year and expand the Rocky Mount-based bank’s local customer base.

First Carolina Bank brought Cameron on as a senior banking officer, working with David Rizzo, the bank’s Wilmington market executive. The bank plans to open its full-service branch this summer in the Bradley Creek Station development now being built on Oleander Drive.

“Her role is to help grow our presence here in the market. She will also be responsible for setting up our new branch and hiring the team,” Rizzo says.

Cameron, who held management roles with SunTrust and Park Sterling banks in Wilmington, was most recently with South State Bank and Pinnacle Financial Advisors in Charlotte.

Cameron says that Wilmington is “home” to her and her husband, Dan, and that she is an advocate for community banks like First Carolina.

When she was hired in late October, Cameron was First Carolina’s 47th employee. The bank, which has a burgeoning retail presence in Raleigh as well as in its hometown of Rocky Mount, has since added five more people to its team.

Have a suggestion for a local woman or group to spotlight?

Email us: wilma@WILMAmag.com WILMAmag.com

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

9

TRIPLE

THREAT

UPCOMING HALL OF FAMER PHYLLIS MASON IS AN ADVOCATE FOR TRIATHLONS

by MARIMAR MCNAUGHTON photo by MICHAEL CLINE SPENCER

10

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

W

hen PHYLLIS MASON is inducted into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame in May, she will be the first triathlete recognized for her achievements.

During a continuously active thirty-three-year athletic career that began in Wrightsville Beach in 1986, Mason swam, biked, and ran all distances – from International Olympic and Ironman to sprint – to compete in 244 triathlons worldwide. During that time, she was ranked No. 1 in the nation in her age group over a ten-year stretch beginning in the mid-1990s.

In one of those triathlons, she was the oldest competitor at age forty-two, but she did not stop there.

Her national standings landed her a place on the USA Triathlon team that ranked her All-American fifteen times.

Mason silver medaled in New Zealand in 2003; finished fifth in her sixty to six-

ty-four age group in Hamburg, Germany, in 2007; and came in fourth in her seventy to seventy-four age group in Rotterdam, The Netherlands in 2017.

But, her proudest achievement so far?

Induction into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame, she says.

“I am honored and humbled,” says the seventy-one-year-old grandmother of four from her Port City home. “I never thought they’d open the door for a triathlete.”

Now retired from competition, Mason has not slowed down – much. She still swims five hours, bikes one hundred miles, and runs fifteen miles – a week.

“What I tell people is that I’m addicted to that lifestyle,” she says. “No medications, no problems of any kind.

It’s something that everyone could get themselves into and be in much better shape. They’d be so much better off.”

The North Carolina native was a natural-born swimmer. “We had two 50-meter pools in Hickory,” she says.

Beginning at age eight, she swam

competitively until she was sixteen.

When she moved with her husband and children to Wilmington in 1975, the Masons were preoccupied with the dayto-day demands of life.

“My husband and I realized we were out of shape and had gained weight. We started competing and lost a lot of excess weight. Competition in the running races was a lot of fun,” Mason says, adding, “We had been running with a group of men who had been competing in the Wrightsville Beach Triathlon … who (after some back-and-forth negotiations said) they would be delighted for me to start training with them. Coming from a swimming background helped because I could pretty much outswim them.”

The addition of cycling to her regime did not deter her one iota.

“When I had two small boys, I took the one on bike rides when I was pregnant with the other,” she says. “When they got old enough, we biked around the lake together.”

Mason competed in her first YMCA Wrightsville Beach Triathlon when she was thirty-eight years old. The field of women in her age range numbered nine

participants that year. The ratio was four men to every woman.

“Certainly not the older females,” she adds. “You take the women in that age group today, you have half the field.”

Her first great achievement came in 2000, when – at age fifty-two – she was the overall winner of the YMCA Wrightsville Beach Triathlon. From Wrightsville Beach, she traveled to the nationals and qualifying there, she joined the USA Triathlon team. Beginning in 1998 when she competed in Switzerland, Mason qualified in 2003, 2007, 2012, and 2017, cherry-picking only those countries she wished to visit.

“I raced all over the world,” she says.

On the local scene, Mason was asked to coach the original YMCA triathlon team and also coached the Wilmington Athletic Club team.

She started a club – open to all genders, ages, races, and occupations – but limited to thirty members, with the only requirement being a commitment to completing the triathlon.

At the behest of her sons, then ages twelve and fourteen, who were tired of watching their mother cross the finish

line, Mason pioneered youth participation in the sport by convincing the owner of a statewide timing company and the pre-eminent provider of timing services to many regional triathlons to suspend the eighteen-and-over requirement by having parents simply sign a parental waiver.

“I wanted to be sure they wouldn’t be hurt,” she says.

Today, it’s her grandchildren she is grooming for triathlon competition.

“I’m working my hardest on getting the ten-year-old to do the Y triathlon the next coming year. I would like to see all four of them do it at one point,” she says, adding with a laugh, “Then I’m going to sit back in my rocking chair.” W

GREATER WILMINGTON SPORTS HALL OF FAME ANNUAL BANQUET & INDUCTION CEREMONY May 3 at Wilmington Convention Center 2020 INDUCTEES: Donnie Bowers • Chucky Brown • Phyllis Mason • Joe Robinson Info: gwshof.com

New Year’s Resolution to lose weight and get in shape?

Need a safe and non-intimidating place to exercise?

Come visit Beach Barbell, our Family Owned Physical Therapy Clinic & Gym

CONTACT US TODAY! (910) 465-1223 or Nick@BeachBarbell.com

WILMAmag.com

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed Bonded & Insured Cleaners are background checked and professionally trained Regular, deep and move-in/out clean options No Contracts

Instant online pricing and scheduling

www.indigru.com SERVING THE GREATER WILMINGTON AREA JANUARY 2020

WILMA

11

BUBBLY

M I X ERS

SHAKE IT UP WITH CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS

by KATELYNN WATKINS photos by LOGAN BURKE

12

WILMA

E

very Sunday for a year, Soif de Vin is tempting the wine shop’s customers with a different champagne concoction.

A lot can happen in fifty-two weeks.

Birthdays, promotions, graduations, buying a new home: milestones that give seemingly random days out of the year the greatest significance.

Why not raise a glass and toast them all?

That’s essentially what Soif de Vin has been doing since June 2. With a little inspiration from Fifty-Two, a book of fifty-two champagne cocktail recipes by former local bartender JONATHAN JONES, the retail wine shop and bar hosts Sunday evening tastings with concoctions for every occasion.

“Everything he touches really turns to

JANUARY 2020

gold,” Soif de Vin owner AMY SILER says of Jones and his work with both food and craft cocktails. “He’s an artist and should be celebrated.”

As a nod to her educational focus while in the wine distribution business, Siler has made Soif de Vin in Monkey Junction a local hub for wine and beer tastings, wine club meetings, and other informative events. For the past two years, there has been some kind of class or learning experience almost every week, thanks to vendors eager to share what they know and the fruit of that knowledge.

“I wanted to open a place where people could learn, expand, and not be confined to a list of just what I like,” Siler says.

Having dipped her toe in the restaurant scene as well as the wine distribution business alongside her husband, Sean Underwood, and co-founding the Wilmington

Wine & Food Festival almost eight years ago, Siler knows all about stepping out of one’s comfort zone and trying something new.

This drive to continually learn more is why every Sunday through May 31, Soif de Vin’s “sole cocktail guy,” PAUL OBERNESSER, will continue serving up a craft concoction based on the recipes from Fifty-Two. From the classics to specialty cocktails like Orange is the New Velvet and Dry Wit, there really is something for everyone in Jones’s playbook of sorts.

Jones, who started compiling his creations while working as a bartender for the Wilmington Wine shop, was acquainted with Siler before he made his move to Oregon several years ago.

He actually flew back after Soif de Vin opened to cater the shop’s first specialty wine dinner. It was the first of many such events and helped set the tone for how each week’s tasting showcases his original work.

Jones’ recipes are presented out of order in comparison to the book, Siler says, but often with seasonal consid-

25 years experience

erations and ingredients in mind.

Officially, the Sunday champagne cocktail nights run 6-8 p.m., but everyone is welcome to hang out later and peruse other offerings in the shop or keep asking questions about the featured cocktail and anything else food- or wine-related.

For Siler, that’s the best part of the night – especially if she’s inspired to ask a few questions of her own.

“I’ve had a lot of ‘aha’ moments over the years just from tasting different kinds of food or wine,” she says.

“I love getting to see other people experience that, then follow it up by wanting to know more.”

Along with those opportunities to ask questions and try new things comes an ever-evolving palate and appreciation for variety.

When asked what their favorite champagne cocktail has been so far in the series, or what they’re most looking forward to trying, both Siler and Underwood say that there are just too many great recipes to choose only one, adding, “Just bubbles. We like bubbles.” W

CRYSTALS

COMFY ORANGE SWEATER “The mimosa is an old standard, something you break out on a Sunday afternoon when the world is still swimming and your mouth tastes like fuzzy socks. This is a mimosa, with a little extravagance thrown in to clear the palate and brighten the mind. This is your favorite sweater after your hippie aunt washed it with her hooping skirts.”

• • • • •

Rinse a wine glass with the calamansi vinegar.

Pour out excess vinegar. Add champagne and orange juice. Top with six drops of bitters and a small pinch of ground cardamom.

– Excerpt from Fifty-Two by Jonathan Jones, available online at blurb.com/b/5523370-fifty-two

BOOKS

Trained in PA & NY

Master Designer & Custom Colorist at \krē·ās’hәnz\ salon + spa

CANDLES

5 oz champagne 3 oz orange juice pinch cardamom Bittercube Orange Bitters splash calamansi vinegar

JEWELRY

Vida-Flo and IV Hydration Therapy Wilmington’s First Hydration Spa • Rehydrate your body • Build endurance • Enhance recovery • Prevent sickness • Beat hangovers • Be your best self

SPECIALIZING IN:

Advanced razor cutting, Personalized haircuts and styles, Corrective color, All techniques of highlighting, Updos for special occations, and Keratin Treatments.

SEARCHING FOR A STYLIST WHO KNOWS FINE HAIR? STOP LOOKING!

A Place Where Community & Spirituality Meet

TO SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT

910.799.1001 | MysticElements.com 4403 Park Ave, Wilmington, NC 28403

CALL (910) 538-5877

WILMAmag.com

vidaflowilmington.com (910) 222-8859 | 1994 Eastwood Rd, Suite 200, Wilmington, NC 28403

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

13

1960s emerald green satin MAXI DRESS, floral RAINCOAT, gold hoop EARRINGS, and gold starburst NECKLACE, all available at Jess James + Co.; SUNGLASSES (stylist’s own)

STYLED BY DREWE SMITH PHOTOS BY MELISSA HEBERT 14 WILMA INTRO BY NINA BAYS COURNOYER

JANUARY 2020

1960s pink DRESS with Peter Pan collar, available at Jess James + Co.; SUNGLASSES (stylist’s own)

MOD -ERN ART WILMAmag.com

P

icture it: the 1960s, London. The blue notes of John Coltrane are giving way to beats from The Jam, and the economy is booming again.

Young people have more pocket cash than ever and are swarming to Carnaby Street to spend, spend, spend. Are they interested in the sedate stylings of the ’50s? Not a chance. They’re looking for ways to express themselves, finding a new voice in geometric patterns, bright hues, and color-blocked frocks. Enter the Mod revolution.

Miniskirts and go-go boots prevailed, and fashion wasn’t exclusively for the wealthy anymore. Lords and ladies were seen wearing the same threads as the working class; influencers were no longer the big couture houses but this vibrant youth culture, who in turn were inspired by new frontiers in music and art.

Today, not only is the Mod era making a comeback on the racks, but also in mindset. Confidence and self-expression are the cornerstones of today’s style, paired with an “anything goes” attitude. Just like the independent shops of King’s Road, small boutiques and Etsy stores have overtaken the traditional malls as the place to shop, offering a plethora of fashion gems poised to help you make your own statement. It’s still a mod, mod world.W JANUARY 2020

WILMA

15

24 HOUR INFRARED FITNESS STUDIO

Sports Recovery Reduce Cellulite Stress Reduction Increased Calorie Burn Pain Relief Detoxification Weight Loss Lower Blood Pressure Anti-Aging & Skin Rejuvenation Improved Circulation

JOIN THE BURNOFF MOVEMENT!

CALL TODAY TO LEARN ABOUT OUR MEMBERSHIP (910) 832-9676 | HOTWORX.NET 16

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

1960s Go-Go WEDDING DRESS, vintage EARRINGS, and orange BAG, all available at Jess James + Co.; gold HEELS, available at Monkee’s of Wilmington

WILMAmag.com

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

17

1960s pink and silver brocade MAXI DRESS, available at Jess James + Co.’ champagne EARRINGS, available at Monkee’s of Wilmington

B R E ATH E A N D R E J U V E N ATE Find relief today for 50% off your first session!

USE CODE: Saltyfirst 910.679.8066 7110 Wrightsville Ave, Unit B-8, Wilmington, NC

Follow us @pranasaltcave

18

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

MODEL: Rachael Mott HAIR: SET Blowout Bar MAKEUP: Robin Siegel for Carter Kayte Beauty Atelier WARDROBE: Jess James + Co.; Monkee’s of Wilmington

WILMAmag.com

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

19

SPONSORS’ CONTENT BROUGHT TO YOU BY ASHLEY HOMESTORE

1

3 4

GET THE LOOK 1 Lulu Bunk Bed and Nightstand 2 Faelene Twin Upholstered Bed 3 Delta Children Emery Nursery Side Table 4 Cale Table Lamp 5 Kids Plush Rooster Animal Pillow 6 Paxberry Dressing Chest

6 2

5

ROOM TO GROW

Having a magical kids room can be the sweetest sanctuary for your child.

Investing in pieces that will grow with your little one will pay off in the end.

Ashley Homestore has whimsical kids furniture that will grow with your child.

Choosing classic styles and clean lines on larger items like beds and dressers will ensure your kid’s room is stylish for years to come. Choose more trendy items for smaller items like lamps and artwork.

20

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

www

AshleyFurniture.com

(910) 769-0258 | 6832 Market Street, Wilmington, NC 28405 (910) 397-0368 | 5309 Carolina Beach Road, Wilmington, NC 28412

BAGGIN’ RIGHTS

by Johanna Cano | photos by Stephanie Savas Photography

22

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

Holly Aiken aims to make her eponymous bags distinctive and instantly recognizable

G

rowing up at her family’s clothing design and manufacturing business, HOLLY AIKEN got an early look at the world of color and textiles, as well as the work that goes behind running a fashion design company.

“My mother and father designed and manufactured children’s clothing, and their brand was called Patsy Aiken Designs,” Aiken says. “So, I grew up in that environment of manufacturing, having sewing machines around, and a shop (where I could) go to play, learn, and be creative. That was all I knew growing up.”

Fast forward to 2008, when Aiken founded Holly Aiken Bags, a bag and accessory design and manufacturing business in Raleigh, as well as the former Stitch, a retail store that carried its products.

About five years ago, Aiken moved to Wilmington. And, last year, she decided to move the business and retail store here to be closer to home.

Her venture into bag designing started WILMAmag.com

after she graduated from college.

“I went to N.C. State (University’s College) of Design. I graduated in 1997, and I had done some product design and furniture design while I was there,” Aiken says.

“But, after I graduated, I started making bags for friends and selling them to small local shops on the side. And then, I evolved that into what it is today.”

The bags, which have distinctive patterns and colors, are inspired by geometry and architecture, Aiken says.

“I did a lot of graphic design while I was in school, and I think a lot of it – the graphic quality of the simple patterns that we use – is inspired by that,” Aiken says.

“The bags have very simple yet practical designs that are well-made and stand the

test of time.”

Holly Aiken bags are made primarily from nylon webbing and vinyl fabric that is cut, sewn, and finished in Wilmington.

Aiken’s designs make the bags stand out from others to the point where people can recognize one of her creations when they see one, Aiken says.

“We get comments all the time that a customer has been traveling to California, for example, and they see someone at the airport, and they know right away that they have a Holly Aiken bag,” she says. “I think that’s what customers like: that it is unique.”

While the bags are pretty enough to take to an elegant dinner, they are designed to be everyday workbags sturdy enough to JANUARY 2020

WILMA

23

BOATING MADE

401 MARINA ST. CAROLINA BEACH, NC

910.218.2223 • FREEDOMBOATCLUB.COM

WILSON CENTER, WILMINGTON

TCHAIKOVSKY SYMPHONY NO. 5 SUN, FEB 9 | 7:30PM

Grant Llewellyn, conductor Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes Britten: Simple Symphony Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5

MUSIC’S MOST THRILLING MASTERPIECE!

BEETHOVEN’S 9TH

THUR, APR 30 | 7:30PM

Grant Llewellyn, conductor North Carolina Master Chorale

Tickets start at $20!

TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE WILSON CENTER

24

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

ncsymphony.org 877.627.6724

withstand constant use. Bag styles include tote and crossbody bags as well as diaper, messenger, and beach bags.

“The bags kind of have a casual vibe to them because of the bright colors and the graphic designs,” Aiken says. “Our customer base ranges; we do some male messenger bags and wallets. But, most of our customers are female.”

Manufacturing its products in Wilmington allows the company to maintain quality as well as serve its popular “Design a Bag” feature that allows customers to pick the style, graphics, and colors of their bag through an app, Aiken says.

“I always just wanted to have a little more control over the quality and do things in small batches and be able to change things on the fly,” she says. “I have always used local seamstresses, and (the process) evolved out of that. We found seamstresses that sew at the high quality that we require for our product and it turned out just to be a good fit for us.”

Holly Aiken Bags has six employees ,and its inventory is carried in boutique brick-and-mortar stores throughout the U.S. While Holly Aiken Bags has left Raleigh, it still has a presence in the city that saw the business’s growth.

“There’s one store in downtown Raleigh called DECO. They have a large amount of our inventory there,” Aiken says. “We sell to a few other stores in downtown Raleigh as well that have specific items designed just for their store. We make a running bag for Runologie. Port of Raleigh is another really great shop downtown. They have modern furnishings, and we do some designs just for their store as well.”

With her move to Wilmington, Aiken hopes to continue to grow the business online and bring more awareness about its retail store, Holly Aiken, at 7232 Wrightsville Avenue.

On the creative side, Aiken continues to explore design and material possibilities to keep building the brand.

“I try to develop and design what I think people are looking forward to,” she says. “Styles change over time, and we have some bags that we’ve had since the very beginning. They’re still our classic line of styles that we always have, but then we’re always rotating styles in and out.” W

Healthy Vision For Life Wilmington Eye knows how important healthy vision is for our lives, our careers, and our families. Call our offices to make an appointment and find out how we can improve your vision for life.

LASIK | CATARACTS | PREVENTATIVE EYE CARE | COSMETICS www.wilmingtoneye.com www.WilmingtonEye.com | 910.763.3601

WILMAmag.com

| 910.763.3601

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

25

FA N N I N G TH E

F LAM E S O F C R E ATI V I T Y

by LORI WILSON

T

hree fierce full-time artists bring the heat to their craft – not just in passion and perseverance, but at very hot, sometimes flaming, temperatures. Despite the saying, playing with fire has inspired continuous success and growth for all three women, with the exception of a minor burn or two. Across their different materials – metal, clay, and wood – these creators express great love for the mechanical processes that drive them.

F I R I N G M ETA L

A

photos by ERIN COSTA

UT U M N D AY has been teaching herself the skills of

blacksmithing for eighteen years and counting. A college elective became a hobby until her hobby became a career. In 2016, she became the resident blacksmith at Poplar Grove Plantation, where she works in a studio reminiscent of industrial revolution days. Dark with soot, the room is lit by the crackling coal fire, as the Civil War-era reproduction of a bellows gives it air. Occasionally, sparks fly when the hammer hits iron.

“A lot of people work with gas because it’s cleaner; it’s more predictable,” Day says, “but, I definitely love playing with fire.

I like the intimacy of the coal and bellows … The fire is very meditative for me, and I enjoy the range of colors.”

As one of the few blacksmiths working on the Southeast coast, Day never had a chance to apprentice. The Poplar Grove studio allows her to experiment. In between new projects, she regularly creates candle holders, hooks, sage bundle holders, and more, some of which are for sale at Poplar Grove’s gift shop, at her studio during festivals, and, most recently, at Madame Meerkat’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

She’s gotten so good at teaching herself that she began teaching others, too. Through Poplar Grove, she hosts a fourhour workshop. Students learn the basics of the craft and leave with a creation of their own.

More details and sign-up information are available at poplargrove.org/discover/blacksmith-workshop.

26

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

WILMAmag.com

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

27

28

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

F I R I N G C L AY

L

AU REN RO G ERS’

pottery journey began with a college elective that redirected her attention from 2D photography to 3D creations.

“I found a sense of community in clay,” Rogers explains. “I didn’t know when I was going to find an opportunity to pursue something like that again.”

Today, she holds space at theArtWorks, serves as the pottery coordinator at Leland Cultural Arts Center, and teaches a weekly pottery class at Pineapple Studios on Front Street.

Somewhere in between, she throws and fires clay into functional ceramic pieces to be sold at local markets or at venues such as Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts in The Cotton Exchange.

She lists her upcoming shows on her website at laurenrogersceramics.us.

WILMAmag.com

photos by KEVIN KLEITCHES

Her artwork often comes in the forms of dishes, vases, and other household items, featuring oceaninspired, fluid colors, and asymmetrical designs.

“I love the act of creating these pieces,” she says. “I really enjoy the act of making it – the repetitiveness. I love those processes – the quiet hum of the wheel.”

Today, Rogers mainly uses an electric kiln for her personal work but loved learning and growing with gas kilns in the past. As a final stage of the process, the sometimes unpredictable heat element forces many trials and errors for new potters.

“It’s very empowering being in control of a large piece of equipment,” she shares. “When I was firing a gas kiln, it felt good to know I made that, with that big machine.”

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

29

30

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

Now accepting NEW patients at our Leland office conveniently located in Waterford near Harris Teeter

1003 Olde Waterford Way 1D, Leland, NC 28451 Phone : 910-679-3212 Fax : 877-718-8984

CALL Us: 910-679-3212

Restoring Hope, Empowering Change

FIRING WOOD

L

photos by MEGAN DEITZ

A U R A K A L I N A ’s woodburning business took off when, ironically, she moved closer

to the water.

After growing up in northern Virginia, Kalina left her life as a competitive D.C. photographer to follow her retiree parents to Wilmington. Since then, the unusual woodburning medium has been the focus of her art, operating under the studio name Mossy Fox. “Woodburning has been kind of my alternative to just drawing,” Kalina says. “I tell people it’s like drawing with heat … Sometimes, when I’m burning, a little flame will pop up for deep burns.”

Kalina has always been most inspired to illustrate one thing: animals. From pets to wildlife, they’re her favorite subjects.

“The one subject I won’t woodburn is people,” she says with a laugh.

Kalina has illustrated native wildlife such as black bears, elk, and wolves, but her most popular subject is inspired by her love of Wilmington: sea turtles.

“Moving down here was one of the best decisions for me as an artist,” she explains.

“Everyone in Wilmington, not just artists, has been so unbelievably welcoming.”

Mossy Fox Studios can be found at Kalina’s space at theArtWorks, at events, such as last month’s The Holiday Flea at BAC or the Orange Street ArtsFest, and at mossyfoxstudio.com. W WILMAmag.com

Mental Health Therapy

anxiety, depression, relationships, trauma, life transitions, and more

Nutrition Counseling

diabetes, athletes, weight management, genetic based wellness plans, and more

Specialized Eating Disorder Treatment

Certified Eating Disorders Specialists on staff for comprehensive treatment through office visits or Intensive Outpatient Program

Psychiatric Medication Management (910) 790-9500 www.chrysaliscenter-nc.com 3240 Burnt Mill Dr., Suite 1 Wilmington, NC 28403

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

31

keep it local WILMA’S

NEW YEAR “NEW” FURNITURE

SPONSORS’ CONTENT

ELDERBERRY HEALTH KICK

Elderberry can help tame stress, imflammation and boost your immunity! Made and distrubuted locally, you can find Elderberry Tribe’s Wellness Syrup at local retailers like Lovey’s Market, Tomlinson Sales, Once Upon a Child, Eagle Island and more! Follow them on Facebook @elderberrytribe.llc

Bring new life to your dinged up dressers, nightstands and cabinents with Dixie Belle Chalk Paint, Wise Owl Enamel and more from Port City Peddler’s Design Center.

Stop in to browse their antiques, home decor, collectables, gifts and more at 7225 Market Street, across from the Publix Shopping Center in Ogden. Follow them on Facebook @pcpeddlers

DOWNTOWN GIFTS & GOODS A HEALTHY SWEET TOOTH

Whether you are trying the low-carb or “keto” diet in the new year, or already have a gluten-free lifestyle, Sweets and Spirits Bakery can make just about anything sugar free, gluten free or ketogenic. Visit their website at sweetsandspirits.com or call 910.352.1499.

Get downtown and find clothing and accessories for all our changing styles at Camillions Boutique! Camillions is a third generation, family owned and operated business. Stop in today at 112 Market Street in the heart of Downtown Wilmington or shop online at CamillionsNC.com

SQUEAKY CLEAN

When you clean, you shouldn’t have to wear gloves and masks or freak out if you accidentally spray your all-purpose cleaner on your kids, right? SQUEAK uses organic and safe ingredients for all of their cleaning products. Visit their website at getsqueakywithus.com and order online, find a retailer new you, or visit The SQUEAK Shop at 6700 Netherlands Drive Unit D, Wilmington, NC 28405.

32

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

VERSATILE STYLE

Desert Rose Boutique’s clothing and accessories can mix and match to where you can bloom in any element. Desert Rose Boutique is co-founded by sisters, Louise and Mavis Rose. Find them in downtown Wilmington at 208 N Front Street, shop online at bloomindesertrose.com

UV SKIN REPAIR

Once you finish with your Hydroderm facial from Taylor at Wilmington Hemp Spa, make sure to pick up some amazing CBD infused products like the Color Up Therapeutics UV Damage Repair Moisturizer. Visit wilmingtonhempspa.com or call 252.216.6612 to book an appointment,

ARTWORKS

Multiple mediums available from Artists at theArtWorks™. The space is not only a gallery, but an artist studio, event venue and more! Located near South Front in Downtown Wilmington, visit theArtworks on Fridays and Saturdays at 200 Willard Street, call 910.352.1822 or email inquires to theartworkswilmington@gmail.com

BUTTERMINTS FOR YOUR SWEETHEART

Butter Mints

Give the sweet treat of Buttermints in your Valentine’s gift basket this year with Heide’s Gourmet Buttermints. Available in a variety of flavors such as Key Lime or Cheese Cake. Available at Blue Moon Gift Shops, The Fresh Market, Shop of Seagate, The Seasoned Gourmet, and Temptations Gourmet.

GOURMET CAKES & CUPCAKES Interested in featuring your products on the “Keep it Local” Sponsors’ Content page?

Contact WILMA Sales at (910) 343-8600 x203 or advertise@WILMAmag.com for more info.

SPONSORS’ CONTENT

Now open in the Mayfaire Town Center, Lyssa Cakes creates gorgeous one-of-kind cakes and cupcakes. Pictured above are “Baklava” cupcakes with the traditional flavors of the flaky dessert from Greece infused into a delicious cupcake! Visit Lyssa Cakes for a sweet treat at 980 Inspiration Drive, Beside Belk in Mayfaire, call 910.239.9341, or follow them on Facebook at @lyssacakes910

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

33

R AISING

THE CU RTAIN

by JENNY CALLISON | photos by LOGAN BURKE

Bringing a play to life brings life lessons 34

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

T

en Wilmington youngsters took their first bows from the stage last month, thanks to a Wilmington Parks and Recreation Department initiative called Spark the Arts.

“They pulled it off; I am so impressed,” says ROSE-MARY HARRINGTON CHAPMAN, a local playwright who modified one of her scripts for the young people to perform.

Her play, called The American Dream, was part of Spark the Arts Live Onstage Showcase December 5 at the Hannah Block USO/Community Arts Center. The

showcase also featured dance and choral music, with participation from youth involved with DREAMS of Wilmington and the Blue Ribbon Commission. The ten The American Dream actors were drawn from the MLK Community Center, where they participate in after-school programs.

Also involved in making The American Dream happen was the Thalian Association, which manages the Community Arts Center and encourages young talent through its own Youth Theatre Program.

The spark behind Spark the Arts was WILMAmag.com

KIM ADAMS, a program specialist with the city’s parks and recreation department. A playwright, Adams is an avowed believer in the transformative power of arts education.

She landed a grant from the national organization Youth Service America to fund the production. At a meeting of the Port City Playwrights’ Project, she met Harrington Chapman and convinced her to simplify a play about migrants crossing the southern U.S. border so it would be appropriate for youngsters to perform.

Putting together a stage production is a complex undertaking. It’s even more of a challenge when your cast is reluctant to take part.

“When I introduced them to RoseMary, they were so disengaged,” Adams says of her actors. “Then, a couple of leaders emerged and got the others in line.

They started getting into it and seeing what they could do. One memorized his lines right away, and when the others saw that, they all started memorizing their lines.

“Rose-Mary was good at telling them clearly what she expected,” Adams adds.

Getting The American Dream ready for an audience was a six-week process that extended beyond actual rehearsals to drama coaching and cast discussions. Those discussions, according to Harrington Chapman, focused on such topics as what it means to be an immigrant, what it would be like to cross the desert on foot at night, and what items they would need to survive in the desert.

They talked about the fact that tens of thousands of kids have crossed the border alone, she says.

The cast began to take ownership of the play.

“It was like night and day between when we started and the performance,” says BRITTANY DICKSON, a Wilmington recreation coordinator who worked with the young actors and took a role herself. “None of the kids had any performance experience; some had never even seen a live performance, and they weren’t interested at first. They would put their heads down, and they would talk instead of paying attention.”

While the Youth Service America grant covered only the production of The American Dream, Adams’ work with this group of ten began last summer when she engaged them in outdoor activities offered for young people through her department.

“It started with them learning to swim,” she says. “They had been splashing around in the water every day for years without learning to swim. We were teaching them to be confident. I wanted them to go kayaking, but they needed to be comfortable around water first.”

Kayaking came later, along with zip lining and rock wall climbing. Adams says JANUARY 2020

WILMA

35

REVIVAL Is Your Answer: · A Leader In The Industry · 15 Plus Years Experience · Treatments Performed ONLY By PA-Cs And CNP’s 365 New Days, · Amazing Interest Free, Monthly Payment Options 365 New Chances. · Performs Only FDA Approved Treatments Time To ROCK · Utilizes Only The Most Advanced, Your NEW YOU Cutting Edge Technology Being The BEST · The Only Practice That Delivers Permanent Laser Hair YOU Can Be! Removal And Guarantees Our Results · Customized Treatment Plans Based On Patient Need · Dedicated To Excellence Across The Board

910.679.4312 | RevivalLaserandSkinClinic.com

· DRY SALT THERAPY CENTER · MAIN CAVE FITS 12 · TREATMENT CAVE & KID’S CAVE · MASSAGE THERAPY · REIKI & SPIRITUAL SERVICES 910.399.3638 nativesaltcaveandwellness.com 1540 S 2nd St. Suite 130, Wilmington, NC @wilmingtonsaltcave

ORIENTAL DESIGN RUGS • SISAL • CUSTOM AREA RUGS • INSTALLED CARPET • STAIR RUNNERS

(910) 794-8100 | www.SuttonRugs.com 3520 South College Road, Wilmington, NC 28412

GIVE PEOPLE MORE THAN THEY EXPECT AND DO IT CHEERFULLY. WINTER SERVICE STARTING AT $89.99 BRAKES $179.00 PER AXLE ALIGNMENT SPECIAL $89.99 WE DO 40,000 MILE, 60,000 MILE AND 80,000 MILE SERVICES FREE BRAKE CHECK WITH AN OIL CHANGE

910.294 .5885

5723 MARKET STREET • WILMINGTON, NC 28405

WWW.MATTHEWSMOTORSWILMINGTON.COM

36

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

she could see their self-confidence grow.

The stage lights may have dimmed, but Spark the Arts’ personnel believe they have planted a seed in the players.

“It was wonderful to see these very talented young people onstage and very exciting that some are planning to audition for our Youth Theatre production Xanadu Jr.,” says SUSAN HABAS, Thalian Association’s executive director. “Being a part of a production involves the discipline and other character-building activities necessary to becoming successful and productive adults. Our goal is not just success onstage but success in life.”

Adams’ vision for future arts programs extends beyond the footlights.

“I would love to create a drama group and take (members) to a live show, like a (touring) Broadway show at the Wilson Center,” she says. “I also want to do another grant – this one, for visual arts – and work with kids on looking at a painting, asking questions, and thinking about what’s in the painting.” W

DIG N IT Y M E M O RIA L CELEBRATE A LIFE WELL LIVED

A

s holiday celebrations with family and friends winddown and the calendar flips to a new year full of hope and promise, it’s time to plan for the future. When it comes to end-of-life planning, the same love and fellowship shared during the holidays is also a big part of memorializing those who have passed on.

The professionals at Dignity Memorial® can help you plan a final tribute for you or a loved one that is as special as the life it represents, bringing comfort to you and those your love. Your imagination is the only limitation in considering the celebration best fitting the unique, special story of our lives.

From food to flowers, music to mementos, each meaningful, memorable personalized funeral service is a special tribute to the person it remembers. You can release doves, balloons, lanterns (into the air or on water) or butterflies in a symbolic gesture of remembrance, or really delve into the personality of the individual being memorialized.

Did your family gatherings center around cookouts?

Celebrate a grill master by hosting an outdoor barbecue complete with jars of homemade sauce as mementos for guests to take home in special remembrance.

For the outdoor lover, have a friend play “Down by the River” on the guitar as pallbearers bring

in the urn, nestled in a kayak. A headstone with a paddle etched into the granite completes the lasting remembrance.

A lap around the track is a special way to remember a racing fan, with friends and family standing in salute as a hearse or car carrying the urn or casket makes the turns.

Memorialize a motorcycle enthusiast with a ceremony that celebrates camaraderie and the thrill of the open road with a motorcycle processional with a group of bikers, the honoree’s cremation urn tucked into a sidecar.

Everyone has their own unique story, and a funeral or memorial service should be a one-of-a-kind celebration telling that story. How do you want to tell yours? Dignity Memorial® professionals celebrate each life like no other. We’ll help you weave those very special memories into a beautiful service with personal touches and lasting impressions. For more information please call (910) 799-1686.

Michael Higgins is Sales Manager for Dignity Memorial®, which cares for more than 300,000 families each year through its network of more than 2,000 providers throughout North America. Learn more at www. dignitymemorial.com or call Greenlawn Memorial Park, Oleander Memorial Gardens and Coble-Ward Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, (910) 799-1686.

910.799.1686 | DignityMemorial.com

WILMAmag.com

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

37

GIERIE ORTHODONTICS CORRECTING AN IMPROPER BITE HELPS PRESERVE ADULTS TEETH

I

Dr. William V. Gierie received his dental degree and orthodontic specialty training from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he is an associate adjunct faculty member and Invisalign instructor in the orthodontic department. Dr. Gierie is in the top 1% of all Invisalign doctors in North America and lectures extensively on Invisalign. He maintains a private orthodontic practice in Wilmington, N.C., at 700 Military Cutoff Road, Suite 100. For more information, visit gobraces. net or call (910) 256-8590.

mproving one’s appearance is the most obvious reason for orthodontic treatment but, for many adults, another important motivator is avoiding premature tooth loss and extensive restorative work.

Misaligned teeth are correlated with excessive tooth wear and periodontal disease.Those problems, in turn, can cause the loss of teeth. Orthodontic treatment can help reduce or eliminate the need for crowns, implants, dentures, and other invasive procedures after teeth are badly damaged or lost completely.

Often, adults seek orthodontic treatment to correct an improper bite. Correcting such problems helps position the teeth, so the chewing surfaces are aligned better.

That can significantly reduce the amount of wear on the teeth.

Another benefit of straightening teeth is reducing bone loss, a leading cause of tooth loss in adults. While some reduction of bone volume with age can be normal, abnormal forces caused by poorly positioned teeth can accelerate that loss.

Consider the numbers. A normal human jaw can create a force of between 23 and 230 pounds while biting! Now multiply that by the hundreds or thousands of times we bite each day during normal chewing. If those forces are applied abnormally, such as a sideways pressure between poorly aligned

910.256.8590 | GoBraces.net 38

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

teeth, they can cause the underlying bone to break down. Other adverse effects can include muscle strain and pressure on the jaw joint, leading to the painful condition called temporomandibular disorder, or TMD. Straight teeth are easier to clean, and regular, thorough cleaning is vital to preventing gum disease.This can start as gingivitis, a common infection of the gums among adults over 30. Untreated, gingivitis can cause the gums to become inflamed and pull away from the teeth.This infection – and the body’s immune system response to it – can damage the bone and lead to teeth loosening or being lost prematurely. Periodontal disease also has been linked to heart disease.The underlying inflammation from the periodontal disease is damaging to the body’s blood vessels and the entire cardiovascular system.

It’s important that a patient with active gum disease have it treated before beginning orthodontic treatment and continue to see a dentist or periodontist during the course of orthodontic treatment.

We always work closely with our patients’ general dentists to ensure that all necessary treatments are properly coordinated.

In the long run, straighter teeth are healthier teeth, and far more likely to remain intact for the patient’s lifetime.

HOT WO RX

HOTWORX BLENDS FITNESS TECHNOLGY WITH FAMILY FEEL

F

or franchisees Craig Cadogan and Danny Richani, building their new 24-hour infrared HOTWORX fitness studio on Gordon Road the right way for the Wilmington community is essential to its success.

“We’re focused on making it a personal, family focused gym because it’s a franchise we truly love,” Craig said.

HOTWORX features 7x9 foot semi-private infrared saunas that maximize the heat absorption benefits of infrared radiant energy, which strengthens and activates the regenerative process in the human body.

Craig first discovered infrared workouts on a business trip in Texas, at his hotel gym. He checked it out, and felt amazing after his workout, even with his Type 1

Diabetes. “My sugar levels are usually crazy when I travel, but everything was great after just a 15 minute session,” Craig said. He explored the concept more and soon realized how infrared could be a game changer in people’s lives.

HOTWORX differs from offerings at other gyms like hot yoga, for example, which is usually done with convection heat (turning up the room temperature to make the air warmer). At HOTWORX, the radiant heat of infrared doesn’t heat up the room like a stifling spa because it doesn’t heat the air —it heats the body, helping with recovery from sport injuries, burning calories, detoxing toxins from the liver and kidneys and pain relief.

“We’re different from a big box gym. We’ve got a

totally different vibe, more for people who want to burn more calories in less time and detoxify in a quicker and more impactful workout,” Craig explained. Most HOTWORX classes are 15 or 30 minutes long, taught by a virtual instructor certified in the specific training whether it be pilates, yoga, core, or cycling, among many others that are rotated on a monthly basis.

HOTWORX also provides members with access to the FX Zone with weights, bands, ropes, and other equipment for functional training exercises and routines before, after, or in-between infrared workout sessions.

The HOTWORX facility is staffed during normal business hours and open 24 hours a day, with app-

based and personal safety devices for access control and medical emergencies.

HOTWORX is actively accepting new members; to tour the facility and sign-up, stop by 6756 Gordon Road, Suite 150 and check out the HOTWORX Facebook page at facebook.com/ hotworxwilmingtongordonroad.

HOTWORX is a virtually instructed exercise program created for users to experience the many benefits of infrared heat absorption, while completing a 30-minute isometric workout or 15-min High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session. To find out more about our innovative programs and facility please contact a member of our HOTWORX team today at 910.832.9676.

910.832.9676 | HOTWORX.NET/STUDIO/WILMINGTONGORDONROAD

WILMAmag.com

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

39

J A M E S E . M OORE INSURANCE

START FRESH EVERY DAY

T

he start of a new year always spotlights goal setting and annual resolutions. The media and internet are abuzz with advice on improving ourselves, our lifestyles, our relationships and our work (or retirement!).

Whether we intend to make small tweaks or sweeping changes, the key to success involves mindful, consistent effort. And not only in January.

The same is true with businesses. At James E. Moore Insurance Agency, Inc., our priority is and always has been helping customers. In serving them we aim to be honest, fair and aware of our impact on the community. After 65 years in business, we know things constantly change and every decade, year and day is an opportunity to learn, grow and give back.

As we prepare to ring in 2020, we are excited to find new and meaningful ways to continue to grow as an agency,

offer more to our clients all while remaining a contributing member of our community.

For example, this year we are introducing MyMoore™, a secure customer portal and mobile app that offers 24/7 access to secure, personal insurance information and enables communication with us beyond traditional email and telephone.

Behind the scenes we also continue to evolve. In an effort to become a more sustainable business, we are now a proud composting office! In addition to our existing recycling program which already reduces waste that would otherwise go into the landfill, composting also helps boost soil quality that will be redistributed to local farmers, gardeners, and soil enthusiasts.

Our evolution extends to our professionals as well. At James E. Moore Insurance Agency, Inc, we urge everyone

on our team to pursue career (and personal) goals beyond what is required by our license. We believe in building our knowledge base to be better agents and better serve our customers. We are proud to announce that in 2019, three of our team members earned respected insurance designations that required rigorous courses and exams.

Last, but certainly not least, we look forward to continuing to honor our long-standing tradition of community support. From agency support of amazing organizations such as the YWCA, YMCA, The Miracle League of Wilmington, Lower Cape Fear Hospice, Cape Fear River Watch (and many more!) to the individual and family volunteerism of our team members. 2019 marked our most successful “Month of Giving” to date raising funds and various items for agencies supporting our local area.

Whether the efforts we

910.256.5333 | JAMESEMOORE.COM 40

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

make are small or large, we ultimately do them because of our commitment to “Personalized Insurance.”

This coming year, as always, we aim to do better and be better, as an agency, as insurance professionals, and as community members. And not just today, but every day.

Adrienne Moore is COO and 3rd generation owner of James E. Moore Insurance Agency, Inc. Established in 1954, it has become one of the most trusted independent insurance agencies in North Carolina. It is a family-owned business offering homeowners, automobile, life and health, employee benefits, and commercial insurance products. For more information, call 910.256.5333 or visit the agency’s website at www. jamesemoore.com.

L OW ER C APE F E AR LIFE C A RE

WHAT IS LIFECARE?

L

ower Cape Fear LifeCare (LCFLC), formerly Lower Cape Fear Hospice, defines LifeCare as access to healthcare that provides people with a spectrum of health services from palliative care through hospice care, at any point in their lives, wherever they call home.

LifeCare also provides support and education to loved ones and caregivers throughout the stages of illness and the grieving process.

The local non-profit legally became Lower Cape Fear LifeCare on January 1, 2020.

During the past 40 years, the organization has experienced a great deal of growth from the number of patients and geographical area served to increased services lines and programs. The new name reflects its growth and positions the agency for future development.

Hospice services are available for adults and children, including infants.

The majority of patients are

served wherever they call home. However, when acute care is needed, Lower Cape Fear LifeCare is the only local hospice provider that has inpatient care centers available for patients and their families.

The nonprofit never refuses care based on ability to pay.

Although hospice care is at the heart of the agency, it currently serves almost as many palliative care patients as hospice patients.

Palliative care is for patients undergoing treatment for serious and chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart and lung disease, diabetes, and more. Increasingly, doctors are recommending this type of care for their patients to improve quality of life through pain and symptom management.

Another staple of the agency has always been its bereavement program, now called grief care. Many people do not know that these services are available to anyone in the community who has lost a loved one, free

of charge. LCFLC’s grief care program is extensive, and includes individual, group, and Healing Arts workshops.

In New Hanover County, the nonprofit has begun a pilot Dementia Care program to help family caregivers with the challenges of caring for a loved one with a memory disorder. LCFLC is looking for ways to expand the program in the future. Workshops on The Positive Approach to Care, which can improve quality of life for dementia sufferers and their loved ones, is currently being offered to local organizations.

Lower Cape Fear LifeCare’s community education offerings continue to grow.

Monthly and bi-monthly Begin the Conversation advance care planning workshops are available at its Wilmington and Bolivia locations. The agency also offers LifeCare 101, and, one of its most popular workshops, a Compassionate Simulation Lab Experience to gain empathy for those living with chronic illness. Groups

and organizations can request workshops on a variety of topics at no charge.

Lower Cape Fear LifeCare encourages community members to reach out to the agency as an expert resource for care and information when they are facing a chronic, serious or life-altering illness to empower them when making complex healthcare choices.

To learn more about Lower Cape Fear LifeCare and how they can help you or a loved one, visit their website at LifeCare.org.

Gwen Whitley is CEO and President of Lower Cape Fear Hospice which cares for more than 950 patients and their families each day throughout a nine-county service area. Learn more about Lower Cape Fear Hospice services and programs by visiting www.lcfh.org or call 800-733-1476 to talk to someone about getting the care you need.

800.733.1476 | LIFECARE.ORG

WILMAmag.com

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

41

M A RKRA FT C A BIN ET S SMART DESIGNS FOR SMALL KITCHENS

M

arkraft Cabinets has been a leader in the cabinet and countertop service industry since 1985. That’s three decades of seeing trends come and go, but one thing remains consistent: homeowners are still passionate about their kitchens.

Today, functionality is king regardless of size. In small kitchens such as galleys — basically just two walls with a center walkway — that you might find in condos and townhomes and even in trendy new tiny homes, designers like Melissa Marsh are finding smart new ways to make space and improve organization.

“With a smaller kitchen what people are asking for is maximizing counter space. Since the sink area dominates space, they usually don’t have anywhere to set anything up,” Melissa explained.

One popular new design solution for remodeling existing kitchens is to accessorize to increase functionality and the amount of space. This can range from installing new cabinetry with deep drawers and pull-out features like trays and trash cans which are otherwise out in the open.

In new builds, Melissa is seeing people purchasing panel-ready appliances like refrigerator door fronts that match surrounding cabinetry. The actual doors — made to look like wood cabinets

910.793.0202 | MARKRAFT.COM 42

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

— are added later to effectively hide the refrigerator.

Other new appliance trends helping kitchens do more include dual fuel ranges with a gas cooktop and electric oven and drawer microwaves, moving from over the stove to underneath. Additionally, Melissa sees this next year’s designs incorporating a lot more electronic technology integrated into cabinetry like charging stations, outlets inside of cabinets, lighting underneath and inside of cabinets, and appliances tied into smart phones telling people they are low on things like milk.

Color-wise, homeowners are being drawn to white cabinetry, in a lot of transitional style designs mixing traditional styles with simple lines. Grays are still popular, along with a coastal farmhouse kind of feel. In countertops, Markraft does the most of its work with manmade quartz in organic marblelooking patterns, along with granite.

Let Melissa Marsh and the other professional designers at Markraft share their expertise with you. The designers consult by appointment, but visitors are always welcome to browse the Markraft Design Center at 2705 Castle Creek Lane just off Castle Hayne Road.

JANUARY 1/8

1

DOLPHIN DIP Surf City

Thousands will celebrate the new year at the annual Dolphin WEDNESDAY Dip, which takes place at the Roland Avenue beach access in Surf City. Dippers are encouraged to wear a costume for the costume contest if a bathing suit is too tame. The event starts at 11 a.m., with the dip taking place at noon. The event proceeds benefit food ministry Share the Table. Info: dolphindip.net

WILMAmag.com

8

1/24

DELFEAYO MARSALIS CFCC’s Wilson Center

The third annual Benny Hill Quartet scholarship concert WEDNESDAY features the trombonist from the “First family of Jazz” Delfeayo Marsalis. Marsalis, one of the top trombonists, composers, and producers in jazz today, is known for his technical excellence, inventive mind, and frequent touches of humor. Proceeds benefit the Benny Hill Quartet Scholarship Fund, which supports music education at Cape Fear Community College, with an emphasis on jazz performance. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $20.

Info: wilsoncentertickets.com

9

THURSDAY

1/28

ART & THE BLOOM Blockade Runner Beach Resort Through Jan. 12

The Art & The Bloom event challenges floral designers to create artistic arrangements inspired by fine art, stemming from a collection of pieces from artists in the Wilmington Art Association and from private collectors. The exhibit is judged by two National Garden Club Flower Show school instructors and master judges. A preview party is January 9. Special sessions, including afternoon teas and workshops, are planned through the weekend. Info: facebook. com/NewHanoverGardenClub

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

43

10 FRIDAY

1/13

GREAT GATSBY PARTY The Blind Elephant Through Jan. 11

The Blind Elephant has a

live band, drinks, and fun

times for its sixth anniversary weekend. Info:

11

blindelephantspeakeasy.com

SATURDAY

PLANETARIUM ADVENTURES Cape Fear Museum

SpongeBob SquarePants premiered on

Ticket prices range from $40 for Thursday-

2017. Doors for both nights open at 6:30

Janice Mathis is the

24

annual MLK Celebration

Sr., and others, The Malpass Brothers bring

Broadway at the Palace Theatre in December p.m., and the shows start at 7:30 p.m. Info:

17

wilsoncentertickets.com

FRIDAY

MLK ANNUAL BANQUET Hotel Ballast

keynote speaker for the

The museum shows a full-

Committee’s banquet. Other events this

digital planetarium. The

at Williston Middle School, community mass

dome film in its portable,

month include a business expo January 13

program is appropriate for all ages, and adult

choir January 14 at Union Missionary Baptist

and availability is on a first-come, first-serve

January 20 in downtown Wilmington, and

participation is required. Space is limited,

basis. January’s showing is the 30-minute Totality, on lunar and solar eclipses. Info:

13

capefearmuseum.com

MONDAY

THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL CFCC’s Wilson Center Through Jan. 14 The touring production of The Spongebob Musical,

an award-winning show, comes to Wilmington this month. Based on the animated TV series,

44

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

1/23

Church, the Martin Luther King Jr. parade

23

more. Info: mlkjrcelebration-senc10.com

THURSDAY

NORTH CAROLINA JAZZ FESTIVAL Ballast Hotel Through Jan. 25 The fortieth annual

North Carolina Jazz

Festival features three days of shows including Veronica Swift (above) with the Emmet Cohen Trio, Ben Polcer, Chris Gelb, Houston Person, Champian, and others in the weekend lineup.

night general admission tickets to $225 for fullweekend patron tickets. Info: ncjazzfestival.org

FRIDAY

THE MALPASS BROTHERS Thalian Hall

With music steeped in the legacy of The Louvin Brothers,

Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Hank Williams their retro tunes and impromptu riffs to

Wilmington at Thalian Hall’s main stage. The

show starts at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $15-

25

$50. Info: thalianhall.org

SATURDAY

PORT CITY PING PONG THROWDOWN Brooklyn Arts Center The Brooklyn Arts

Center hosts the eleventh annual pingpong competition. There will be professional pingpong tables and matches with the

winners crowned and cash prizes awarded, starting 4 p.m. (Registration is 2-4 p.m.) A

free Friday, January 24 practice is planned with open tables 5-10 p.m. Ticket prices

1/25

1/30 are $10 for players and $5 for spectators. Info: brooklynartsnc.com/upcoming-concerts-events

28

THE SECOND CITY UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium

UNCW Presents brings improv comedy group TUESDAY The Second City with a revue that breaks all the rules. The Second City’s Touring Company brings a night of classic and original sketch comedy. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $20-$50. Info: uncw.edu/ arts/presents

30

WISH UPON A CHEF UNCW’s Burney Center

Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina hosts THURSDAY the culinary and auction event. Local chefs prepare signature dishes, while attendees and celebrity judges vote for best dishes. Proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The event starts at 6 p.m. General admission tickets are $100, with sponsorship tickets available. Info: one.bidpal. net/wishuponachef20

Submit your event to the WILMA online calendar at WILMAmag.com

Dental Implant Innovations That Will Make You Smile.

Whether creating new dental implants or restoring older ones, COFSC is on the leading edge of this procedure. Our intraoral scanner and 3D printer replace traditional impressions, creating a much more accurate and completely customized result. Dental implants are a good replacement for natural teeth and more comfortable than dentures.

Many insurance plans are accepted, so visit carolina-surgery.com, or call 910.762.2618 to learn more.

Mark E. Bufalini, DMD, MD Michael S. Booth, DDS

Wilmington, Jacksonville & Whiteville www.carolina-surgery.com

218152 cofsc implant ad-wilma.indd 1

WILMAmag.com

6/5/18 3:39 PM

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

45

DESIGNING A

SEASON

A LOOK BEHIND THE CURTAIN AT UNCW PRESENTS

by BETH KLAHRE

46

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

I

photo c/o UNCW

ndia to Mexico. Jazz to classical.

Acoustic to electric. Comedy to drama. Playwriting to performance: UNCW Presents is currently in its twenty-eighth season and truly has something for everyone.

“Our overarching goal is to inspire, connect, and cultivate the arts on our campus and within the larger community of Wilmington by bringing stellar artists to Kenan Auditorium,” says FIDIAS REYES, interim director of arts engagement for UNCW Office of the Arts. “We try to expose our audiences to culturally diverse performances, master classes, and workshops.”

The lineup for the 2019-20 season is definitely all of that. The season opened in September with a performance by the Ragamala Dance Company from India performing traditional Bharatanatyam dance.

The season runs through April.

Ailey II, the junior company of Alvin Ailey renowned for its young dance talent and emerging choreography, will perform as part of Black History Month in February. TheaterWorksUSA brings its touring

production of E.B. White’s classic children’s book Charlotte’s Web to the stage in March.

And, that’s only a peek through the curtain at upcoming talent.

Finding top-notch international performance artists is a challenging task. Reyes explains that artists are enlisted in various ways.

“We recruit by word-of-mouth and collaborating with other presenters from the Southeast region. We have found that attending conferences is the best way to select artists,” she says.

In her search, Reyes connects with North Carolina Presenters Consortium, Performing Arts Exchange, and Association of Performing Arts Professionals.

“Sometimes, though, it comes down to searching YouTube,” she adds.

An internal programming committee meets regularly to discuss each artist and the fit into the series. The selection committee considers multiple criteria when making choices to include on the season’s playbill and looks for high-level artistry and diversity of artistic discipline.

“We must also consider community interest, potential partnerships within the community, and the ability to sell tickets,” Reyes says.

The budget also drives selections, so Reyes looks for grant opportunities.

The 8,000 core patrons who attend annually are as diverse as the performances, ranging from students to retirees to families.

“We’re delighted to bring back the comedy troupe The Second City in January,” Reyes says.

Even though this season’s lineup is complete, Reyes is not just reveling in the applause. “While there is nothing celebratory planned for this twenty-eighth season, we’re holding out to observe the big thirty,” she says. “We already have some really special plans in the works.”

Reyes says the best thing about her role is that it allows her to work closely with local, regional, and international artists.

“I get to review their work and make decisions about bringing them to Kenan Auditorium,” she says. “I love collaborating with our community and discussing what artists we can bring as a partnership performance.” W Info: uncw.edu/arts/presents

5

TAKE

intro by CHERYL L. SERRA photo by TERAH WILSON

MARY BETH LIVERS hopes to nurture seeds planted by former Brunswick Arts Council Executive Director Susan Sims-Pritts, who in September left her position to tend to personal matters but has stayed on as an ex-officio board member. Livers’ background in the arts and working with nonprofits, including her involvement with the Oak Island Art Guild, made her a natural fit for the position. She signed a one-year contract as executive director on October 1.

WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO TAKE THIS NEW ROLE? “A lifelong support of the arts. I appreciate its integration in our world. It’s in everything we experience – science, design/engineering and math, nature, entertainment, music, etc. … I found myself on the board of directors and was able to transition into a staff role in order to keep the momentum created by the departing director, with whom I worked closely.” YOU HAVE WORKED WITH NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS FOR THIRTY YEARS – FROM INTERPRETATION TO CURATION AND EXHIBIT DESIGN TO ADMINISTRATION AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU WERE PROUD OF ACHIEVING? “Art has been a common thread in every job I’ve had, whether it’s creating an arts trail in upstate New York, helping to create a museum from the ground up in Montana, or running a small workshop in North Carolina.” WHO IS A FAVORITE ARTIST OF YOURS, PAST OR PRESENT? “I have a background in working with a lot of different cultures within the U.S., so I gravitate towards a blend of cultural fusions between traditional and modern, across cultures whether in visual – Georgia O’Keeffe; music – Carole Fredericks and Robbie Robertson; wearable – Jamie Okuma; or performing arts – Julie Taymor.” WHEN YOU OWNED THE COASTAL BOUND ART STUDIO IN SOUTHPORT, DID YOU ENJOY RUNNING A SMALL BUSINESS OR WERE THERE CHALLENGES? “Coastal Bound is my studio that I’m in the process of reopening as a home-based studio. I have had clients that we have done organization and redesign work for – and we were pleased to have a boho-chic design at the recent Cape Fear Habitat UpScale ReSale event last fall. We have flexible partnerships with local artists who teach classes in their areas of expertise in connection to the community.

I enjoy the collaboration and creativity that comes from people who ‘find their tribe.’ It is amazing to help people spark their own personal creativity in some small way. There are always challenges in running a small business – no one does it on their own, and adaptability is key.” WHAT DO YOU DO TO RELAX AND UNWIND? “I’m so boring! Hang with my ‘fur kids,’ enjoy nature, listen to an audiobook, swim, cook, take a nap, watch a TV show from another country on Netflix – love subtitles. Recharge my batteries. Then, tackle some project that I’ve been ruminating on for a while.

Love to cross things off my life list!”

W

MARY BETH LIVERS’ full profile will appear in an upcoming WILMA Roundup email. To sign up for daily WILMA emails, go to WILMAmag.com.

WILMAmag.com

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

47

WHILE I

SLEPT

by TIM BASS illustration by MARK WEBER

A

Tim Bass is coordinator of UNCW’s bachelor of fine arts program in creative writing.

A few days ago, I heard some radio people reflecting on the significant events of the decade since, they said, we were here at the end of it. I thought it was a rerun from long ago. What decade were they talking about?

Turns out it was this decade – actually, last decade since you’re reading this in the new year, which also started yet another decade.

Or, so I’m told. And, am I the only person who didn’t see this coming? Is this news to you, too?

A whole decade has passed, and I wasn’t watching any of it. Worse, we’ve now roared into the ’20s, and I have no idea what became of not just one, but the past two decades. Seriously – twenty years have come and gone, and I don’t know where they came from or where they went.

What happened? Wasn’t it just last week that we had a nervous New Year’s Eve as we obsessed about impending doom from Y2K, afraid that our computers would freeze and shut down our power grid, lock our bank accounts, and leave us stuck on a drawbridge or out at sea or over a darkened runway at the airport?

Did any of that come to pass?

Seriously, did it? Because I don’t know. Like some beardless, modern-day Rip Van Winkle, I must’ve fallen into a two-decade sleep at the end of 1999, the very second the Times Square ball dropped.

Or, maybe it didn’t drop.

What else did I miss?

The Dallas Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl in nearly a quarter of a century. A gadget called an iPhone has come along and seems like it might be popular. Puff Daddy became P. Diddy, who became

48

WILMA

JANUARY 2020

Diddy, who became Love; he’s averaging a new name every five years. Amazon sells more than books now. We’ve made nouns and verbs of Google and Facebook, and both are as much a part of our lives as oxygen and allergies.

A fifth of a century has run through the hourglass. We’re not seeing new episodes of The West Wing or The Sopranos. The movie theaters aren’t showing Varsity Blues or The Matrix. The Backstreet Boys are middle-aged men. Martha Stewart did time. Drew Carey lost weight. Craig Kilborn isn’t on TV anymore. Nobody even knows who he is.

Madonna has an AARP card. Jay-Z has turned into Warren Buffett.

Is the clean, virtuous, heroic Lance Armstrong still winning the Tour de France every year? Nope. Something must’ve happened with him.

Bill Clinton is no longer president. Britney Spears is no longer a teenager. The Chicago Cubs no longer think the World Series is for all other teams. People are driving electric cars, drinking cold coffee, eating riced cauliflower, and paying for everything by waving their phones at screens. We go online and yearn to be liked. There’s something called Elon Musk, and it isn’t a men’s cologne.

Bob Dylan made a Christmas album.

I have missed so much, awakened to multitudes of changes. I’m grateful that I still have 80 percent of the century to get used to them.

We’ve finally reached 2020. I hope that means I’ll see change clearly from here out.

I’ll start here: The Rolling Stones are still on tour. Meryl Streep is as awesome as ever. Oprah continues to rule the world.

Good. Some things never change. I need that.

WILMAmag.com

JANUARY 2020

WILMA

49