October SouthPark 2025

SCULPTED CABLE COLLECTION

c o z y n i g h t s s l o w m o r n i n g s g o l d e n h o u r s

M O M E N T S

b a k e d i n t o e v e r y d e t a i l

FROM THE EDITOR

By the time you read this, signs of fall will be everywhere, from the brilliant foliage to pumpkin-spice everything. Here in Charlotte, as much as we’re drawn to the coast in spring and summer, when the seasons change we start feeling a westward tug, toward the North Carolina mountains.

In this issue, we highlight new — and newly reopened trails — in western N.C. (page 114), and contributor Page Leggett shares the story of the NuWray Hotel in downtown Burnsville (page 109). Now under new ownership, the NuWray, built in 1833, is the oldest continuously operating hotel in the state.

Last fall, as the hotel planned to celebrate its grand re-opening, Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the region, and the NuWray became a community hub, feeding neighbors and serving as a base for communications after phone service was knocked out in the storm. The hotel finally held its grand reopening this spring, a little later than anticipated.

“This wasn’t the opening season we pictured,” hotel co-owner Amanda Keith told Page. But she’s proud of the vital role the hotel was able to play when the community needed it most. “I think it’s so poignant that this is now part of the NuWray’s history.”

If you’re heading west this season, our staff shares a few of their favorite spots:

Mercy Clark: Lulu’s Consignment Boutique in Fletcher — they have the most beautiful, high-quality furniture and decor. Whenever I’m in WNC, I try to stop by and always find a hidden gem or two.

Ben Kinney: Bistro Roca in Blowing Rock has a great seasonal menu, and the bar is an awesome place to hang.

Alyssa Kennedy: Oskar Blues Brewery Taproom in Brevard is the perfect spot to grab a beer and a burger after camping or hiking in the Pisgah National Forest.

Jane Rodewald: The Chef’s Table in Waynesville was an unforgettable experience. After a long weekend on the Nantahala River, this was such a treat.

Sharon Smith: Every stop in Blowing Rock includes a few scoops from Kilwins and fudge to take home —and we’ll probably leave with a Christmas ornament from one of the shops on Main Street.

It’s also our annual home design issue! From a yard and patio transformation (page 86) to new offerings from home boutiques (page 26), we hope you find inspiration for your own personal sanctuary from some of Charlotte’s talented designers, artists and entrepreneurs. SP

THIS ISSUE:

1–The new Prairie Castle Playground at Stowe Conservancy (page 34)

2–A color-filled Foxcroft home (page 92)

3–An Eastover patio with a Southern flair (page 86)

4–Tableside polenta pour at Fontana Di Vino (page 40)

5–Bell Park in Saluda (page 114)

CATHY MARTIN

If we can ask for anything, it would be for less, to be freed from the trappings of the modern world, especially its the of time which we would fill with family and friends, long walks to waterfalls, paddles dipped in the lake, and most of all, to be healthier and more observant of our natural world. Our storybook town is flip-flops close, farmers’ markets and concerts on The Village Green are the order of the day. Less takes on a whole new meaning.

28 October

BLVD.

20 | style

Closet crush: Artist Windy O’Connor

26 | shopping

Brighten your space with home décor from Queen City brands.

28 | interiors

Jena Bula’s spacious eat-in kitchen is fit for family.

32 | decor

Interior and landscape designer Lori Shaw offers tips for festive autumn décor.

34 | explore

There’s a whole lot of ‘new’ at the rebranded Stowe Conservancy in Belmont.

38 | arts

Wicked actor Jessie Davidson follows her own yellow brick road.

40 | food + drink

Fontana Di Vino: pinsas, pastas and a passion for all things Italy

46 | cuisine

Recipe: Brandon Staton’s grilled shrimp salad

50 | around town

What’s new and coming soon in the Queen City

54 | happenings

October calendar of events

DEPARTMENTS

61 | art of the state

Ceramic artist Daniel Johnston’s art and life find new meaning.

67 | givers

Swim Across America makes waves in fundraising for cancer research.

71 | givers

My Breast Friend’s Wedding brings women together to support Go Jen Go

75 | bookshelf

October’s new releases

77 | reading roundup

Queen and quill: a spirited reading list for spooky season

81 | simple life

The comforts of October

117 | swirl

Parties, fundraisers and events around Charlotte

120 | in plain view

Aquifer, a sculpture along Little Sugar Creek Greenway, evokes an unseen element of nature.

ABOUT THE COVER:

A Foxcroft home designed by Marie Matthews; photo by Dustin and Susie Peck. Read the story on page 92.

92

FEATURES

86 | A garden for all seasons by Cathy Martin

photographs by Dustin and Susie Peck

Karri Files Paul designs a classic Southern garden with a courtyard feel that flowers year-round.

92 | Color it happy by Andrea Nordstrom Caughey

photographs by Dustin and Susie Peck

Marie Matthews creates a playful home for a young professional with a maximalist style.

100 | Soulful spaces by Cathy Martin

photographs by Brie Williams

A south Charlotte home by House of Nomad has modern, cozy quarters for family and a soft, moody vibe.

TRAVEL

109 | What’s old is ‘Nu’ again by Page Leggett

North Carolina’s oldest hotel — the NuWray — has undergone a stunning renovation.

114 | Trail mix by Michael J. Solender

Just in time for autumn, these new — and newly reopened — western N.C. hiking trails are open for discovery.

This Community’s Bank.

At TowneBank, we build community through partnerships that enhance the quality of life where we live. That’s why we’re honored to sponsor the newly renamed TowneBank Symphony Park, here in the heart of SouthPark. We look forward to experiencing this space with you, where music, culture, and connection can thrive. We’re not just a community bank. We’re this community’s bank.

GAME PLAN

1230 West Morehead St., Suite 308 Charlotte, NC 28208 704-523-6987 southparkmagazine.com

Ben Kinney Publisher publisher@southparkmagazine.com

Cathy Martin Editor cathy@southparkmagazine.com

Sharon Smith Assistant Editor sharon@southparkmagazine.com

Andie Rose Creative Director

Alyssa Kennedy Art Director alyssamagazines@gmail.com

Whitley Adkins Style Editor

Contributing Editors David Mildenberg, Michael J. Solender

Contributing Writers

Michelle Boudin, Andrea Caughey, Jim Dodson, Asha Ellison, Page Leggett, Gayvin Powers, Liza Roberts

Contributing Photographers Daniel Coston, Justin Driscoll, Amy Kolodziej, Dustin and Susie Peck, Tiffany Ringwald, Brie Williams

Contributing Illustrator Gerry O’Neill

ADVERTISING

Jane Rodewald Sales Manager 704-621-9198

jane@southparkmagazine.com

Mercy Clark Marketing Specialist mercy@southparkmagazine.com

Brad Beard Graphic Designer

Letters to the editorial staff: editor@southparkmagazine.com

Instagram: southparkmagazine

Facebook: southparkmagazine

LinkedIn: SouthPark Magazine

Owners

Jack Andrews, Frank Daniels III, David Woronoff in memoriam Frank Daniels Jr. David Woronoff President david@thepilot.com

Published by Old North State Magazines LLC. ©Copyright 2025. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Volume 29, Issue 10

the art of Wonder

At Kiawah Island Golf Resort, the holiday season is more than a time of year. It’s unforgettable experiences, decadent dining and spirited celebrations that bring joy to every generation. Where Lowcountry landscapes glow softly under a shimmering veil of light and carols fill the air. Where Santa arrives with grandeur and wishes come true, with a stunning ocean view.

blvd.

people, places, things

FESTIVE FALL FUN

The Phillips Place Fall Market & Shopping Stroll (Oct. 4, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.) marks the seasonal debut of the center’s pumpkin patch, selling pumpkins, honeys and jams, and other autumn treats from Cox Brothers Acres. The pumpkin patch in the central courtyard will be open daily Oct. 3-11. Local artist Meliya Loosle will be on-site Oct. 1011 for custom live-portrait illustrations; Gathered Grace Floral Cart also pops up Saturday, Oct. 11. Learn more at phillipsplacecharlotte.com. SP

CLOSET CRUSH: WINDY

O’CONNOR

by Whitley Adkins | photographs by Amy Kolo

Perhaps best known for her abstract portraits of women she calls “Chicas,” Charlotte artist Windy O’Connor was drawn to the creative arts at an early age.

“When I started taking art classes, my brain and my soul lit on fire,” says O’Connor, who studied interior design and minored in business and theater design at East Carolina University. “I’ve always been creative since I was a tiny child.”

The Fayetteville native moved to the Queen City 34 years ago with her husband, Blake, who worked in banking. In Charlotte, her passion for art and design exploded into an entire lifestyle brand which includes textiles, wallpaper, clothing and home accessories.

Aside from her art career, anyone who knows O’Connor personally or follows her on Instagram recognizes her equally innate, if not trendsetting, proclivity for fashion and style.

We visited Windy at her home — the carriage house of the 1927 Morrocroft Estate in SouthPark — for a peek inside her aesthetically-pleasing-at-every-corner home and en-suite closet.

Comments have been edited for length and clarity.

PERSONAL STYLE

When did you start liking fashion? I don’t remember ever not liking fashion. I have pictures of me around age 4 at Christmas, and the look on my face as I’m putting on my little white leather gloves said it all — it was love at first sight. I remember caring about my bobby socks and Mary Jane shoes going to church when I was 3. How do you describe your personal style? Classic, creative, humorous. There’s always some unexpected twist or element. I’ll take one thing and wear it 20 different ways.

How has your style evolved over time? As we grow and age, how we dress our bodies and our lifestyles change. So I probably have more black in my wardrobe than ever before, because I love to travel and it is the easiest way to pack for a trip. I would never say I’m a minimalist. If I’m doing neutral colors, I’m still a maximalist. Your followers are really into your personal style — I feel like your Instagram has become a part of your brand. It has allowed me to connect with people all over the world — it has been so much fun. I would wear my normal clothes (not just my overalls painting), and people would ask about my outfit. One time someone asked about my shoes — I wasn’t wearing any.

Is there overlap with your fashion sense and interior-design style? Yes, color in my wardrobe, in my home. Color makes you happy. It influences your emotions and energy, attitude — all those things. How does what you paint and design translate into what you wear? I’ll use elements of something I see in fashion design in a painting, or even a certain vibe. I just finished an art piece that is so similar to a pair of pants I have, and I never thought about it until just now.

Do you have a formula for getting dressed? Lord no! If only. I like experimenting in my closet. It’s like mixing paint.

You’re doing this really cool athleisure thing. Tell us more. I will say, I’ve seen elements of that out and about, little murmurings of sportswear as fashion — people wearing bathing suits, board shorts or surf pants with a sequin top or something dressy.

Discover Specialty Shops SouthPark, a beautiful outdoor shopping and dining destination with a curated blend of more than a dozen exclusive boutiques; national, regional, and local brands; luxury services; and first-class restaurants.

Enjoy shopping at our selection of fashion boutiques and home décor retailers, then relax and unwind with al fresco dining at any of our acclaimed restaurants. Treat yourself to a memorable shopping experience at Specialty Shops SouthPark.

BrickTop’s | Paco’s Tacos & Tequila | Renaissance Patisserie | Toscana Ristorante Italiano Amina Rubinacci | Anthony Vince’ Nail Spa | Bedside Manor | Drybar | Elizabeth Bruns, Inc. Jewelers Ivy & Leo | Scout & Molly’s Boutique | Studio Fire | Thrive | Williams-Sonoma

LAKE is Now Open! | Coming Soon - Ann Mashburn & Sid Mashburn

THIS OR THAT

Natural or synthetic: Natural fibers, always

Solids or patterns: Both

Long sleeves or second layer: I’ll do a long-sleeved oxford, but I’m a layerer.

Spring/summer or winter/fall: So hard, but I love spring/summer.

Heels or flats: Block heels

Wardrobe staple or statement piece: Statement piece, obviously

Sunglasses or purse: Sunglasses

Pop of color or monochrome: Depends on the day

Silver or gold: A mix

SHOPPING + STYLE ICONS

Style icons: Blanca Miro Scrimieri, Vicky Montanari, Laurel Pantin, Leandra Medine Cohen, Sarah Corbett-Winder.

Favorite designers: The Olsen twins and The Row, Khaite, Celine, Rosie Assoulin, Kallmeyer (pants), Patou, Dior, Doen, La Veste, Jamie Haller (pants, denim, loafers), Loulou Studio, CO, Miu Miu, Loewe, Dries Van Noten, vintage and current Prada, vintage Chanel, DONNI, Flore Flore (tanks, tops), By Malene Birger, Tibi, Bode and Savas — my favorite custom suede jacket is by this glorious designer!

Favorite places to shop: Mytheresa, Net-A-Porter, The RealReal. Etsy like nobody’s business. Five One Five in Charlotte.

Favorite occasion to dress: I like when I get the opportunity to go the extra mile. I like getting dressed for dinner.

THE CLOSET

Your closet is the definition of minimalist chic. Can you elaborate on the design? When we purchased this house, I did some design work myself. During Covid, Emily Bourgeois redesigned my bathroom [and dressing area]. She is so good at what she does. The design suits this home. It really honors the house, and that’s what we wanted.

Favorite wardrobe item: A vintage leather motorcycle jacket I got in Provence. We went to this little market, and this woman had them laying on the sidewalk. It looks like it was a custom, real motorcycle jacket. It gives me all of the ’90s vibes.

Advice for creating an enjoyable dressing room: Make it work for you. It’s your private space, and it needs to function in a way that helps you get ready and out the door with the least amount of stress. I love all the showy closets — whatever makes you happy, that is fabulous — but I would constantly be worried about making a mess. You have to make a mess to get dressed. [Getting dressed is] a sport for me, and for a lot of people. SP

HEATHER

JENNIFER

JOHANA

MARY

PAIGE MOODY

LINDSEY

JANE

SOMETHING NEW

Shop local: Brighten your space this fall with the latest home accessories from Queen City brands.

Add some polish to your powder room or primary bath with Modern Matter Hardware’s new wall-mounted bathroom accessories, including towel bars and robe hooks. The hardware is available in a range of finishes from burnished brass to polished nickel; some pieces can be customized with backplates and colored gemstones. modern-matter.com

Bring a bold pop of color to any room with lacquered lampshades from Dressing Rooms Interiors. Interior designer Ariene Bethea sells her curated selection of pillows, artwork and accessories at Slate Interiors.

“Hand-lacquered in bold, story-driven colors, DRIS shades bring a high-gloss finish and soulful edge to any lamp,” Bethea says. Shades by DRIS are available in three sizes and are priced from $175-230. Slate Interiors is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at 2025 Thrift Road, Unit 100. Shop DRIS online at dressingroomsinteriorsstudio.com.

Interior designer Ashley DeLapp opened Belle, a home-décor boutique in a renovated Myers Park cottage that also houses her design studio. Peruse colorful rugs and pillows, cocktail glasses and serving pieces, funky candles and lighting, design books and wall art, along with the Parrish DeLapp line of fabric and wallcoverings. “Anyone that’s met me always comments on my Southern accent and asks where I’m from,” DeLapp says. “I’m a Southern belle, and that name just seemed to fit me to a tee. Everything in the store is colorful and bright, and it is definitely my happy place.” Belle is open ThursdaySaturday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and Monday-Wednesday by appointment only. Or, shop online at bellebyashleydelapp. com. 119 Brandywine Road, Suite A SP

DESIGNER AT HOME

FAMILY STYLE

Jena Bula designs a spacious eat-in kitchen to stand the test of time — and the wear and tear of her busy family of four. by Cathy Martin | photographs by Tiffany Ringwald

Interior designer Jena Bula and her husband found their “forever” home in summer 2022. The south Charlotte house was perfect for their family of four, but the kitchen, with its greige stock cabinets and busy granite countertops, left much to be desired.

With two young children and a dog, Bula, who is founder and principal designer at Delphinium Design, envisioned a large, eat-in kitchen. But a load-bearing wall separating the kitchen from a formal dining room made the space feel small and enclosed.

To open up the space, Bula took out the wall, installing a steel ceiling beam along with new footings in the crawl space to support the additional load. A dry bar, closet and pantry were also removed to make space for a wine fridge, microwave-convection oven, secondary dishwasher and more personalized storage.

Bula searched for months for the perfect stone slabs; the quartzite countertops and backsplash were fabricated by Universal Stone. The paneled fridge is from Sub-Zero. Other appliances, including the induction cooktop, are by Monogram. The kitchen faucet and instant-hot water dispenser are by Brizo. Roman shades, in a striped fabric by Kravet, were custom-made by a local workshop.

The main construction took just four months to complete. “I designed the kitchen to be a mix of traditional and modern — clean lines and sleek plumbing with more traditional elements like the three-piece crown that ties back to the rest of my home and natural stone, quartzite countertops,” Bula says.

In the dining area, a custom 60-inch round table made by Kauffman & Co. expands to a large oval that can seat 12. Bula shared an image of an antique table that she liked, and the Charlotte craft furniture-maker brought her vision to life. Periwinkle blue chairs by Serena & Lily bring a pop of color, and a reeded buffet provides ample storage and helps tame the clutter of a busy family.

“With two young kids and a dog, anything I can do to lessen the mess is key,” the designer says.

But for Bula, having small children doesn’t mean having to buy throwaway furniture.

“Although I have a young, busy family, I feel that investing in quality pieces and craftmanship that will stand the test of time — and sticky fingers — make living in your home that much more enjoyable.” SP

A custom kitchen table by Kauffman & Co. can be extended to comfortably seat 12. The diptych is by Dallas artist Taelor Fisher. The rattan-wrapped light fixture brings in a natural element, tying the space to the kitchen pendants over the island.

KELLY

NICOLE HALL TRACY BROWN

CARA SHIELDS

MILLER BASKERVILLE TEAM

THERESA KISTLER KRISTIN TRAPP

MOLLY BACCICH

ANNE CARROLL MASCAVAGE

THE TUCK TEAM

ADAMS TEDEN TEAM J.C. BEESE

ADRIENNE PRIEST

KELLY BLANDFORD

MELISSA BROWN

ALL THE FALL FEELS

Interior and landscape designer Lori Shaw offers tips for festive autumn décor.

Friends Lori Shaw and Jenn Dolan got the idea for Picture Perfect Porches after Dolan saw an article about a pumpkin-decorating business in Texas. When she decided to launch a similar business in Charlotte, Dolan reached out to Shaw, a fellow middle-school mom, to join her as a business partner.

“With my background in interior design, and Jennifer’s in real estate and event planning, we jumped right in,” says Shaw. The partners began drawing up a business plan and reaching out to wholesale pumpkin producers in fall 2024. They officially launched their business in August, creating festive porchscapes with pumpkins, gourds, hay bales and mums sourced from regional growers. Deliveries started in late September and will continue through Oct. 15.

Packages available at pictureperfectporches.com range from $375 to $1,200 and include delivery and setup. For an extra fee, pumpkins will be removed at the end of the season and returned to local farms for use as compost or animal feed. Below, Shaw shares a few tips for creating a festive, cozy feel inside and out this season.

— Cathy Martin

1. Make it warm and cozy. Out with lightweight and lightcolored throws, and in with heavier blankets and pillows; think cable knits, plaids and velvets.

2. Light it up. Longer days are behind us, which is a great excuse to set out all the candles! I love implementing a variety of sizes of flameless, battery-operated pillar candles on timers.

3. Bring the outside in. Natural elements add warmth to any space; that’s true regardless of the season. Fall is a perfect time to incorporate items like tall branches in a vase, wood bowls and vessels on coffee tables and bookshelves, small evergreen potted plants, or wood-slice chargers on your dining table.

4. Keep it casual. If spring is a time for new growth, fall is a time to slow down and rest. A more casual look feels right — picture fallen leaves, worn boots and chunky sweaters. Now apply this same mindset to your décor. It’s more antique copper pot than fine china, more greenery in a rustic jar than flowers in a vase.

5. Don’t overthink it. When selecting your fall color palette, just picture beloved seasonal items and activities — dark reds (apple-picking), yellows and browns (falling leaves) and deep oranges and forest greens (pumpkins and gourds, of course!). SP

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A GLOW-UP FOR STOWE

There’s a whole lot of ‘new’ at the rebranded Stowe Conservancy in Belmont.

by Michelle Boudin

When John Searby moved to the Charlotte area nearly a decade ago, he chose a home just a mile and a half away from Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. The outdoors-lover knew his family would be regulars at the Belmont attraction.

“Our whole family enjoys being outside, and from the moment I stepped on the property in 2016 I thought, Man, the potential this place has is amazing.”

He was right. In 2023, Searby was named the executive director at what’s now called Daniel Stowe Conservancy. The nonprofit’s rebranding earlier this year was an effort to remind people that the 380 acres of conserved property — located about 20 miles from uptown Charlotte — is home to more than just gardens.

“We have 3 1/2 miles of Lake Wylie shoreline, the largest undeveloped piece of waterfront on the lake,” Searby says. “And yes, we have beautiful, world-class botanical gardens, but we have so much more. That word, ‘conservancy,’ is just a much bigger, broader, more inclusive word.”

MORE REASONS TO VISIT

In addition to the Williamson Conservatory, an 8,000-square-foot glass-walled structure housing orchids and tropical plants, there are more than 90 acres of gardens, 8 miles of hiking trails, a dog park, café, gift shop and more. The organization has invested $2.5 million in improvements and new additions in just the last year.

“We have a Trailhead Store, where you can grab coffee, beer, wine, a salad, a sandwich or a wrap, either before or after you hit those trails,” Searby says. “We have two beautiful ponds, one of which has a fishing pier [where you can fish] without a license. We’ve got a Farmhouse Garden Center, which is a great place to buy gifts and garden tools and anything you might need.”

These new amenities are part of the Village at Stowe, near Stowe’s entrance on South New Hope Road.

“That’s the part that people are just now starting to discover,” says Searby. One of the newest additions is a massive children’s play area that opened in late August. Building on

the Lost Hollow Children’s Garden, Stowe added a kids’ adventure trail with five themed outdoor “rooms” for exploring creeks and animal habitats.

“When they get done with the adventure trail, they come out and see the new Prairie Castle Playground, which is this beautiful all-wood, three-story, castle-themed playground that is rising up out of our Piedmont Prairie.”

PRESERVATION & POPULAR EVENTS

The original gardens and a visitor pavilion opened in 1999 on land set aside by retired textile executive Daniel J. Stowe to protect it from urban sprawl. Through the years, the attraction has hosted blockbuster events such as a popular Chinese Lantern Festival and Grandiflora: Gamrath Glass in the Garden, an installation of 40 glass sculptures by Seattle-based artist Jason Gamrath in 2019.

More than 135,000 people visited Stowe in 2024, but attendance is already up 15-20% this year, according to Searby. That number

FALL AT STOWE

“Spook-easy” nights at Big Leaf Cafe dates vary

This Halloween-themed speakeasy takes place on select nights with fall drinks and themed activities.

Scarecrow Hollow through Oct. 31

Each fall, the Lost Hollow Children’s Garden is adorned with clever scarecrows created by community members.

Jeepers Creepers 5K and 10K

Oct. 4

Costumed participants take to the trails in this second annual race.

Bootanical + Classic Car Trunk or Treat

Oct. 19

The day begins with a Cars + Coffee classic car meetup that’s also a trunk-or-treat for the kids, followed by Halloween fun in the gardens.

Wines Around the World

Oct. 24

Tasting stations with wines from around the world are paired with light bites in the Gardens at Stowe. For more information and event updates, visit danielstoweconservancy.org

includes trail-race and educational-program participants, shoppers at the Trailhead Store, and guests attending the dozens of weddings Stowe hosts each year. More than 24,000 people attended the annual holiday lights display, according to the conservancy’s annual report.

Searby also gets excited when talking about some of the preservation work at Stowe over the last few years.

“We’re doing a massive restoration to try to return the Piedmont Prairie [section of the garden] to what it would have originally looked like before settlers arrived here. Most people don’t realize that it looks a lot like savannahs and grasslands that we think of as being in the western United States.” Started three years ago, the project will take six to seven years to complete.

“I kind of pinch myself sometimes when I walk out of my office and I look out and I see these beautiful gardens,” says Searby. “If people haven’t been here in a few years, they really need to come out, because the impacts have been tremendous. I can’t tell you how often I hear, ‘Oh, I haven’t been out here in a while. This is incredible!’” SP

THE WICKED TRUTH

As the hit musical returns to Belk Theater, actor Jessie Davidson follows her own yellow brick road.

by Gayvin Powers

Being green isn’t easy, but it’s a journey worth taking. Just ask Jessie Davidson, who plays Elphaba in the national tour of Wicked, which is playing at Blumenthal Arts’ Belk Theater through Oct. 26. Audiences have flocked to the Tony Award-winning production, delighting in the brave, misunderstood lead character, Elphaba, ever since Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, was adapted into a musical in 2003.

Maguire’s book reimagines the story and characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, enhancing the themes of love, friendship, loyalty, intelligence and courage. For anyone who has ever felt out of place or different, Elphaba speaks to the parts in all of us that yearn to be heard and seen.

For two decades, Davidson looked up to the legendary Idina Menzel, the first Elphaba who graced the stage. She’s now following in Menzel’s footsteps.

“I fell in love with Wicked as a 9-10-year-old, and now I get to give that to other kids,” says Davidson, who recently starred as Vivian Ward in the touring production of Pretty Woman: The Musical. “Now I get to meet them at the stage door. Many times they tell me this is the first time they’ve seen a show, and it’s like the planting of a seed, or a dream.”

From a young girl to a theatrical performer who embodies

Elphaba’s green complexion each night, Davidson has become even more enamored with the character now that she plays her onstage.

AN ICON REIMAGINED

How did the Wicked Witch of the West, Baum’s original villain, turn into a vulnerable hero who has drawn crowds for more than two decades? It started with Maguire’s personal plight of feeling like an outsider, which inspired him to reimagine the iconic character as someone who is misunderstood.

“From the beginning of the show, Elphaba can’t help but stand up for what she believes in,” Davidson says. “Throughout the show, she learns how to harness her power, to use it for good, make lasting change and build real relationships.”

The character’s name, Elphaba, stems from the initials “LFB” — Lyman Frank Baum. “[Elphaba’s last name] Thropp is the sound that a house makes when it falls on your sister,” the author said on the Today show in March 2024.

Elphaba’s evolution as a character resonates with audiences, tapping into the human need to be connected, included and seen. The beauty lies in her transformation.

“She’s like an onion,” Davidson says. “At the beginning of the show, she is so guarded and so hurt. You watch her heal and teach others how to heal.” Throughout this process, “She creates lasting

Jessie Davidson as Elphaba in Wicked

friendships and figures out what it means to be a woman.” This metamorphosis has influenced Davidson as well.

“As I’m going through this journey with her, I’m learning so much about myself … She’s just goodness from start to finish.”

GETTING INTO CHARACTER

When makeup artist Tish Ferguson begins “painting” Davidson green before each show, the bewitching process begins.

“It feels like I’m a house that’s being painted,” Davidson says. “It’s like broad strokes with big brushes.” The change starts on the outside, then continues as the actor begins to embody the character internally, too.

“I see myself so differently when I’m green,” Davidson continues. “That impact is something that I didn’t understand until I felt it. I looked down at my hands, and they were different. Everywhere in my peripheral vision was a hint of green. There is a constant reminder throughout the show of what is going on for this person.”

Once Davidson is covered up with the last makeup application, Elphaba breathes life, ready to enchant the audience.

TRUTH ONSTAGE

When guests come to a performance of Wicked, many have already read the book, watched the movie or seen the musical. Their views of Elphaba are subjective. Davidson says that inherent expectation is her biggest challenge in taking on the role.

“She means so much to so many people.” Because of that, “I want to give people me in the role, authentically. If I try to be something that I’m not, or a version that people love, it’s inauthentic.”

Davidson recalls a fond moment with Lisa Leguillou, associate

director of Wicked, that made a lasting impression.

“She said, ‘Whenever you start losing your footing, just get back on stage, listen and tell the truth.’ And this cast is very good at being truthful onstage. There is a real depth to the work that comes organically.”

STARTING TOGETHER

Playing Elphaba is no small task — it takes a village. Or in this case, it takes Shiz University, the fictional college in the story.

“The biggest reward is the people I go to work with every day: my Glinda, my Fiyero, my Nessa, my Boq, my Dillamond, my Morrible, my wizard, the entire ensemble, the people working backstage and the band,” says Davidson. “Everyone makes this place run and also leads with love. That’s really what it’s all about.”

Part of that synergy might stem from the fact that, for only the second time, the production started fresh with an entirely new principal cast. In the past, when contracts ended, a new actor or actors would be added into an existing show.

“This is a real gift that we were given,” Davidson says. “We’ve had the benefit of starting together. That’s helped build our chemistry.”

From the breathtaking set design to the iconic music, Wicked is magic from beginning to end. For Davidson, performing onstage as Elphaba is a childhood dream come true. “I feel like this is a role that paved the path forward for me since I was young. Every day feels like a celebration.” SP

Embrace your inner Elphaba and join Davidson alongside Zoe Jensen as Glinda as they enchant Belk Theater Sept. 24-Oct. 26, celebrating what it means to be green. Tickets to Wicked start at $46.58.

FIRST LOOK:

FONTANA DI VINO

Pinsas, pastas and a passion for all things Italy in SouthPark. by Cathy Martin | photographs by Justin Driscoll

Opening Fontana Di Vino was a sort of “rebirth” for Scott Leibfried, the chef and culinary consultant perhaps best-known as a sous chef on the first 10 seasons of the reality-TV series “Hell’s Kitchen.”

In 2012, the New York native teamed with musician Mick Fleetwood to open Fleetwood’s on Front Street in Maui. The restaurant was lost in the devastating 2023 wildfires that spread across the island. While Leibfried kept busy in recent years with product development and consulting projects with major brands like Formula 1 Grand Prix, Soho House and Marriott, the Italian spot at Sharon Square is his first restaurant venture in close to a decade.

Leibfried and business partner Robert Maynard quietly opened Fontana in May, seeking to create a casual, neighborhood space for folks to share a pizza and a bottle of wine or enjoy a salad and a bowl of pasta. The restaurant is located in the space that previously housed Dogwood Southern Table and the short-lived Fox & Falcon by David Burke.

Pumpkin ravioli

Chef Scott Leibfried

The soft opening allowed time for the team to gather feedback on the menu and make adjustments, the partners say.

“We try to walk the line between doing what we set out to do as best we can but also listening to feedback in the community,” Leibfried says. Menu highlights include shareable dishes like mussels and meatballs, along with housemade pastas like pumpkin ravioli and a cacio e pepe tartufo with shaved Molise black truffles.

Then there are the Roman-style pinsas, with toppings like mortadella, provolone, stracciatella and pistachios; roasted mushrooms, spinach, ricotta and mozzarella; or a simple caprese with roasted cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. The crispy, light and airy crust is thanks to a combination of wheat, soy and rice flour, making the dough less filling than traditional pizzas.

Steaks are USDA prime, and chops (porchetta and veal) are carved tableside. Another unique tableside dish is the polenta pour, a shareable board of Parmesan polenta topped with roasted mushrooms, rapini, meatballs and garlic spinach.

Recent additions include a chicken Parm with rigatoni and a grown-up riff on SpaghettiOs, topped with stracciatella.

Unsurprisingly, Italy is well-represented on the wine list, which provides user-friendly descriptions highlighting regions and varietals. There are plenty of California selections, too, for the less adventurous.

Fontana isn’t your typical “red-sauce” Italian restaurant, Leibfried notes (though the rich and hearty rigatoni sugo, with pork slow-cooked in red wine and marinara, is nothing to shy away from). Tables are topped with butcher paper, the music is upbeat, and servers wear jeans and henleys for a friendly, informal vibe.

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CAY CRAIG

BECKY MCGRATH TEAM

LEIGH C. CORSO

CAY CRAIG

BUTLER JOHNSON TEAM

JOHN OGBURN

KATHRYN PEARSON

CHRISTIE HANSEN

THE HUNEYCUTT TEAM

CHIP JETTON

HEATHER MONTGOMERY

MELISSA BRANNAN

KALIE KOIVISTO

LINDA HENLEY

LINDSAY REDFERN

CINDI HASTINGS TEAM

TREY SULLIVAN

LISA WARREN

HEATHER WOLKING

The partners kept Fox & Falcon updates like white-washed brick columns and wood beams that brightened the previously dim dining room. They made the space their own with new framed art, murals and design details like a daring red-velvet wallpaper.

Leibfried met Maynard, co-founder of the Famous Toastery breakfast chain, years ago at a fast-casual restaurant Leibfried co-owned near Maynard’s New York City home. They soon discovered they had mutual connections and stayed in touch through the years.

Maynard eventually moved to Davidson, where a second location of Fontana Di Vino is slated to open this month. Leibfried still calls southern California home, but he’s in Charlotte regularly to continue fine-tuning the concept.

His passion for Italian cuisine stems from extensive travel to Italy, including a particularly memorable trip two years ago to Amalfi and Puglia. “I’m very much in love with the Italian culture and day-to-day life. It’s really something special.” SP

Fontana Di Vino is located at 4905 Ashley Park Lane. fontanadivino.co

A tableside polenta pour Chocolate caramel tart

VIRGINIA SOUL

the kitchen. The Supperland sous chef has been doing it since he was 12. It’s a trait he owes, in part, to his father.

“My dad switched things up a lot,” Staton says, reflecting on his formative years in the kitchen. “And when my mom would go to work and leave food for me to cook, I’d say, ‘Ok, I’ve got to make this spaghetti last all week.’ Then, I’d add pepperoni to it and top it with cheese,” he laughs. “I don’t recommend doing that.”

Staton, who loved watching cooking shows, began to notice more diversity in the chefs represented on television. He realized the opportunity to become a chef was more than a possibility: It was his purpose.

“Once I saw people like Aaron McCargo Jr., Roy Choi and the Neelys [on screen], I started to take the idea of being a chef

The Asbury at the Dunhill Hotel, Haymaker, Dogwood Southern Table, and Leah & Louise and Uptown Yolk under James Beard Award-nominated chef Greg Collier.

Staton also learned to appreciate his roots.

“I never cooked like where I’m from ever in my career,” Staton says emphatically. “Not until I met Oscar and Coop.”

Oscar Johnson and Daryl Cooper, the James Beard Awardnominated chefs of Jimmy Pearls and natives of Virginia’s Hampton Roads region, inspired Staton to fold a little “Virginia soul” into his cooking.

“To this day, I incorporate elements of Virginia in the dishes I create, like adding shrimp or other types of seafood,” he says, “but it’s not the only way I cook.”

GRILLED SHRIMP SALAD

WITH PUFFED RICE CRACKERS AND HERBS

Serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

Marinated grilled shrimp (recipe below)

Salad dressing (recipe below)

Rice cracker (recipe below)

Cilantro, to taste

15 basil or Thai basil leaves

2 bulbs of scallion greens

1/2 head romaine lettuce, thinly cut

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 English cucumber, medium diced

GRILLED SHRIMP

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds shell-on shrimp (preferably large)

FOR THE MARINADE:

1/2 bunch cilantro with stems

12 Thai basil or basil leaves

6 scallions, whole

6 cloves garlic, smashed

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 habanero pepper

1 cup brown sugar

2 star anise pods

3 tablespoons salt

1 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed

Zest of 2 limes

Juice of 2 limes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Clean and peel the shrimp. Save the shrimp shells and set them aside.

2. In a pan, toast the habanero pepper, star anise and scallions until they’re a little brown.

3. In a blender, combine the toasted items with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.

4. Pour the marinade over the shrimp, reserving 1/2 cup, and let marinate for 4-8 hours, depending on the size of the shrimp. Smaller shrimp will require less time.

5. After the shrimp has marinated, fire up your preferred grilling method (i.e., charcoal, gas, wood). Once the grill is hot, place the

shrimp on the grill and cook until you see grill marks. Depending on the size of shrimp, this will take 1-2 minutes per side.

SALAD DRESSING

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup reserved shrimp marinade

Juice of 2 limes

Zest of 1 lime

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Toast the sesame seeds on low to medium heat until fragrant. Then, combine all ingredients in a mediumsized bowl and mix together.

RICE CRACKERS

INGREDIENTS:

1 pack rice-paper wrappers

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon sugar

4 cups frying oil (canola or vegetable)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Thoroughly mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Staton hopes his dishes carry diners and home cooks beyond the sea. He wants them to experience umami, a Japanese term that describes deep, savory, mouthfilling flavor.

“This dish speaks to the tastebuds and everything I like,” he says, referring to his grilled shrimp salad with puffed rice crackers and herbs. “It’s sweet, sour, salty, spicy, charred and smoky. Every flavor note you could think of is found in this dish.”

2. Pour cooking oil into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to 350 degrees. While oil is heating, break rice-paper wrappers into pieces that resemble tortilla chips. Do not make them too small.

3. When oil is hot, drop in 2 to 3 pieces at a time for 1 to 2 minutes, until they puff up.

4. Remove puffed rice paper from the oil and drain excess oil. Season evenly with seasoning mix.

Staton originally created the dish as an efficient menu item during a series of popups he hosted at Lorem Ipsum listening bar in Plaza Midwood.

The best part?

“Anybody can make it and it’s easy to adjust,” he says.

“It may look like a lot of ingredients but, at the end of the day, it’s a very easy dish to accomplish.” SP

explore

Golf-entertainment complex Tap In opened at 225 Clanton Road in LoSo. The 10,000-square-foot space has a sports bar, golf simulators, and a 500-square-foot putting green. Reservations can be made at playtapin.com.  CAMP opened at SouthPark Mall. Part kids’ activity space, part retail store, CAMP offers themed experiences with a 3,000-square-foot “Canteen” selling toys, clothing, accessories and more. The store debuts with Gabby’s Dollhouse x CAMP, an immersive play experience where guests can dance, mix potions, and take a magical rainbow slide into an underwater world.

eat + drink

Mimosa Grill and Resident Culture Brewing opened the Plaza Beer Garden at 325 S. Tryon St. in uptown. A limited food menu from Mimosa includes brats, Bavarian pretzels, Horace’s Nashville hot chicken wings and wines by the glass. RC will offer eight beers on tap. The beer garden is open Thursday-Friday 4-9 p.m., Saturday noon-6 p.m. and Sunday noon-4 p.m., weather permitting.  French restaurant Coquette will relocate to the former Essex Bar & Bistro space at uptown’s One South in early 2026.  The Improper Pig will open a new flagship location in Plaza Midwood, in the former Pizza Peel on Central Avenue. As part of a brand refresh, the barbecue chain will also debut new vegetarian and Asian-inspired menu items.  Orrman’s Cheese Shop will open a second location at the Selwyn Shops in Myers Park in spring 2026.  NYC’s Van Leeuwen Ice Cream opened its first Charlotte scoop shop in Plaza Midwood at 1711 Commonwealth Ave. Flavors include Mango Sticky Rice, Sicilian Pistachio, Earl Grey Tea and Praline Butter Cake. Sundaes, milkshakes, ice cream sandwiches and floats round out the menu. The shop is open daily.

shout-outs

Cat Carter, co-owner of L’Ostrica, was selected as one of 21 members of the James Beard Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership fall cohort. The 11-week program is aimed at ensuring the success of women-owned businesses and fostering a network of U.S. female entrepreneurs.  Tennis great Martina Navratilova joined Carolina Ascent FC as a minority owner. The women’s professional soccer team opened its second season in September.

Coquette

Orrman’s Cheese Shop

KEEPING ITS COOL

Familiar flavors and a funky good time at Soul Gastrolounge

Three years after closing its wildly popular Plaza Midwood location, Soul Gastrolounge has reopened, this time at The Pass in NoDa.

If the space looks familiar, it’s intentional. Designer Scott Weaver incorporated Soul’s original booths, artwork by Duy Huynh, even the taxidermy peacock, which is mounted over a booth near the entrance.

“We’re trying to make it as much like the old place as possible,” co-owner Andy Kastanas said ahead of the opening. “A lot of the original menu is coming back. I think people love their favorites, so we’re going to keep them on there.”

That means those beloved Asian-glazed pork-belly tacos are back, along with lamb lollipops, sashimi tuna tacos and “Dirty South” nachos — fried chicken skins with pimento cheese

fondue and jalapeno pickled okra. There are sushi rolls and sandwiches, and craft cocktails like the popular Saguaro, Soul’s take on a margarita with tequila, strawberry agave, green pepper and lime juice.

With seating for up to 221, the space is more than double the size of Soul’s previous location, which opened in 2009. There’s a small patio that seats 30. Unlike the old Soul, which was notoriously hard to get in, the new restaurant takes reservations via Tock. Some tables remain open for walk-ins.

Soul is open seven days a week, with a local DJ spinning nightly. Still to come: Weekend brunch, along with Tattoo Liquor Lounge, an intimate, late-night listening room with vintage audiophile equipment and vinyl from Andy’s personal collection.

— Cathy Martin

Soul Gastrolounge is located at 4110 Raleigh St. soulgastrolounge.com SP

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October HAPPENINGS

For more events, including blockbuster museum shows and concerts like Stevie Nicks and Renee Rapp, view our Fall Arts Preview online at southparkmagazine.com.

Art of Devotion: The Santos de Palo Tradition of Puerto Rico

Through July 5, 2026

The 300-year-old folk art tradition started by rural farmers evolved into an expression of Puerto Rican pride and identity. Nearly 200 objects created in the Santos de Palo tradition are on view at Mint Museum Randolph.

sCarolina Classic Halloween Movie Series

various dates

Perfect for spooky season, Carolina Theatre in uptown brings back the classics, from 1931’s Dracula and Frankenstein to the slasher hit Halloween

Mecktoberfest

Oct. 3-5, 10-12

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery claims Charlotte’s original Oktoberfest and keeps the tradition going with its special brew and celebratory weekends through October at OMB Ballantyne.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: The Search for Life in the Universe

Oct. 7

The astrophysicist, author and science communicator entertains and enlightens as he explores cosmic questions and scientific discoveries. Ovens Auditorium.

Second Saturdays Market

Oct. 11 | 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

This series presented by Shop Local QC pops up monthly this fall on the lawn next to Legion Brewing, with 20+ small shops and makers. The market returns Nov. 8 to close out the season.

Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony

Oct. 17-18

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra presents this symphonic experience of Dolly Parton’s iconic songs with guest vocalists and Dolly’s storytelling on screen. Knight Theater.

Tedeschi Trucks Band

Oct. 18

The blues-rock band is joined by Little Feat at PNC Music Pavilion.

Carolina BBQ Festival Pig Pickin’

Oct. 19 | noon-4 p.m.

Mac’s Speed Shop on South Boulevard

Tedeschi Trucks Band

hosts this event celebrating the heritage of whole-hog barbecue, with additional tastings from Midwood Smokehouse (pig wings), Sweet Lew’s BBQ (oysters) and Jon G’s Barbecue (brisket). It’s also a Panthers watch party with a DJ.

The B52s and Devo

Oct. 24

The ‘80s new-wave legends bring their Cosmic De-Evolution Tour to PNC Music Pavilion.

Marcus Anderson at Middle C Jazz

Oct. 25

The Grammy-nominated jazz-fusion saxophonist has performed with legends like Prince and Stevie Wonder. Anderson’s impromptu performance with his tourmates on a delayed flight this summer went viral.

Lainey Wilson: Whirlwind World Tour

Oct. 25

The country mega-star and Grammy Awardwinner brings her setlist to Spectrum Center.

Scan the QR code on your mobile device to stay updated on events at southparkmagazine.com.

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A NEW LOOK FOR FURNISHED

Furnish For Good’s signature fundraising event, Furnished , gets a mission-minded refresh this month. Instead of auctioning fabulous furniture and decor from vignettes styled by top interior designers in Charlotte, this year’s focus leans more into the nonprofit’s goal to provide furnishings that create a sense of home for Charlotte families in need.

The event’s tie to the design community is still strong. Over the last five years, Furnished worked with 45 local interior designers who donated their time, talent — and yes, furnishings — as part of a friendly design competition to support the cause. Many, like Lisa Sherry of Lisa Sherry Interieurs, volunteer regularly. This year, Natalie Papier of Home Ec. will host a “stuff the truck” to drum up donations of furniture and decor.

“It got us to where we are,” Marks says, “Furniture is still our baseline.”

One of Furnished’s most passionate supporters in the design community was Traci Zeller, who passed away unexpectedly in 2024. Traci’s husband, Mike, will continue that support by honoring her memory at the event.

Development director Meredth Marks says the previous version of Furnished helped the nonprofit achieve exponential growth — it served close to 900 people last year.

Furnishings are just the beginning for their clients, she adds. Every furniture and decor package a client chooses is a step forward in their life transition around housing, employment and stability.

It’s a story that Furnish For Good helps write for families across this city, and it’s the story they will share at Furnished.

— Sharon Smith

Want to get involved? Furnished takes place Oct. 16. Learn more about sponsorships and how to donate at furnishforgood.org. SP

A stroll down centuries-old sidewalks that lead to modern art galleries and shared moments that warm the heart.

Along shaded walkways once graced by history’s footsteps, inspiration still lingers. Here, timeless estates and centuries-old architecture stand alongside galleries alive with contemporary vision. Each turn blends past and present, inviting you to wander, wonder, and discover creativity throughout Winston-Salem’s enduring story.

CTAKING A BREATH

Johnston’s art and life find new meaning.

by Liza Roberts

elebrated Seagrove ceramic artist Daniel Johnston has always asked his work to carry a lot of weight. The clay vessels and pillars and bricks he forms and fires in Randolph County are beautiful; they’re also packed with a powerful purpose that has fueled his ambition for years. His works carry complicated stories about land, especially the place where he makes them and his life there. They’re dense with technical prowess, the multicultural lineage of that learning, and the demonstration of those skills. And they’re conceptual, freighted with ideas, wise to the history of art and its evolutions.

But lately, Johnston has begun making art differently —he’s thinking about it differently. The catalyst has been his marriage to artist Kelsey Wiskirchen and the February birth of his first child, Joseph Elliott Johnston.

“There’s the feeling that I have a greater purpose in life as a father,” he says. “The work, I can see, has had a bit of a breath. In a way, if it had a life of its own, it would thank me for taking the pressure off of it a bit.” If his art no longer needs to prove his human worth, Johnston muses, perhaps it can begin to speak for itself: “It frees my work up to be more mature.”

NEW WORK

At the moment, that new work is destined for a substantial fall installation at the Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He plans to install his pieces there — as many as 50 large pots and several of the wall-hung clay brick assemblages he calls “block paintings” — in a series of rooms he’ll create out of 80-odd discarded wooden walls he salvaged from High Point Furniture Market.

Building environments for his work is not new for Johnston.

“So much work that is impactful and changes people’s lives, it’s all content in context. The architecture of the room, it gives it context, and in a way it removes the pressure from that object. [The installation is] a bit of a Trojan horse, so that the viewer can softly let [the object] in,” he says. “If I can start controlling how you feel, then I’m able to allow you to see my work in the way I want to communicate it.”

Daniel

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Also on display within this context, possibly: previously unseen paintings made not of clay, but of paint on canvas or board.

“This would be the first time I’ve ever exhibited paintings that weren’t three-dimensional,” he says. His constructed wood-walled installation would be a good place to show them, he says, because they’d become part of a larger artistic immersion. “If you go into an installation, you are walking into an installation, you’re not walking into an exhibition of paintings.” Still, he’s not yet ready to commit. “Maybe I won’t exhibit them if I don’t feel they’re strong enough.”

Taking his time is part of his practice. Abstracted, sketch-like paintings of vessel-shaped forms have shown up on his studio walls in recent years, but the paintings he may include in Santa Fe are likely to be inspired by the landscape of New Mexico and the tobacco barns of North Carolina. Some will be painted on land he owns next to Carson National Forest in New Mexico, and some will be painted at home in Seagrove.

“I’m absolutely in love, architecturally, with the tobacco barn,” he says. “It’s just such a brilliant piece of architecture.”

HOMEPLACE

Johnston lives and works in a house and studio he built with his own hands. It reflects his long-held appreciation of the tall, timbered barns traditionally used to cure tobacco. It’s a log cabin the size of two barns put together, with big pots all around it, some sunken in the grass and some on pedestals.

It sits on 10 acres of land he bought at age 16 with money he’d originally saved for a Ford Mustang — land where, at that young age, he built himself a shack to live in, alone, after he dropped out of school. Years later, he felled the trees to build this house and studio.

When I first met Johnston there seven years ago, he was humble as he told his story and surveyed his place. Growing up not far from here in extreme poverty as the child of tenant farmers, “in my mind,” he says, “land was power.” He told himself early on he would make for himself a different kind of fate.

The same could be said of his art.

About 15 years ago, after years of apprenticeship with potters in Thailand and England and with Seagrove’s internationally revered Mark Hewitt, Johnston became a leading American maker of big pots, famous for it. He perfected a technique to turn 100-pound lumps of clay into giant vessels that could hold 40 gallons apiece and made them in huge numbers, a series of 100 pots one time, 50 pots another. The acclaim was exciting, but then became disillusioning. It broke his heart to see them carted away, one by one. It was the groupings, he realized, that held the meaning: “People had to have a piece of it. As soon as they had that jar, it had no context.”

PROVOKING THE MIND

Johnston eschews that kind of work today. Now, he’s not concerned with demonstrating his finesse or with making beautiful objects unless they have conceptual meaning. At the North Carolina Museum of Art in 2019, he sunk 183 individual woodfired ceramic pillars in a permanent installation across the gentle hills of the park landscape to evoke an organic border, fence or outcropping. In 2021 at N.C. State University’s Gregg Museum of Art & Design, he built a massive wire-mesh, house-shaped frame — a temporary building at once empty and full — to hold several giant pots, many irregularly shaped, and some put together like bricks in a foundation. It was a paradox: lonely but inhabited, open but caged, refined but deformed.

“I’ve never thought of myself as a potter, and I don’t really like the title. I want to work with my mind, not my hands,” he says. “Like Duchamp’s Fountain.” He’s referring to a porcelain urinal

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the French conceptual artist Marcel Duchamp exhibited in 1917, considered a seminal moment in 20th-century art. Duchamp rejected what he called “retinal” art, or art designed to please the eye, and wanted his art to provoke the mind instead. “I think about that a lot,” Johnston says. Recently, caring for his newborn son and also for his aging father, who suffers from dementia, has allowed Johnston to spend more time in thought than his typical schedule of constant studio work allows.

“I’ve been working my mind, which is really probably the place that I spent the least time before he was born,” he says. “I can look back now and see that I had filled my time with things that kept me from using that bit of my brain. And so now it’s the opposite of it. I’ve had a huge amount of space to use that part of my brain.” The result, he says, is the kind of artistic evolution that lies beyond the acquisition of skills. “The nice thing is that once you have the security of your skills and your abilities under your belt, there’s always a huge amount of room to improve. But so much of the work is mental and thought at that point. And so I have been working that way.” SP

Liza Roberts is the author of Art of the State: Celebrating the Art of North Carolina, published by UNC Press.

STRONG FOUNDATIONS.

MAKING WAVES

Charlotte-based Swim Across America has raised more than $100 million for cancer research.

by Michelle Boudin

It all started in 1987 with a simple swim across the Long Island Sound and a handful of Olympians looking to give back.

“The concept was, let’s raise money for cancer research by doing charity swims. And having the athletes on board really helped give us momentum,” explains Swim Across America CEO Rob Butcher.

That first swim raised $5,000 and spawned a series of events that now stretch across 27 U.S. communities and have raised more than $100 million. The nonprofit funds cancer research and early-stage clinical trials, some of which have led to major breakthroughs.

Butcher moved Swim Across America’s headquarters to Charlotte in 2015 and launched the first Charlotte swim in 2017, with proceeds supporting Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute. Since then, the Charlotte swims have raised more than $1 million for LCI and Levine Children’s Hospital.

More than 300 swimmers, volunteers and supporters participate in Charlotte’s annual open water swim, which will be held Oct. 5 at Camp Thunderbird at Lake Wylie. It’s one of 24 open water swims held nationwide, along with hundreds of pool swims.

“In every community where we do a swim, all the money raised stays in that community. The model is that a hospital like Levine — or in New York, Memorial Sloan Kettering — they all have inhouse peer review teams. They know who has the best ideas and who doesn’t have funding, and that’s where we come in.”

Butcher says the need for fundraising is bigger now than ever before.

“It’s even more challenging now with the chaos of funding with the National Institutes of Health. Philanthropy is even more important now. The funding was there before, but now organizations like Swim Across America, we are the ones awarding grants. The number of oncologists calling us to ask if we’re going to provide funding — there are more and more every day.”

Butcher first joined Swim Across America because of his own connection to cancer — he lost his mom in 2007.

“When she passed away, the only options available to her were surgery, chemo and radiation. I watched her go through all of that and wanted to do something in my mom’s memory ... Today there are other options available that weren’t available for my mom.”

One of the organization’s greatest areas of impact is immunotherapy, a treatment that uses the body’s own immune system to fight and destroy cancer cells. Swim Across America began giving money to help with immunotherapy research and clinical trials decades ago. Oncologists say these grants played a major role in creating some of the most effective new treatments for cancer patients, including the development of four FDA-approved immunotherapy drugs.

“We helped with Keytruda,” Butcher says. “The researcher that had the idea for genetic testing was presented to us in 2008, and he didn’t have any funding.” Butcher says Swim Across America provided initial funding for the research that led to the cancer drug and continued funding it through the trials phase.

While touting the impact of Swim Across America, Butcher

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says the best part about his work is seeing firsthand how the organization affects individuals and families.

“There’s a lot of personal connection and inspiring personal stories in the work that we do,” Butcher says. “I’m at the finish line with a microphone, so as participants come out of the water, I ask them why was being here important. Some of the answers will rip your heart out because of what cancer did to their family. Others are survivors, and it lifts our spirits up enormously.” SP

Swim Across America’s 2025 Open Water Swim is Oct. 5 at Camp Thunderbird in Lake Wylie. Learn more at swimacrossamerica.org.

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is generously presented in Charlotte by PNC. Individual sponsorship is kindly provided by Kati and Chris Small, and Ann and Michael Tarwater. The Mint Museum is supported, in part, by the City of Charlotte and the North Carolina Arts Council. Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum. This exhibition is curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator, Bata Shoe Museum. IMAGE: Mr. Bailey, Octopus Shoe, 2018. Collection of Mr. Bailey. Image courtesy of Mr. Bailey.

SAY ‘YES’ TO MY BREAST FRIEND’S WEDDING

It’s a night of networking and giving back unlike any other — and yes, wearing a wedding dress is fully appropriate and part of the fun.

by Sharon Smith

When Leslie Ligon first heard about My Breast Friend’s Wedding, she wasn’t so sure the organizers really meant for people to drag out an old wedding or bridesmaid dress.

Now she knows.

They mean it, and she looks forward to dressing up again this year. “You’re having a fun night. You’re walking all around talking to people and looking at these dresses — and you’re doing good,” Ligon says, describing why it’s a can’t-miss event in her book.

The fundraiser was created three years ago to benefit Go Jen Go, a nonprofit which supports local women facing breast cancer. Executive Director Susan Evren says the organization has seen a surge in applications this year, and MBFW is its signature fundraiser to pay for programs and grants.

Some patients use grant money to cover utilities as medical expenses soar. Or it helps buy groceries as mom misses work. Another parent may put it toward Christmas gifts, as cancer-related expenses tighten the family budget.

Every breast cancer story is different. So is every wedding. Especially this one.

There are all the trappings of a typical wedding: cake, favors, a

bouquet toss. But the celebration at My Breast Friend’s Wedding is centered around every woman in the room. She may come as a supportive friend (bridesmaid dresses encouraged), as a loved one, as a breast cancer survivor or thriver. Single or married, it doesn’t matter.

The wedding theme provides an easy opening for conversation, which makes the networking natural and memorable. Event chair

Shawna Dye Culik, who is also COO of The Go Jen Go Foundation, says the idea was born out of wanting to do something different.

“I do a ton of business networking, and they’re all kind of the same, right?” Dye Culik says with a nod. “We wanted to create something that women would have fun with … and create some magic with it.” Whether a woman wears an old wedding dress, dons a designer gown or makes a quick grab at Goodwill, Dye Culik says the night embraces and empowers everyone there while aligning with their mission to support breast cancer patients.

The name is also a fun take on the beloved ’90s rom-com starring Julia Roberts, My Best Friend’s Wedding

“We want to be friends to the women who are battling breast

cancer, because they need as many friends as they can get,” Evren says. This year, she has a 37-year-old friend who will be there “bald and beautiful.” She even scheduled surgery after the event, so she wouldn’t miss it.

“She’s like, ‘I don’t know if a wedding is in my future,’” Evren shares and pauses, as we soak in the meaning of her words.

“So we throw a wedding for women, for all of that.” It’s the highlight of the night. “They’re up there on the stage in their wedding dresses, looking gorgeous, and they’re telling their story about their journey. I think that part of it is just so wonderful.”

As for Leslie Ligon, there’s nothing better than being among the crowd of 250 women toasting their breast friend’s wedding.

“There are tough emotions mixed in. We don’t want to forget that, but we are there to lift each other up and have a fun night.” SP

Want to go? My Breast Friend’s Wedding is Oct. 23 at Hyatt Centric SouthPark. Tickets are $50, plus there’s a range of sponsorship opportunities. Learn more at mybreastfriendswedding.com.

SouthPark Magazine is a media sponsor of My Breast Friend’s Wedding

Executive director Susan Evren and emcee Molly Grantham

OCTOBER BOOKS

Notable new releases

compiled by Sally Brewster

An

Artist’s Life: Unlocking Creative Expression by Mary

Whyte

During her 50 years as an artist and teacher, Mary Whyte has discovered that tapping our personal well of creativity and passion is the most important lesson — much more so than how to paint an eye, clouds or steam. In An Artist’s Life, Whyte guides art-makers and art lovers past stifling obstacles and self-doubts to see the world with fresh eyes and create their most original and expressive work. A touchstone for developing the habits we need to live our most creative, inspired and meaningful life, this is a lifelong art lesson for artists of all kinds, as well as non-artists seeking a more creative and fulfilling life.

The Land of Sweet Forever: Stories and Essays by Harper Lee

Harper Lee remains a landmark figure in the American canon, thanks to Scout, Jem, Atticus and the other indelible characters in her Pulitzer-winning debut, To Kill a Mockingbird. Less remembered until now, however, is Harper Lee, the dogged young writer who crafted stories in hopes of magazine publication; Lee the lively New Yorker, Alabamian and friend to Truman Capote; and the Lee who peppered the pages of McCall’s and Vogue with thoughtful essays in the latter part of the 20th century. Covering territory from the Alabama schoolyards of Lee’s youth to the luncheonettes and movie houses of midcentury Manhattan, The Land of Sweet Forever invites still-vital conversations about politics, equality, travel, love, fiction, art, the American South and what it means to lead an engaged and creative life.

Next of Kin: A Memoir by Gabrielle Hamilton

The youngest of five, Gabrielle Hamilton took pride in her unsentimental, idiosyncratic family. She idolized her parents’ charisma and non-conformity. She worshipped her siblings’ mischievousness and flair. Hamilton grew up to find enormous success as a chef, then as a bestselling author. But her family ties frayed in ways both seismic and mundane until eventually she was estranged from them all. In the wake of one brother’s sudden death and another’s suicide, while raising young children of her own, Hamilton was

compelled to examine the sprawling, complicated root system underlying her losses. She began investigating her family’s devout independence and individualism with a nearly forensic rigor, soon discovering a sobering warning in their long-held self-satisfaction. In Next of Kin, she offers a keen and compassionate portrait of the people she grew up with and the prevailing but soon-to-falter ethos of the era that produced them.

The Unveiling by Quan Barry Striker isn’t entirely sure she should be on this luxury Antarctic cruise. Her mission is to photograph potential locations for a big-budget movie about Ernest Shackleton’s doomed expedition. Along the way, she finds private, if cautious, amusement in the behavior of both the native wildlife and the group of wealthy, mostly white tourists who have chosen to spend Christmas on the Weddell Sea. But when a kayaking excursion goes horribly wrong, Striker and a group of survivors become stranded on a remote island along the desolate Antarctic Peninsula, complete with boiling geothermal vents and vicious birds. As the polar ice thaws, the group’s secrets, prejudices and inner demons emerge, including revelations from Striker’s past that could irrevocably shatter her world.

The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon

For three decades following World War II, the Great Lakes overtook Europe as the epicenter of global economic strength. The region was the beating heart of the world economy, possessing all the power and prestige Silicon Valley does today. And no ship represented the apex of the American Century better than the 729-foot-long Edmund Fitzgerald — the biggest, best and most profitable ship on the Lakes. But on November 10, 1975, as the “storm of the century” threw 100 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot waves on Lake Superior, the Mighty Fitz found itself at the worst possible place, at the worst possible time. When she sank, she took all 29 men on board down with her, leaving the tragedy shrouded in mystery for a half-century. SP

Sally Brewster is the proprietor of Park Road Books, 4139 Park Rd., parkroadbooks.com.

Making Designer Visions Shine

Behind every beautiful home is a vision—and it takes the right partnership to bring that vision to life. At Avid Painting & Home Remodeling, we’re proud to collaborate with Charlotte’s top designers and contractors, turning sketches and ideas into stunning spaces that blend creativity with craftsmanship. From flawless cabinet finishes to custom tile and flooring, our team delivers the detail, reliability, and artistry that designers and homeowners trust.

Just ask Andrew Tormena, General Contractor and Owner of Lifestyle Interiors & Design:

“I work closely with John and his team at Avid Painting & Home Remodeling. They handle all of my cabinet painting, as well as painting and tile work, for my remodels. He is great at working with my clients and coming up with suggestions to finish projects faster. I would highly recommend Avid for your project!”

We know that remodeling is about more than finishes—it’s about trust, timing, and collaboration. That’s why we work hand-in-hand with designers, homeowners, and trade professionals to anticipate challenges, offer creative solutions, and keep projects moving smoothly. Designers love us for our reliability; homeowners love us for our care.

Schedule a free on-site consultation and receive a detailed estimate within two business days. With Avid, you’re not just getting contractors—you’re gaining project partners who care as much about your home as you do.

Andrew Tormena

QUEEN & QUILL

A spirited reading list for October by Gayvin

Powers

Smoke trails through the brisk air as the veil thins in October, leading to nights of soulful, chilling tales with ties to the South. Ghosts wander the streets, spirits haunt old Civil War cemeteries, and mysterious murders linger on the page of a good book. October is the perfect month to cozy up with a mug of hot apple cider and see if something wicked this way comes.

FICTION

Elphie: A Wicked Childhood by Gregory Maguire (coming-of-age fantasy) Elphie is the prequel to Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which inspired the hit musical. With evocative writing, Maguire delves into Elphaba’s younger years, revealing early experiences with friendship, family and

a burgeoning call to protect the sentient animals in Oz. Destined to be a witch, Elphie faces early struggles of her growing powers, neglect, rejection and cruelty, while daring to aspire for more than the expectations placed on her.

Remain: A Supernatural Love Story by Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan (supernatural mystery) Sparks, author of The Notebook, and Shyamalan, director of The Sixth Sense, come together for genre-bending storytelling that pulls on suspense, paranormal and romance to create a supernatural thriller. The story features Tate Donovan, a grieving architect, who is skeptical about spirits and marked by trauma. But Donovan must come to terms with a family secret of seeing

spirits trapped between life and death, otherwise he won’t heal from his sister’s death.

Abernathy: A Frankenstein Retelling (The Dread South) by Sirius (Southern Gothic, fantasy)

Adapted from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Abernathy is set in the Louisiana bayou. It features Dr. Ramsey Abernathy, who is haunted by his deceased brother. This drives Abernathy to fashion a new body for his brother to inhabit. As his obsession grows, he must either finish building a grotesque body for his brother — or lose him forever.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict (historical mystery)

Author of The Only Woman in the Room and The First Ladies, Benedict sets The Queens of Crime in 1930s London. The murder mystery features beloved women crime writers, including Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh and Baroness Emma Orczy. The women must solve a dangerous case of a murdered nurse, before Dorothy’s past threatens her future.

CHILDREN’S

Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood by Robert Beatty (middle-grades mystery and adventure)

2025 marks the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, and the release of North Carolina author Robert Beatty’s eerily timed book about 13-yearold Sylvia Doe. Sylvia awaits foster care when a great flood hits — and she must save what she loves most: her horses, home and the people closest to her. One-hundred percent of Beatty’s royalties from the book go to N.C. victims of Hurricane Helene.

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage (middle-grades mystery)

The Newbery Honor book, and the first book in the Mo & Dale Mysteries series, follows Miss Moses LoBeau, a sixth-grader, who has been making waves throughout the small town of Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, in search of her “upstream mother” and solving a local murder. If she doesn’t, she may lose her best friend, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, and those she loves most. SP

THE COMFORTS OF OCTOBER

Cooler days, evening fires and scary-good cookies by Jim

Dodson

My late mother liked to tell how, once upon a time, I loved to stand at the fence of the community-owned pasture behind our house in North Dallas feeding prairie grass to a donkey named Oscar.

I was barely walking and talking.

“You weren’t much of a talker but seemed to have a lot to say to Oscar, far more than to anyone else,” she would add with a laugh. “We always wondered what you two were talking about.”

Oscar’s kind, old face, in fact, is my first memory. Though I have no idea what “we” were talking about, I do have a pretty good hunch.

My mom also liked to tell me stories about growing up in the deep snows of western Maryland, which sounded like something from a Hans Brinker tale, fueling my hope to someday see the real stuff. Quite possibly, I was asking Oscar if it ever snowed in Texas.

I finally got my wish when we visited my mom’s wintry German clan for Christmas, days after a major snowstorm. It was love at first snowball fight with my crazy Kessell cousins. We spent the week sledding down Braddock Mountain and building an igloo in my Aunt Fanny’s backyard in LaVale. I hardly came indoors. I was in snowy heaven.

My mom took notice. “You’re such a kid of winter,” she told me. “Maybe someday you will live in snow country.”

Her lips to God’s ears.

Twenty years later, I moved to a forested hill on the coast of Maine, where the snows were deep and winters long. My idea of

the perfect winter day was a long walk with the dogs through the forest after a big snowstorm, followed by supper near the fire and silly bedtime tales I made up about our woodland neighbors as I tucked my young ones into bed. On many arctic nights, I paused to look up at the dazzling winter stars that never failed to make me glad I was alive.

Perhaps this explains why I love winter as much as my wife Wendy does summer.

The good news is that we find our meteorological balance come October, a month that provides the last vestiges of summer’s warmth even as it announces the coming of winter with shorter days and sharply cooler afternoons. We share the pleasure of October’s many comforts.

As Wendy can confirm, her baking business ramps up dramatically in October as customers at the weekend farmers market clamor for her ginger scones, carrot cake and seasonal pies — pumpkin, pecan and especially roasted apple crumb — which typically sell out long before the market closes at noon. October marks the beginning of her busiest and happiest baking season.

Meanwhile, back home in the garden, I will be joyfully cutting down the last of the wilted hydrangeas, cleaning out overgrown perennial beds, spreading mulch on young plants and already planning next summer’s garden adventures — that is, when I’m not raking up piles of falling leaves, a timeless task I generally find rather pleasing until the noise of industrial-strength leaf blowers fire up around the neighborhood.

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Their infernal racket can shatter peace of an October morn and make this aging English major resort to bad poetry, with apologies to Robert Frost:

I shall be telling this with a sigh / two roads diverged in a yellow wood / and I one weary gardener stood / and took the path less traveled by / with rake in hand and shake of fist / oh, how these blowers leave me pissed!

With the air conditioning shut off and the furnace yet to fire up, on the other hand, October brings with it the best time of the year to fling open bedroom windows and sleep like footsore pilgrims at journey’s end. At least our three dogs seem to think so. Our pricey new king-sized bed begins to feel like a crowded elevator on chilly October nights.

Among October’s other comforts are clearer skies, golden afternoon light and the first log fire of the season, celebrated by a wee dram with friends and thoughtful conversation that drifts well into the night until the host falls asleep in his favorite chair. That would be me.

Everything from my mood to my golf game, in fact, improves with the arrival of October. And even though my interest in all sports dims a little more with each passing year, the World Series and college football can still revive my waning boyhood attention on a brisk October weekend.

Halloween, of course, is the grand finale of October’s comforts, and our holiday routine is one I cherish. Wendy’s elaborately decorated Halloween cookies disappear as fast as she can make them, and I take special pleasure in carving a pair of large jack-o’-lanterns, one smiling, the other scowling, which I light at dusk. Years ago, I used to camp on the front steps dressed as a friendly vampire until I realized how scary I looked, with or without the makeup.

Now, the dogs and I simply enjoy handing out candy to the parade of pint-sized pirates, princesses and other creatively costumed kids who turn up on our doorstep.

The best thing about October’s final night is that it ushers in November, a month of remembrance that invariably makes me think of my late mother’s stories of snow and a gentle donkey named Oscar.

Last year, my lovely mother-in-law passed away on All Souls Day, the morning after Halloween. Miss Jan was a beloved art teacher of preschool kids whose creativity and sparkling Irish laugh brought joy and inspiration to untold numbers of children.

And me.

What a gift she left to the world. SP

Jim Dodson is a writer in Greensboro. His newest book, The Road That Made America: A Modern Pilgrim’s Journey on the Great Wagon Road, is available wherever books are sold.

Karri Files Paul designs a classic Southern garden with a courtyard feel that flowers year-round.

by Cathy Martin | photographs by Dustin and Susie Peck

A tiered fountain emits a soft, trickling sound and attracts wildlife to the garden.

trees flanking the steps leading from the upper lawn to the patio add seasonal color in early spring.

It’s extra special when landscape designer Karri Files Paul lands a client who’s an avid gardener. Such was the case at this Eastover home, a traditional two-story where Files Paul led a complete overhaul of the back patio and yard. The landscaping project was conducted in tandem with a home renovation that included a sunroom expansion overlooking the patio.

“We wanted a classic, Southern, sort of courtyard feel, with more than one space for dining and entertainment,” says Files Paul, owner and principal designer at K.Files Design.

The garden mixes classical and English cottage styles, Files Paul says. Classic elements such as a boxwood hedge and symmetrical patio design blend with an all-season garden for cut flowers.

“A lot of times I get clients that want this look but don’t understand what kind of maintenance is involved, but she does,” the designer says. “I was able to spec plants that I knew she would maintain. We gave her a lot of extra fluff and stuff in there.”

After Files Paul and her team initiated the plantings (Autry

Kemp implemented the design), the homeowner began adding some of her own. The result is a garden with blooms in nearly every season. When spring peonies, foxgloves and hydrangeas begin to fade, salvia, dahlias and Japanese anemones make their appearance.

“There’s always something for her to enjoy.”

SIGHTS & SOUNDS

The centerpiece of the courtyard, which is constructed of full-color bluestone and brick, is a fountain surrounded by a bed of small shrubs and flowering perennials. The client requested that the sound of water be integrated into the design.

“We did a whole deep dive on the audibility of different types of fountains,” Files Paul says. They ultimately chose a tiered design from Campania that creates a gentle, trickling sound. Gothic corners on the edge of the fountain help soften the hard lines of the retaining wall designed by Files Paul. The formal flower bed was incorporated into the design to break up the hardscaping.

Redbud

The fountain was intentionally designed as a focal point.

“The brick herringbone draws a line between the lounge and dining [areas],” Files Paul says. “It lines up with the path to the parking pad and it draws your eye directly to that fountain.”

GETTING TECHNICAL

Files Paul and her team worked hand in hand with the contractor and architect executing the home renovation to calculate the exact footprint of the patio.

“Drainage was a very important topic. … the pitch of the patio, and how tall the risers and the thresholds were going to be,” says Files Paul, a former apparel design director with training from Parsons School of Design and the New York Botanical Garden.

“It’s a very similar process, believe it or not,” she says, when comparing the technical and procedural aspects of both fashion and landscape design. She started K.Files Design in 2020 after returning to her home state of North Carolina.

The redesign gave the homeowners an additional parking space adjacent to the back porch, and more lawn space in the back of the lot.

Files Paul added a Gothic-style landing pad and a hanging yoke lantern in the front of the house to make the design seamless with the backyard.

“We also wanted to keep the upper lawn somewhat visible and very accessible,” Files Paul says. Her team achieved this by adding wide steps leading up to the lawn and flattening out the space. Reducing the number of plants made room for a large, rectangular yard for the family’s dog to run and play.

In the front of the home, the designer and her team refreshed the lighting and hardscaping to create continuity with the backyard.

ENJOYMENT INSIDE AND OUT

“We knew how much we would love the space Karri created for us when we’re outside in our yard,” the homeowner says, citing Files Paul’s diligence in planning, working with the home contractor and architect, and selecting plants, hardscaping materials, outdoor lighting and furniture.

“What we didn’t know is how much we would love it from the inside of our house, looking out. It is like a constant piece of art that changes with the light of the day and the seasons of the year. It offers ongoing enjoyment watching plants and trees bloom at various intervals throughout the year, bringing the outdoors inside and expanding how we use our home.” SP

Files Paul sourced the KingsleyBate dining table and chairs, the lounge chairs with quick-drying reticulated foam cushions, and the Bambrella patio umbrella to create a space well-suited for entertaining.

Marie Matthews creates a playful home for a young professional with a maximalist style.

by

“Life’s too short to live in a boring home,” says Ali Kaufman, a 29-year-old Charlotte software professional who gravitates toward a maximalist style.

“I always dreamed of creating a space that reflects who I am and the life I want to live — happy, bold and unapologetically colorful. I feel most at peace, and most inspired, when I’m surrounded by vibrant hues, playful patterns and meaningful objects.”

When tackling a revitalization of her formerly neutral, circa-1977 Foxcroft digs, it was a no-brainer for Kaufman to flag Charlotte designer Marie Matthews Interiors.

“Turns out, Marie doesn’t just set the bar — she drastically raises it,” Ali explains. “I simply told her I wanted a home that felt like me (colorful, layered and funky), and then I gave her full creative freedom. She dreamed up a space she loved, and I’m just lucky enough to live in it.”

At its most basic, this is a color story, says Matthews, who launched her own firm in 2022 after a decade working for other local designers.

Andrea Nordstrom Caughey photographs by Dustin and Susie Peck

“We started by falling in love with a teal chinoiserie wallpaper for the dining room, the first thing that catches the eye from the entryway.” A lacquered ceiling adds a touch of Hollywood glam, says Matthews, who updated an old credenza with high-gloss paint to use as a sideboard.

“Then, mixing old with new, I married vintage Hollywood regency chairs with modern hostess and host chairs upholstered in performance velvet.”

The brilliant guava-colored living room came next.

“Pink is Ali’s favorite color, so repeating it from the dining [room] wallpaper was a natural,” Matthews says. “Our star is the luscious dragon print drapery by Ferrick Mason, trimmed in a playful but traditional bead edge.” To complement the Benjamin Moore “Sharon Rose” walls, the designer insisted on painting the ceiling blush. “[It’s] a design secret that never fails!”

Matthews is also a believer in happy accidents. After the painter misread the instructions and painted the white fireplace pink, Kaufman and Matthews decided they actually liked it better. “After the shock wore off,

Ali and I both agreed that the surround was always meant to be guava.”

Kaufman also needed a combo library and work gathering space — here, she encouraged Matthews to not hold back. The designer responded with a colorful array of wallpapers and fabrics, layering pinks and lavenders inspired by a beloved Windy O’Connor lampshade from Kaufman’s former workspace. A knockout drapery fabric drove the deep blue walls.

“I also turned to the centuries-old luxe tradition of upholstering walls in fabric, offering quiet enclosure and sound insulation,” Matthews says.

Relaxed and restorative, the primary suite’s multicolored Old English hunt scene drapery fabric repeats blues, greens and pinks from other rooms, but on a neutral background. The custom bedding is fashioned from pink and cabernet plaid with velvet piping, while green bedside tables echo the adjoining bath’s heron wallpaper.

Kaufman’s breakfast room, now dubbed “The Happy Room,” is anchored by two paintings by local artists. The drapery fabric is Windy O’Connor Home’s “Mardi Gras,” paired with a lighthearted Missoni floral rug from Stark.

Beyond color, pattern held its own in the home’s design.

“I love mixing patterns,” Matthews says. ”The same way mixing musical notes produces harmony and structure, plus emotions, the right mix of patterns has the same effect on our brain. Using different patterns needs connectivity — not matching perfectly, but working together like those notes.”

Kaufman credits Matthews for bringing boldness and joy into her home.

“In my work, I aim to bring passion, precision and heart to every client interaction, so when I hire others, I look for the same.” SP

In the sunken living room, a custom media cabinet by Maple Hill Woodworks keeps the TV hidden from view. The sectional sofas from Younger + Co. surround a coffee table from Portugal. The smoked mirror is from Made Goods.

A south Charlotte home by House of Nomad has modern, cozy quarters for family and a soft, moody vibe.

by Cathy Martin | photographs by Brie Williams

Inspired by strengthened family bonds while sheltering during the pandemic, this Charlotte family of three envisioned a home with cozy, private living quarters separate from the spaces where they entertained.

“They were motivated to create a home that could comfortably support both the intimacy of family life and the ability to gather with others when needed,” says House of Nomad’s Kelley Lentini.

After settling on a wooded lot in an established community in south Charlotte, the homeowners tapped Artistic Contractors to build their forever home. They immediately brought in HON, founded by Lentini and her business partner Berkeley Minkhorst, to oversee the design from start to finish.

In the kitchen, a lilac marble backsplash and countertops from The Art of Stone add drama, and a custom light fixture from Curiousa provides a soft glow. The limestone floors are from Renaissance Tile.

SETTING THE MOOD

The designers chose rich, earthy materials such as limestone for the kitchen floors and dark hardwoods for a moody aesthetic. The electrical plan was designed to include soft, diffused light for a candlelit feel in certain parts of the home. Slatted wood dividers create visual interest, along with a sense of privacy.

The homeowners had one caveat that created a tricky design challenge: They requested no white in the home.

“We wanted to pick a neutral that was dark enough for the client’s preference but that also helped to blend and soothe all the dramatic saturated tones in the house,” Lentini says. They landed on Mojave Gathering, a graybeige tone from Backdrop.

A SPACE FOR FAMILY

Doubling down on the cozy aesthetic, the builder and designers devised a plan for a sunken living room that’s open to a casual dining area. Plush sofas invite relaxation, and a custom media cabinet allows the TV to be concealed when the family wants to read or rest.

The living room is defined by a House of Hackney wallpaper with a botanical motif and a striking custom lighting installation. HON worked with Lighting and Bulbs Unlimited on the assemblage of Noguchi lanterns — a modern interpretation of the iconic midcentury design element. A hidden door connects the main living space to a secondary living room and kitchenette.

A CALMING PASSAGE

Pulling inspiration from the indigo-hued wallpaper, Charlotte artist Randall Kane designed a 20-foot-long mural in the hallway that connects the main living room with the private living quarters.

“Randall pulled key motifs to ensure a seamless visual flow between the two areas,” Lentini says. Elements such as bison, birds and stars carry significant meaning for the homeowner. “The hallway is designed to feel like a moment of pause — a calming passage that gently prepares you for the more intimate parts of the home.”

An arched doorway leads to the hallway, a design element that’s repeated in the powder room and above the range in the kitchen.

The finished design blends a moody, soulful aesthetic with practical solutions for designating distinct zones for family time.

“The result is a thoughtfully designed space that perfectly balances private living with functional, shared areas — a true reflection of their lifestyle and values,” Lentini says. SP

Above: A

Opposite page: A patterned wallpaper by Elena Carozzi provides a bold backdrop in the primary bedroom.

Left: Local artist Randall Kane designed the mural in the hallway, which connects the family’s private living quarters to the rest of the house.

concrete Kast sink, antique mirror and arch detail create a chic, moody moment in the powder room.

travel

What’s old is ‘Nu’ again

North Carolina’s oldest hotel — the NuWray — has undergone a stunning renovation. Now, a new generation is discovering why Jimmy Carter, Mark Twain and Elvis all stayed here. by Page Leggett

When you pull into downtown Burnsville — a little mountain town (pop: 1,612) in Yancey County — you might think you’ve stumbled onto a movie set. Surely, some studio honcho ordered up the charming square complete with a historic inn and its rocking chair-filled front porches on two levels.

That’s the NuWray, North Carolina’s oldest continuously operating hotel.

The first time I saw it, while visiting the area for the twice-yearly Toe River Arts Studio Tour, it was closed for an overhaul. But I was captivated and knew I had to return.

The NuWray opened in 1833 as an eight-room log structure called Ray’s Hotel. Owner Garrett Deweese Ray’s daughter, Julia, married William Brian Wray, and the couple inherited the hotel after Ray’s death in 1932. Locals began referring to the inn as the NuWray to distinguish it from its predecessor, the “Old Ray.”

The Wrays added the now iconic stone fireplace in the lobby in the 1930s, although you’d swear it must’ve been there all along. The

inn remained in the family for four generations before being sold in the 1990s, changing hands frequently and falling into disrepair.

That is, until an enterprising Greensboro couple intervened.

THE ULTIMATE DIY-ERS

Amanda and James Keith discovered a penchant for historic preservation while renovating a home in Greensboro. Their second renovation became the Double Oaks Bed & Breakfast, which they ran from 2016 to 2024.

James is an electrician, among other things, who does much of the work himself.

Both the Keiths had full-time jobs while running their B&B: James was a music minister at First Presbyterian in Greensboro, and Amanda ran the Wake Forest University press. But they both loved hospitality and went looking for a project that would allow them to be full-time innkeepers.

When they discovered the NuWray, it appeared down and out.

But the Keiths were undaunted. The inn had “good bones,” as real-estate agents say of ramshackle properties.

And it had a pedigree. “People from all over knew the NuWray in its heyday,” Amanda says. Jimmy Carter and Elvis Presley stayed here. Christopher Reeve is rumored to have been a guest. And the NuWray has hosted so many writers — Mark Twain, Thomas Wolfe, O. Henry, F. Scott Fitzgerald — that Amanda was inspired to name one of the rooms “The Writer.”

But the inn’s biggest fans may be the people of Burnsville.

“If you ask just about any local, they’ll have a story,” Amanda says. “They worked here, their mother worked here, they had their wedding here. I don’t think there are many locals the NuWray hasn’t touched in some way. It’s always been a point of pride for the town.”

STAYING TRUE TO THE ORIGINAL

The Keiths bought the inn in October 2021, moved to Burnsville that December and started renovating in January 2022. They also bought the property adjacent to the inn and converted it into Carriage House Sundries, an art-filled coffee shop by day/wine bar by night with a humidor for cigar aficionados.

They wanted a big project, and they found it. “With historic properties, nothing is straightforward,” Amanda says. “You have to do a lot of it on the fly; you never know what you’ll find when you open up a wall.”

Amanda, who designed the interiors, found five layers of wallpaper in some places. “The wallpaper tells the story of the inn,” she says. Visitors can see preserved samples in several places.

The hotel ’s stone fireplace, top, was added in the 1930s. Historic photos of the NuWray, center and below, which opened in 1833 as Ray’s Hotel.

Opposite page: Carriage House Sundries

The NuWray never had central air until the Keiths added it. They kept what furniture was usable, and Amanda scoured antique shops and Facebook Marketplace to source other pieces almost exclusively from the area.

The community was central to the restoration. Local crews worked on it, and throughout the inn, you’ll see paintings by local artist Melissa Flattery and quirky lighting made from books, antique typewriters and other found objects by craftsman Ed Doyle.

When Amanda learned that a member of the Wray family, Joy Bennett, was a potter in town, she commissioned her to make ceramic nameplates for each guest room.

A TASTE OF HISTORY

In 1915, the Wrays started a restaurant, which really put the NuWray on the map, Amanda says. The Southern “country cooking” recipes had been passed down through generations. Meals were served family-style.

“That’s difficult to pull off nowadays,” Amanda says. “The health department doesn’t particularly like it, and it’s wasteful. It’s just not financially feasible to do regularly.”

But the revamped restaurant, open for breakfast, supper and Sunday brunch, honors the NuWray’s history with updated recipes from the hotel’s historic cookbooks, like “Will’s Sunday Cake” (custard-filled chocolate sponge cake with chocolate meringue frosting) and a “Smothered Salad” (mixed greens with warm bacon vinaigrette). Duck and dumplings, chicken-fried steak and a tomato tart with goat cheese mousse are other standouts.

While James Keith was the chef at their Greensboro B&B — what can’t he do? — the Keiths wanted someone with experience running a bigger kitchen for the 26-room hotel.

They lured Chef Peter Crockett to Burnsville from Asheville. “We really appreciate the environment he creates in the kitchen,” Amanda says. “He’s a strong leader and mentor. That was important to us because it helps attract and keep staff.”

The original smokehouse — now called Roland’s in honor of

Will Roland, the hotel chef for over 40 years — serves al fresco drinks and snacks on Fridays and Saturdays from 4-10 p.m. The former laundry facilities in the basement are being converted into a bar with a speakeasy vibe.

BURNSVILLE’S POST-HELENE HUB

The hotel reopened to much fanfare in August 2024. Just a few weeks later, on Sept. 27, Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina. In its aftermath, the NuWray became a lifeline.

“Immediately after the storm passed, people began pouring into the square,” Amanda says. “No one had phone service, so this was the logical place to find out what was happening.

“Everyone was either looking for information or trying to pass information along. We started paper lists of what roads were passable, who’s missing, who’s looking for whom, what supplies are needed and where.” Those paper lists soon morphed into whiteboards.

The flooded restaurant was cleaned and the kitchen pressed into service. Townsfolk needed to be fed, and the NuWray needed to use food on hand before it went bad.

The staff of the inn-adjacent Carriage House Sundries, which had been open for almost a year, “showed up ready to help,” Amanda says. “Everybody jumped in and prepared what we could without electricity: sandwiches. We smoked all the meat we had

in our fridges and freezers on our outdoor smoker, the Smok-O-Motive. Then, people started bringing their meat for us to cook.”

A “60 Minutes” crew, including correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, documented Helene’s devastation and the recovery efforts in October 2024. Of course, they stayed at the NuWray.

The hotel reopened for a second time in May with a “Restoration Shindig,” a celebration of the hotel’s and town’s resilience.

“This wasn’t the opening season we pictured,” Amanda says, “but I’m grateful we got as far as we did before the storm hit. If we hadn’t, there’s no way we could’ve contributed what we did. And I think it’s so poignant that this is now part of the NuWray’s history. It’s been a beacon for a long time.” SP

MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE NUWRAY. Learn more about Burnsville’s pride and joy and book a room at nuwray.com. The inn has 26 unique guest rooms with en-suite baths. Four are dog-friendly. There’s no elevator, but the inn has two first-floor guest rooms.

BURNSVILLE’S BEST

There’s plenty to see and do in and around town.

• Star sightings. Amanda Keith recommends the Glenn and Carol Arthur Planetarium at Mayland Earth to Sky Park. As a designated dark-sky area, “it’s a great place to observe the night sky,” Keith says. The roll-off-roof observatory has a 34” telescope.

• Aim high. Yancey County is home to Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi. Mount Mitchell State Park, which reopened last month, is worth a visit.

• Art is everywhere. “This county has more artists per capita than anywhere in the country,” Amanda says. “The Penland School of Craft is a big reason why.” The area is well-known for pottery — I consider In Tandem Gallery in Bakersville a must — but glassblowing is also huge, according to Amanda. She recommends visiting Hearth Glass and Gallery, just a short walk from the inn, where you can watch live demos and try your hand at blowing glass.

• Main (Street) attraction. Downtown Burnsville’s Main Street is packed with charming shops and craft galleries. “All the shop owners are very personable,” says Amanda. “That’s what attracted us here to begin with.” Of note are Burnsville Candle Company, Monkey Business Toy Shop, Plott Hound Books and Toe River Arts Gallery.

• High-end pub grub. Helene destroyed the beloved Live Oak Gastropub in nearby Spruce Pine. But the restaurant has been given new life on Burnsville’s main drag.

• Not just crafts – craft beer! Homeplace Beer Co. is a short walk from the NuWray. In addition to brews, this lively spot offers wood-fired pizza and live music on an outdoor stage.

This December, SouthPark Magazine will publish a guide to local nonprofits at a time when many are thinking about end-of-year donations. This Guide to Giving is a special advertising section — in print and online — where profiles of nonprofits will be paired with advertising from the businesses that support them.

Contact Jane Rodewald at 704-621-9198 to learn more. Or visit us online at southparkmagazine.com/advertise.

Deadline for space reservations: October 24

TRAIL MIX

Just in time for autumn, these new — and newly reopened — western N.C. hiking trails are open for discovery.

by Michael J. Solender

For city dwellers craving crisp fall air and autumn’s Appalachian color, western North Carolina has a clear message: “Lace up your hiking boots!”

A year after the devastation of Hurricane Helene, explorers will find new trails alongside tried-and-true treks. From Hendersonville and Saluda to Carvers Gap and Roan Mountain, restored favorites and new amenities remind us why western N.C.’s outdoor splendor is unlike any other.

Here are several new and recently reopened trails and recreation areas to check out:

ECUSTA TRAIL

Henderson County

Few new greenway projects have generated as much enthusiasm as the Ecusta Trail, the multi-use 19.4-mile greenway connecting Hendersonville and Brevard. Ecusta, a Cherokee term meaning rippling waters, is an apt moniker as the trail is being developed alongside the French Broad and Davidson rivers. Much of the route repurposes a dormant railroad line that served the former Ecusta Paper Mill, once a major employer in the region.

Earlier this summer, the initial 6-mile stretch opened with great fanfare — the remaining 5 miles in Henderson County and 8 miles in Transylvania County are expected to be finished by late 2027.

The trailhead begins at the newly revamped Hendersonville Welcome Center, winds through town and heads west to the community of Horse Shoe. Along the paved rails-to-trails path, hikers can use a free mobile trail pass to check in at participating

retailers and restaurants and earn points toward prizes that can be redeemed at the welcome center. visithendersonvillenc.org/ecusta-trail

BELL PARK

Saluda

This new park and adjoining trails opened last fall in partnership with Conserving Carolina, a regional land trust dedicated to protecting natural areas in western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.

The Henderson County park sits in Saluda along Spartanburg Highway (U.S. 176) on the forested slopes above the Green River Gorge. Visitors can enjoy an observation deck with a bench beside a raging waterfall and nearly 2 miles of moderate, rolling trails that are great for walking, hiking or running.

The best part? The park and trails are dog-friendly, and visitors can bring their (leashed) pals along to enjoy the outdoors. hendersoncountync.gov/recreation/page/bell-park

CLOUDLAND TRAILS, ROAN MOUNTAIN RHODODENDRON GARDENS

Carvers Gap

Fall visitors revel at the Roan Mountain Rhododendron Gardens, where thousands of resplendent blooms in regal magenta and purple hues blanket the landscape. The park’s popular trails recently reopened after being closed due to hurricane damage.

“What’s truly astonishing is the beautiful views and incredible landscapes that people have enjoyed for decades remain

McDowell County

breathtaking,” says Kelly Jones, director of the Mitchell County Tourism Development Authority. “The relief and comfort people find from their visits here are part of the true beauty of our area.”

Jones notes there are options for hikers of all levels, including the intermediate hike from Carvers Gap to Cloudland Mountain (4 miles) and a more difficult, 8-mile trek from Carvers Gap to Roan High Bluff. Many of the trails run along the ridge that is the TennesseeNorth Carolina border and traverse sections of the fabled Appalachian Trail.

Trailheads are found at Roan Mountain Recreation Area, just off N.C. 261 at Carvers Gap at the end of the spur road N.C. 1348. roanmountain.com/rhododendron-gardens/

OLD FORT GATEWAY TRAILS

McDowell County

This spring, 8 miles of new connections to the Old Fort Trail System opened, with 20 of 42 planned miles now open to hikers, bikers and equestrians.

The Old Fort Gateway Trails Project is a community initiative within Pisgah National Forest. The trails can be enjoyed by hikers, bikers and equestrians.

The new connectors include the 1.5-mile Catawba View Trail, a beginner’s loop with Catawba River valley views, the Deep Cove Trail, a moderate hike through rhododendron tunnels and rocky coves, the 2.5-mile Camp Rock Trail, with sweeping views of Heartbreak Ridge, the half-mile Jerdon Connector loop,

and Stagecoach, a Creekside hiking route to Point Lookout Greenway.

The main trailhead is located south of Curtis Creek and has parking, restrooms and picnic tables. Additional parking is available at the Gateway Trailhead’s Meadows lot and Camp Grier’s Allison Trailhead on Mill Creek Road. g5trailcollective.org/gateway-trails

BOB BENNER MEMORIAL TRAIL

Burke County

South Mountains Headwaters Preserve christened this new trail earlier this year, with two overlooks offering scenic views. Benner was a founding board member of Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina and a fierce advocate for outdoor recreation and conservation.

The moderately strenuous out-and-back trail spans about 1.3 miles one way and climbs roughly 500 feet from the parking area to its highest point. Portions follow old logging roads — watch for turns where the trail leaves or joins these roads.

The South Mountains Headwaters Preserve was created in 2015 to safeguard the land and water resources of the Henry Fork and Jacob Fork River headwaters. At nearly 1,900 acres, it shares 3 miles of boundary with South Mountains State Park.

The trailhead and parking area is located on Old N.C. 18, just south of Sugarloaf Road and north of Baptist Camp Road, approximately 20 minutes from downtown Morganton. foothillsconservancy.org/trails/#bbmt SP

Ecusta Trail

Curtis Creek Gateway Trail

Roan Mountain Rhododendron Gardens

swirl

A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas

Great Gatsby Gala

benefiting National MS Society

Hilton Charlotte Uptown

August 23

“Guys and dolls” dressed up in their best 1920s-inspired attire. Jeff Kolbenschlag was this year’s honoree, and the event raised more than $400,000 for multiple sclerosis research.

photographs by Daniel Coston

Peter and Alice DeVries

Billy Kephart and Isabella Malick

Warren and Denise Marshall

Marcella Giannasio and Steve Crane

Tim and Diane Dreffer

swirl

A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas

CLT 54: Fashion and Flash

Mint Museum Uptown

August 6

This electric night of fashion and music a la Studio 54 celebrated the Mint’s Annie Leibovitz exhibit and featured runway looks from local designers inspired by the ‘70s through the ‘90s. Davita Galloway of Dupp & Swat helped organize the event.

photographs by Carey James

BBQ and Blue Jeans

benefiting Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center

September 6

Patrons filled the backyard of Don and Jennifer Johnson for a gathering aimed at raising funds to help local children move forward after experiencing abuse.

photographs by Daniel Coston

Kaylan Mariano and Kelly Navarro

Mackenzie Tenold, Cade Tenold and Sophia Lane

Andrew and Andrea Oliver, Lori Avery

A monthly guide to Charlotte’s parties and galas

Women Supporting Women Gala

benefiting Crittenton of North Carolina Foundation For The Carolinas September 6

Dina Gambella and Irina Toshkova hosted an evening centered around dining and dancing, while raising money for programs that help women and children escape poverty.

by Daniel Coston

Carolina Panthers Kickoff Lunch

hosted by Charlotte Touchdown Club Le Méridien Charlotte

August 28

Carolina Panthers legend Luke Kuechly shared stories from his time on the field and offered a preview of the new football season.

photographs by Daniel Coston

photographs

Lillian and Courtney Hallock

Danielle Grady and Ana Rodriguez

Irina Toshkova and Noi Vong

Hunter Helms and Ann Parke

Dante Wilkerson and Sean Planchard

Shannon Powell and John Rocco

AQUIFER

Masayuki Nagase’s sculpture along Little Sugar Creek Greenway evokes an unseen element of nature.

by Michael J. Solender | photographs by Justin Driscoll

Aquifer, a 9-foot-tall vertical sculpture holding court along a prominent section of Charlotte’s Little Sugar Creek Greenway, is meant to evoke the presence of water that’s not always visible in nature.

Four natural granite boulders on a cement plaza are carved with relief patterns of aquifers (permeable rock that contains or transmits ground water), bedrock and waves of the earth’s crust. The circular assemblage of the four giant rocks is underlit for a cooling nighttime glow.

Kyoto, Japan-born stone carver Masayuki Nagase created and installed the piece in 2010 between South Kings Drive and Baldwin Avenue. The heavily trafficked node of the trail sees scores of joggers, cyclists and walkers daily.

The sculpture was commissioned by Charlotte’s Arts & Science Council. Nagase, a prolific public artist with works in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Pennsylvania, views the process of creating public art as “a channel for reclaiming connection and communication for communities,” according to his website.

Aquifer is part of a series Nagase created for this section of the greenway, based on themes of air, Earth and water. Nearby, his Mosaic of Nature incorporates smooth stones and medallions representing the local flora and fauna encircling a fountain. Stream is a grouping of natural boulders fashioned into sculptural seats featuring various wave patterns. The informal stools offer a place for rest, relaxation and contemplation for greenway visitors. SP