Topics Related to 50 For 50

Raleigh native Charles R. “Chuck” Davis, who became one of the world’s foremost teachers and choreographers of African dance, passed away in 2017. A distinguished teacher, choreographer, and ambassador for dance, Davis is remembered across North Carolina and the country for his artistry, his contributions to American dance and his ability to use art to promote peace and healing.

David Alan Harvey is a nationally-renowned photographer who splits his time between Nags Head and New York City. Raised in Virginia, Harvey started taking pictures in 1956. Tell It Like It Is, his first book of photographs, was published in 1966, and in 1978, the National Press Photographers Association named him Magazine Photographer of the Year.

David Sedaris moved from Binghamton, NY to Raleigh, NC right before he started the third grade, and one of the first words he learned here was Yankee. Adjusting to life in North Carolina wasn't easy, but David found his place in the arts.  

Helena Price may have photographed a U.S. President, professional athletes, and Silicon Valley CEOs, but her journey to photography began with a disposable camera from a Walmart in North Carolina. In 2009, Helena, a New Bern native, moved to San Francisco with $40 in her pocket after graduating from N.C. State to pursue a public relations job in tech. Her life took a turn in 2013 when she quit a position at a startup to pursue photography full-time.

Chef, author, and television personality Vivian Howard believes the arts matter, especially in rural North Carolina. In a special multimedia interview* for the North Carolina Arts Council's 50th Anniversary, she reflects on her creative voice, why the award-winning docu-series "A Chef's Life," is "television that improves people's lives," and why access to the arts can transform communities. Do you remember the first story you wrote about North Carolina?

Beverly McIver is an acclaimed contemporary visual artist from Greensboro, N.C. She received the Rome Prize Fellowship in 2017, and is currently on sabbatical from her position as the Ebenshade Professor of the Practice in Studio Arts at Duke University. Her relationship with the North Carolina Arts Council spans decades, and began in 1994 when she received the North Carolina Arts Council’s Artist Fellowship.

Back in 1991, Daniel Wallace was struggling to catch a break. None of the novels he'd written during the previous eight years had been published, and his support network was openly questioning the merit of him continuing to pursue writing as a career. 

Shirlette Ammons may currently live and create in Durham, but the musician, poet, and producer says her childhood in Beautancus, a tiny town in eastern North Carolina, deeply shaped her artistry.

The wait is almost over. On Friday, October 27th Netflix will premiere the second season of Stranger Things, the Spielberg-esque series that took the world by storm in the summer of 2016. Matt and Ross Duffer, the 33-year-old identical twins who created and directed the hit show, are excited and a bit anxious about the impending premiere. 

Creativity is at the heart of the Freelon family. In an intimate conversation, Phil Freelon, best known for leading the design team of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and his son Pierce Freelon, Durham-based hip-hop artist and professor, open up about how the arts define their family. Catch the podcast version of this conversation below.