Blueplate PR Goes Modern with Triangle Modernist Houses.com
July 8, 2009 at 1:45 am | In architecture, green architecture, historic preservation, mid-century architecture, modern architecture, news, public relations | Leave a CommentTags: Raleigh public relations agency
July 7, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) - The Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill “Triangle” region of North Carolina has the third-largest concentration of modernist houses in the nation, bested only by Los Angeles and Chicago. This fact surprises most people, even those who live in the Triangle. But not TriangleModernistHouses.com (TMH), an award-winning nonprofit which
preserves, advocates, and builds community around modernist residential
design in the Triangle area of North Carolina, from mid-century to the
present. To leverage the area’s uniqueness regionally and nationally, TMH has contracted with Blueplate PR in downtown Raleigh.
Blueplate PR is a boutique public relations agency owned and operated by
award-winning journalist Kim Weiss. Blueplate specializes in message
development, media relations, communications, online presence, and website
text development.
Weiss is also a modern architecture enthusiast. For nearly two decades, she
wrote about architecture and historic preservation for the former Spectator
Magazine and North Carolina Architect magazine, and founded the Triangle
Architecture Awards Program through Spectator.
“So I couldn’t have been happier when TMH founder George Smart asked me if I’d be interested in working with TMH,” Weiss said. “Modern architecture is a passion of mine, from Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s groundbreaking work in Scotland in the late 19th century, through the ‘heroic’ period of the 1920s and ’30s, to what we now call mid-century, and on to the cutting-edge “green” architecture of today. And I intend to bring every bit of that
passion to bear on my work with TMH.”
George Smart launched TMH in 2007 to catalog, preserve, and advocate
modernist residential design in the Triangle area. The TMH website maintains
a vast gallery of images and biographies of modernist architects who have
had an impact on residential design in the area, both in the past and
currently. TMH also keeps an up-to-date listing of modernist houses for sale
and sponsors frequent tours of modernist houses throughout the Triangle.
Says Smart, “Kim is the most knowledgeable design marketing professional in
North Carolina. With her drive and expertise, we’re going to put the
Triangle’s extraordinary design on the national radar, right up there with
basketball, barbecue,and Clay Aiken.”
For more information on blueplate pr, visit www.blueplatepr.com.
Triangle Modernist Houses is also available on Facebook and Twitter.
National Journal Features Case Study of Duke’s First LEED-Gold Building
July 2, 2009 at 9:36 pm | In Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Ocean Conservation Center. Photos by Jeffrey Jacobs
July 2, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) – Duke University’s only LEED Gold-certified building – the Ocean Conservation Center in Beaufort, NC – is featured in a case study in this month’s Environmental Design + Conservation, a professional journal and premier source for integrated high-performance building dedicated to efficient and sustainable design and construction.
Designed by award-winning architect Frank Harmon, FAIA, of Raleigh, North Carolina, the 5600-square-foot, state-of-the-art teaching facility is the Marguerite Kent Repass Ocean Conservation Center at the Duke University Marine Laboratory. It includes a teaching laboratory, a 48-seat lecture hall with advanced teleconferencing and videoconferencing capabilities to connect to classrooms and research labs around the globe, interpretive educational displays, and spaces for social interactions overlooking Beaufort Channel. 
The case study, entitled “ Beacon for Sustainability,” discusses how the building’s form directly responds to its location and allows it to maximize natural ventilation and lighting. The study also delineates the building’s other green features, including photovoltaic rooftop panels for converting sunlight into electricity, a solar hot water system and high-efficiency ground-coupled heat pumps, and the use of recycled and local materials wherever possible.
Since 1997, Environmental + Design Construction has supported progressive architects, designers, specifying engineers and building developers who enhance the sustainability of new and existing buildings. For more information, visit www.edcmag.com. To read the entire online version of the OCC study, click on “Article Rotation.”
In March of this year, the OCC received a Wood Design Award: Green Building Category from WoodWorks-Southeast, a division of the Wood Products Council of North America for non-residential construction.
Frank Harmon, FAIA, is the founder and principal of Frank Harmon Architect PA in Raleigh, NC, and a recognized national leader in modern, innovative and regionally appropriate sustainable architecture. For more information, visit www.frankharmon.com.
posted by blueplate pr
TriangleModernistHouses.com Wins National Architecture Award
July 1, 2009 at 5:56 pm | In architecture, mid-century architecture, modern architecture, vintage | Leave a CommentTags: mid-century architecture, mid-century houses NC, modern architecture, modern houses NC, North Carolina architecture
July 1, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) — Triangle Modernist Houses, an online, nonprofit educational archive for cataloguing, preserving, and advocating modernist residential design in the Triangle area of North Carolina, was honored recently with the 2009 Paul E. Buchanan Award from the Vernacular Architecture Forum.
The Buchanan Award was established in 1993 to recognize contributions to the study and preservation of vernacular architecture and the cultural landscape that do not take the form of books or published work.
Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) provides extensive details on more than 145 architects with over 3300 photographs of 640 rarely seen homes. Information is gleaned from public records, published reports, interviews, and reader contributions.
“Since the 1950s, the Triangle area of the state – Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill — has been one of the most active areas for really cool houses,” said George Smart, founder and executive director TMH. He defines “cool houses” as “contemporary homes characterized by large common areas and windows, extensive use of natural light, and aesthetic geometric forms. Because of Dean Henry Kamphoefner’s vision for a modernist School of Design at North Carolina State University, this area has more modernist houses than anywhere else with the exception of LA and Chicago.“
The Buchanan Award is the third honor TMH has received since its inception. In 2008, TMH won an Award of Merit from the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill and a Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit from Preservation North Carolina (www.presnc.org).
Since it was launched in 2007, TMH’s efforts on behalf of modern architecture, which includes tours of modern homes in the area, has received national recognition in Dwell and Metropolis. The website’s work also been featured on WUNC Radio, in the Raleigh News and Observer and Durham Herald-Sun, and in a variety of online media. For complete information, visit the website at www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.
The Vernacular Architecture Forum was formed in 1980 to encourage the study and preservation of these informative and valuable material resources. The Buchanan Award is named for Paul E. Buchanan who served as director of architectural research at Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for over 30 years and set the standard for architectural fieldwork in America. For more information visit www.vernaculararchitectureforum.org.
About Triangle Modernist Houses:
A unique combination of construction and art, modernist houses are being torn down in record numbers as newer, larger houses are built on the valuable land. Through its extensive website and public tours of modern houses in the Triangle, TMH is committed to advocating, protecting, restoring and growing modernist architecture in the Triangle. TMH’s six modernist house tours during 2008 and 2009 attracted over 1500 architecture enthusiasts from North Carolina and beyond. For more information, contact TMH executive director George Smart at (919) 740-8407 or by email: george@trianglemodernisthouses.com.
posted by blueplate pr
Lather Stylists Expand Their Color Expertise at Wella Workshop
June 30, 2009 at 12:00 am | In beauty, fashion | Leave a CommentTags: hair color, Raleigh beauty salons, Raleigh hair salons, trendy hair color
Jessica Williams
June 29, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) – Three stylists from Lather Hair Salon, a full-service hair and make up salon in North Raleigh, recently honed their hair coloring skills at a special “Swatch and Learn” workshop featuring “Koleson Perfect” tonal colors by Wella Color Movement.
Lather stylists Lauren Lawson and Alissa Phillips accompanied the salon’s owner and senior stylist, Jessica Williams, to the workshop, which was held at the Color Salon and Day Spa in Morrisville, NC.
Alissa Phillips
The “Swatch and Learn” workshop gave all participants the chance to increase their knowledge of the philosophy and education behind Wella’s Color Movement hair color line in general and the Koleson Perfect system in particular. It increased their expertise in color consultation and in creating their own color palettes for their hair swatch books.
The workshop also addressed how to interpret color trends by working with Wella shades and other color lines.
“This class was a great way for our stylists at Lather to step outside the box and
Lauren Lawson
think about formulating color in a whole new way,” said Williams, who realizes the salon’s clients will only benefit from her staff’s ongoing education.
Lather Hair Salon opened in October of 2008 as “an upscale salon without the attitude,” according to Williams.
Currently, the salon is offering a special summer-long promotion that awards clients with discounts when they purchase one of the salon’s new logo tee-shirts and then wear them back in for more hair care services. (For details, visit latherhairsalonnc.wordpress.com)
“In a tight economy, hair care might not fall at the top of anyone’s must-have list,” Williams said. “So we wanted to make it a little easier to continue to take care of your hair all summer.”
About Lather Hair Salon
Lather Hair Salon is located at 8521 Cantilever Way near the corner of Glenwood Ave./Highway 70 and Ebenezer Church Road. . For more information, including business hours and the salon’s “Hair Academy 101” blog that features ongoing tips for hair care and styling, go to www.latherhairsalonnc.com. Lather is also available on Facebook and at triangle.citysearch.com.
posted by blueplate pr
Landscape Architect Dick Bell Launches New, Informative Blog
June 25, 2009 at 10:42 pm | In environmentalism, environmentalist, green architecture, land planning, landscape architecture | Leave a CommentTags: American Society of Landscape Architects, landscape architect, landscape architecture, Prix de Rome
The pond at Dick Bell's "Water Garden"
June 25, 2009 (ATLANTIC BEACH, NC) – Richard C. Bell, a master landscape architect who spent nearly all of his illustrious career in Raleigh before relocating last year to Atlantic Beach, has launched a new blog that offers a glimpse into the man and mind behind some of North Carolina’s most iconic landmarks.
Among Bell’s best known projects are NC State University’s “Brickyard” and Sculpture Garden plazas, the City of Raleigh’s Pullen Park, the Meredith College Amphitheater, St. Mary’s College soccer field and brick fencing, and The Water Garden, Raleigh’s first mixed-use development on Glenwood Avenue/Highway 70 West that combined offices and residents and served as a laboratory for his experiments on planting materials and landscape design.
Entitled “Pebbles In The Pond: News & Musings by Landscape Architect Dick Bell,” the new blog gives Bell a repository for his knowledge of the profession, of environmental design and sustainability, and of the history of the profession in North Carolina. The blog is located at: dickbell.wordpress.com.
“Pebbles In The Pond” also includes news Bell has generated over recent years, such as his induction into the Raleigh Hall of Fame. Links also take visitors to articles on Bell and his work that have been published in the media.
Dick Bell has completed over 2000 landscape architecture projects. He has designed everything from major city and highway corridors to city parks, university plazas and amphitheatres, mixed-use beachfront developments, and individual residences, and he was a recognized leader in environmentalism and sustainable design long before the words became part of the general lexicon.
A native of Manteo, NC, Dick Bell was educated at the North Carolina State University School of Design, graduating in 1950 as part of Dean Henry Kamphoefner’s first class of 15 architects and four landscape architects. At the age of 21, he was the youngest designer to receive the Prix de Rome, which allowed him to travel and study in Europe for two years. He founded his first firm in Raleigh, NC, in 1955, introducing the practice of landscape architecture as a registered profession to the state. He was also the first person elected to the registration board.
Dick Bell, FASLA, FAAR
Bell is a Fellow of both the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Academy in Rome and has received 27 honor awards for his work. To view his new blog, go to dickbell.wordpress.com.
posted by blueplate pr
Metro Magazine Readers Vote For “The Best” From the Triangle to the Coast
June 19, 2009 at 9:30 pm | In media, news | Leave a Comment
June 19, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) — Thousands of readers and winners are awaiting Metro Magazine’s 10th anniversary MetroBravo awards. Winning results will be published in two installments in the July and August issues.
And this year the anticipation appears to be especially high as the monthly magazine celebrates its 10th birthday during 2009.
According to Katie Reeves, director of sales and marketing for Metro Magazine, “we’ve seen a real spike in ballot entries this year. As the region has grown there are more nominations. Readers realize our 10th birthday adds significance and showcases winners for years to come.”
Over 4000 ballots were submitted by Metro Magazine’s 150,000-plus readership from the Triangle region to the coast.
Readers are asked to fill out ballots published in Metro Magazine (and online at www.metronc.com ) in categories ranging from restaurants and wine, architecture and favorite media personalities, to the best places to buy fashionable clothing, favorite resorts and the top medical facilities in the region.
Readers divulge a myriad of preferences: their favorite soft drink; brand of automobile; brand of liquor; and the best place for a romantic evening, among dozens of other categories.
“It’s great fun every year,” Reeves added, “but it’s also very serious. We work hard to assure accuracy because we know how important it is for area businesses, restaurants and organizations to win.”
For more information on Metro Magazine and the MetroBravo awards, call 919-831-0999 or go to www.metronc.com.
posted by blueplate pr
Lather Hair Salon Offers Its Own “Stimulus Package”
June 19, 2009 at 1:02 am | In beauty, fashion | Leave a CommentTags: Raleigh beauty salon, Raleigh hair salon, summer specials
June 19, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) – To promote itself and provide customers with summer-long savings, Lather Hair Salon, a full-service hair salon in North Raleigh, is introducing it’s own Summer Stimulus Package — “Latherwear,” a new line of logo tee-shirts that comes with a key perk:
When customers purchase Latherwear logo tees, they receive 10 percent off any services they receive in the salon that day. Then, each time they wear their Latherwear tees back into the salon, they continue to receive 10 percent off — all summer.
Jessica Williams, owner and senior stylist at Lather Hair Salon, launched her salon’s Summer Stimulus Package this week with radio, print and in-salon advertising. Her goals are to build the brand of this relatively new salon and create salon loyalty while offering hair care cost savings in an economy that has everyone pinching pennies..
The key message: ““Stimulate your hair with Lather styling. Stimulate your body and bank account with Latherwear. Now that’s a stimulus package.”
“In a tight economy, hair care might not fall at the top of anyone’s must-have list,” said Williams, who opened Lather Hair Salon in October of 2008. “So we wanted to make it a little easier to continue to take care of your hair all summer. Of course, we’d also like to see our Latherwear as part of our customers’ summer style!”
Produced by Body Billboards Inc. in Durham, NC, the lightweight, perfect-for-summer white cotton tees feature a small version of the Lather Hair Salon logo on the front and a larger version on the back as well as the salon’s website: www.latherhairsalonnc.com. Sizes are available for men and women.
“Latherwear” is just the newest special offering at Lather Hair Salon. The salon’s website continues to offer a 20-perent-off coupon for first-time clients only as well as other daily specials, such as “hair makeover Mondays” and “hump day highlights.”
Latherwear tee-shirts are only available in the salon, which is located at 8521 Cantilever Way, Suite 109, just off North Glenwood Avenue/Highway 70 West near Carmax. For more information, including business hours, visit www.latherhairsalonnc.com.
Lather Hair Salon is also available on Facebook and through Citysearch.
posted by blueplate pr
“Open Sky Art” Exhibit at Caribou Coffee
June 11, 2009 at 9:18 pm | In North Carolina arts, art, en plein air | Leave a CommentTags: art, Chapel Hill artists, en plein air, North Carolina artists
Artist Scott Myers at work on an "en plein air" painting for Open Sky Art.
June 11, 2009 (CHAPEL HILL, NC) – Joseph Rowand, director and curator at Somerhill Gallery in Durham, was stunned to learn that the artists who participated in Kimberly Alvis’ “Open Sky Art” event on Sunday, June 7, began and completed their paintings in just a few hours that day. Rowand arrived at Caribou Coffee on 110 West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill late that afternoon to select the top three ribbon-winners among the 8 completed works.
“I thought they started three days ago,” he said as he studied the paintings now displayed on the walls of the downtown coffee shop.
Artists in the gardens
Open Sky Art was an “en plein air” (French for “in the open air”) painting session hosted by Chapel Hill artist Kimberly Alvis in her lush gardens just outside the downtown district. Participating artists chose whatever element or view they wanted to paint on Alvis property, which includes a pond and small wooden bridge, pool, gazebo, extensive gardens in bloom and ornamental trees.
The artists brought their own supplies and painted outdoors from 8 a.m. to around 2 p.m. before delivering the completed works – most of which were also framed – to Caribou Coffee’s West Franklin Street location, where they became part of the Open Sky Art Exhibit to celebrate “en plein air” painting.
Painting "en plein air"
An advocate and veteran of open-air painting, Kimberly Alvis contributed three of her own oil paintings for the show, although as host and a member of the Somerhill Gallery stable of artists, her works were not included in the judging for the three winners.
For First Place, Rowand selected an 8×10 piece of the pond and bridge, rendered in pastels, by Linda Wood of Wood Design & Art Studio in Raleigh. The painting is titled “June Garden” and Wood will receive the only cash prize.
Second Place went to Scott Meyers of Chapel Hill, a member of the Orange County Artists Guild, for his 14×17 oil painting of an old Adirondack chair sitting by the bank of the pond.
Third Place went to Tesh Parekh, co-owner of IWP Photography and a member of the Visual Art Exchange in Raleigh, for a 12×16 watercolor of the pond and surrounding gardens — one of two pieces Parekh completed that day.
Open Sky Art event, sponsored by Kimberly Alvis
Kimberly Alvis sponsored the Open Sky Art event and exhibit to celebrate “en plein air” painting and go expose artists who enjoy it to a wider audience.
“I’m very grateful to the management of Caribou on Franklin Street for allowing us to display our exhibit there,” she said.
The Open Sky Art Exhibit will remain in Caribou Coffee at 110 W. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, through mid-July and will be part of the town’s Second Friday Art Walk.
About Kimberly Alvis: An accomplished artist, Kimberly Alvis is recognized for her representational work in oil on canvas, linen and panel. She is represented in the Triangle area for Somerhill Gallery in Durham (www.somerhill.com) and the Little Art Gallery & Craft Collection in Raleigh (www.littleartgalleryandcraft.com.) According to Somerhill Gallery’s Joseph Rowand, Alvis’ work offers “a style reminiscent of the 17th century Dutch and Spanish masters. We encounter with Kim’s work an artist who celebrates the past, deploying paint and light to exquisitely delineate her own compositions.” To see more of her work, visit www.alvisart.com.
posted by blueplate pr
Food & Wine Fundraising Event A Huge Success On Many Levels
June 10, 2009 at 5:16 pm | In charity, news | Leave a CommentTags: charitable event. help for disabled, food event, fundraisers, NC wineries, RHA Howell, wine event
June 10, 2009 (PINE LEVEL, NC) – The real winner of The Epicurious Vino Challenge, a charitable fundraising food and wine event held May 30th at Hinnant Family Vineyards in Pine Level, NC, was RHA Howell: The non-profit organization that serves children and adults with disabilities across the state of North Carolina was the recipient of the fundraiser. And from ticket sales, specialty raffles, and a fine jewelry auction, the event raised over $18,500. 
Of course, the reason the nearly sold-out crowd turned out for the event was The Challenge: 12 professional chefs from Raleigh to Kinston competed to see who could create the best signature dish using a specific Hinnant Family Vineyards wine as the key ingredient. The chefs pulled the name of an award-winning wine from a hat and created their recipes. Everyone in attendance sampled the results, including the U.S. Food Services’ team of professional chefs, who selected the Chef’s Choice Award.
And the winners are:
US Food Services’ team proclaimed Chef Jeremy Sabo of Porter’s City Tavern in downtown Raleigh the winner of the Chef’s Choice Award. Chef Sabo created a Flourless Chocolate Cake with Tar heel Soaked Cherries using Hinnant’s sweetest red wine, the “Tar heel Red.” Porter’s is one of the Urban Food Group’s collection of fine dining establishments in Raleigh.
The “Peoples Choice Award,” selected by a vote from the attending crowd, went to Chef Frank Peters of Catering Works in Raleigh. Chef Peters used Hinnant’s “Southern Red” wine to create Tournedos of Pork, Hinnant Vineyard’s Southern Red Muscadine Glaze, Strawberry Consommé, Spiced Crispy Bacon, and Asher Blue Cheese, all with ingredients from local sources.
Chef Manny Froehlich of the Goldsboro Country Club received an Honorable Mention for his use of Pomegranate wine to make a Duck Ballotine. Chef Joyce R. Jenkins of The Serving Spoon, a catering company in Pine Level, also received an Honorable Mention for using “Pack House Gold” wine to create her Pack House Gold Tandoori Chicken.
“It was a magical evening,” said event planner Debbie Valentine of RHA Howell. “We are so grateful to our wonderful sponsors, executive chefs, parents, and staff who gave generously and worked tirelessly for this great event. It was a privilege to work with Wes Dills from Hinnant Family Vineyards and Tim Sitter of US Foodservice, our Grand Benefactors. Fallon Benefits Group, Southern Pharmacy Services, PFMI, Jim and Donna Panton, SCA Tena, and Morcom Medical Consultants were also extremely important to our success. We raised over $18,500, which is incredible for a first time event considering the economy, and we can not wait until next year!”
About RHA Howell:
RHA Howell has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for more than 35 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, and hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. For more information visit www.rhahowell.org.
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Caribou Coffee On West Franklin To Host “Open Sky Art” Exhibit
June 2, 2009 at 11:29 pm | In North Carolina arts, art, en plein air, news | Leave a CommentTags: art events, Chapel Hill art exhibits, Chapel Hill arts, en plein air, North Carolina artists, outdoor painting, Triangle art exhibits
"Girls Fishing," an 'en plein air' painting by Kimberly Alvis
June 2, 2009 (CHAPEL HILL, NC) – The Caribou Coffee Company location at 110 West Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill will host Open Sky Art: An Exhibit, beginning Sunday, June 7 and running throughout the month.
Open Sky Art is a celebration of “en plein air” painting (French for “in the open air”), sponsored by Chapel Hill artist Kimberly Alvis, who wants to expose the art and the artists who enjoy this method of painting to a wider local audience.
“Caribou Coffee seeks out different avenues to connect with community, and here on West Franklin Street we’re always looking for opportunities to support the local artists and musicians,” said store manager Carla Strickland.
“We’re delighted and honored that Carla and Caribou Coffee have agreed to host our exhibit,” Alvis said. “The popularity of that coffee shop and its location right in the middle of everything on Franklin Street will provide excellent exposure for the artists who are lugging their easels, paints, brushes and talent outdoors to create original works of art under the open sky.”
A frequent participant in open-air painting, Kimberly Alvis is hosting an all-day painting session in her own gardens on Sunday, June 7. Over a dozen artists are participating. Paintings completed that day and prepared for hanging will be included in the Open Sky Art Exhibit. Somerhill Gallery’s celebrated director and curator Joe Rowand will then determine First, Second and Third place winners. A cash prize will be awarded to the First Place winner.
“En plein air” painting challenges artists to create works outside of their studios, using what they see and feel around them as inspirations for their work. During the Open Sky Art painting session, artists will use Kimberly Alvis’ lush gardens, backyard pond and parade of ducks as potential subjects.
“I love ‘en plein air’ painting because you never know what you’re going to have to deal with,” Alvis said, remembering a particular session when she had to keep goats from munching on her canvas while she was painting on a goat farm near Graham, NC. “The wind, the quality of the lighting – everything factors in when you’re painting outdoors.”
As the host and sponsor of Open Sky Art, Alvis will not paint during the event or include her work in the judging process, but she will hang a completed painting in the exhibit.
The Open Sky Art Exhibit can be seen in Caribou on Franklin Street during the town’s Second Friday Art Walk (June 12) and throughout the month during regular business hours.
Caribou Coffee Company, Inc., founded in 1990, makes it a practice to give back to the communities where its shops are located. For more information, visit www.cariboucoffee.com.
For more information on Open Sky Art and Kimberly Alvis, visit www.alviswart.com.
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