North Carolina: Celebrating Winston-Salem’s artistic legacy

IN TODAY’S 12 INSPIRES BELOVED ARTISTS FROM THE TRIAD ARE BEING HONORED IN A BIG WAY. AND OUR NEWEST REPORTER, ERIN BURNETT, SPENT TIME WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF THE LATE ARTISTS. ERIN. YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT. THERE’S AN INCREDIBLE EXHIBIT THAT JUST OPENED IN WINSTON-SALEM. AND FOLKS, I SPOKE TO ARE THRILLED THAT THEIR LOVED ONES ARE BEING HONORED IN THIS WAY. TAKE A LOOK. ARTIST EVERETT FUNCHES SAYS FROM A YOUNG AGE, HE LEARNED THAT ART MEANT FREEDOM. THIS PICTURE WAS DURING A PERFORMANCE AT GROVE STADIUM DURING THE HALFTIME OF WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL GAME, 1985. I REMEMBER IT BECAUSE I TOOK THE PICTURE. ART IMITATING LIFE ON DISPLAY IN WINSTON-SALEM. AND THIS DISPLAY HAS A DEEP MEANING FOR EVERETT FUNCHES, AS IT’S A NOD TO HIS LATE FATHER. HE WASN’T THE KIND THAT WOULD COME HOME AND HAVE A BEER AND CRASH ON THE COUCH. HE WAS ALWAYS INTO SOMETHING CREATIVE. HOME GROWN. THAT’S THE EXHIBIT ON FULL DISPLAY AT THE MILTON ROAD CENTER FOR THE ARTS. IT RECOGNIZES THE WORK OF PROMINENT ARTISTS LIKE EVERETT’S FATHER, JAMES, AND MOTHER AND SON, SHIRLEY HAIRSTON HOLLOWAY AND CURTIS HAIRSTON, ALL OF WHOM ARE GONE BUT LIVE ON THROUGH THEIR ART. I HOPE PEOPLE GAIN FROM THIS EXHIBIT A WONDERFUL CURIOSITY FOR THE ARTISTS HERE, AS WELL AS MAYBE TAKING A STEP BACK AND VISUALIZING THEIR FAMILY AS INSPIRATION, AS WELL. AND THAT’S TRUE FOR EVERETT. HIS PIECE ENTITLED SEARCHING FOR PEACE, IS ALSO A PART OF THE EXHIBIT WHICH REFLECTS HIS LIFE EXPERIENCES IN KEY FIGURES. AND YOU HAVE THE CROOKED MOUTH SOMETIMES STROKE VICTIMS OR PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM BELL’S PALSY, WHICH MY DAD HAD, UH, THEY ALL HAVE A CROOKED, UH, MOUTH LIKE THAT FOR THE MATRIARCH OF EVERETT’S FAMILY. JUST VISITING THE EXHIBIT AND SEEING GENERATIONS OF HER FAMILY’S PASSION ON DISPLAY MEANS A LOT. IT’S A BLESSING FOR ME AT MY AGE TO BE HERE TODAY, TO BE ABLE TO BE HERE TODAY. I DON’T HAVE ANY TALENT. I CAN’T READ A NOTE. THAT’S OKAY, BECAUSE I CAN’T READ IT. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. WELL, THAT WAS MISS EVELYN. LIKE I SAID, SHE’S 100 YEARS OLD, AND I HAD THE BEST TIME SPEAKING WITH HER AND HER FAMILY TODAY. THE LATE ARTISTS ARE BEING HONORED AND WILL BE RECOGNIZED WITH BRONZE STARS ON A MEMORIAL WALK OF FAME. JUST DAYS BEFORE THE INTERNATIONAL BLACK THEATER FESTIVAL LATER THIS MONTH. IT’S AMAZING. IT REALLY IS SUCH A GREAT STORY, ERIN. IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF. I’M FROM BALTIMORE, BORN AND RAISED, SO GO O’S, GO RAVENS. I’VE BEEN SAYING IT ALL DAY TRYING TO FIND A LITTLE PIECE OF HOME HERE IN WINSTON. WE HAVE SOME FANS OF THOSE TEAMS HERE IN THE NEWSROOM, SO YES, YOU REALLY ENJOYED THIS ASSIGNMENT. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART? I DID TALKING TO MISS EVELYN LIKE I SAID, I WANT TO LIVE TO BE 100. SO YOU HAVE TO BE AROUND PEOPLE WHO ARE 100. SO WE’RE BESTIES NOW. WE’RE FRIENDS. SHE HAS A LOT OF WISDOM TO SHARE, TOO. IF FOR WHATEVER REASON, YOU BECOME FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK, THEN YOU HAVE TO LET ME KNOW. IF SHE’S 100 AND SHE’S ON FACEBOOK, THEN WE’RE TALKING, I GOT YOU. YEAH. NAVIGA