Painters Chris Graebner and Jude Lobe and jeweler Miranda Kossoff are displaying their work in the Mystic Chords exhibit at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts through June 24. These pieces were inspired by a quote from President Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address, in which he referred to "mystic chords of memory."

The Block Gallery, in Raleigh, showcased paintings by Susan Brabeau as well as "Here and Now-There and Then," a display of handmade textile books. The exhibit was guest-curated by Janine LeBlanc and featured works by Peggy Clover, Christine Hager-Braun, Susan Oliver Fennell, Linda Lowe and Georgia Springer.

Abbe Godwin, a sculptor from Greensboro, recently spoke about creating the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at the State Capitol grounds in Raleigh. Her monument, which honors North Carolina's Vietnam veterans, is titled "After the Firefight."

FRANK in Chapel Hill held its opening reception for the exhibit "A Sense of Place." A series of Thursday Salons have highlighted women such as Jean Le Cluyse, a FRANK featured artist, and Mildred (Mama Dip) Council, the local restaurant owner and cookbook author. It will continue on June 7 with Jan Butta, a FRANK featured artist, and on June 14 with Nerys Levy, a video-creator.

An exhibition by Joann Couch, an artist from Cary, is on display at the Little Art Gallery and Craft Collection, in Raleigh, until June 15. The gallery was opened in 1968 by Ruth Green and is now run by her daughter, Rosanne Minick.

The Apex Latino Art Festival is holding a collective exhibit, which features artists such as Juliet Torrellas, Susana Fernandez, Claudia Pureco, Olga Renovales, Madeline Schneider, Consuelo Rodriquez, Madeline Schneider, Camilo Vergara, Ursi Galletti and Titania Delgado. The exhibit is on display at the Halle Cultural Arts Center in Apex until June 2.

Wendy Mann, an artist from Chapel Hill, is showcasing her art windows and mixed-media pieces throughout June at Jessee's Coffee & Bar as part of Carrboro's Second Friday Art Walk.

The ENO Gallery, in Hillsborough, recently presented an exhibition titled "Lines of Communication." It featured both abstract and representational paintings by eight nationally recognized artists, including Molly Cliff Hilts, Melissa Miller and Jenifer Padilla.

Tinka Jordy, of Hillsborough, announced that the 18th annual Sculpture Invitational took place last month in Hillsborough. Nationally recognized and local artists, including Carmen Elliott, Virginia Gibbons and Susan Moffatt, displayed new works.

Beverly Dyer, a certified botanical illustrator, exhibited her watercolor and mixed-media pieces at the Durham Art Walk.

Handcrafted, "upcycled" jewelry by mother-daughter pair Angela and Mallory Jones, of Raleigh, is available at The Scrap Exchange, a reuse store in Durham.

William Peace University, in Raleigh, announced:

• Jenny Peacock, an alumna of the university, was named director of admissions.
• Amber M. Kimball, former director of human resources, was promoted to assistant vice president for human resources.
• Ann Denlinger, Ph.D., a former program director for education, was named vice president of academic affairs.

Mount Olive College's annual awards ceremony recognized Wake County students, including:

• Candace Seagroves, a senior criminal justice and criminology major from Wendell, who received the Don Miller Award, which honored her as the criminal justice student showing the most promise in the field.
• Nikolette Lucas, a senior mathematics and chemistry double major from Raleigh, who received the Outstanding Student in Mathematics Award.

Veronica Armstrong, the first student in the Fostering Bright Futures program at Wake Tech Community College, graduated last month. The program helps former foster children in Wake County earn degrees from the community college.

N.C. State University, in Raleigh, announced:

• Alyse Flick, of Raleigh, was among the winners of the Matthews Medal, the highest nonacademic distinction awarded to students. The award recognizes seniors who have made significant contributions based on leadership and service.
• Sarah Rusche, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology, co-authored a paper describing her study, which showed discrimination against African-American customers in restaurants.

Sally Webb, CEO of The Special Event, an event and meeting management company, in Research Triange Park, announced that Grace Riddle, the firm's senior program manager, became a certified special events professional.

Janet Morley, of East Regional Library in Knightdale, announced that the library is hosting "Getting the Most out of Your Wedding Budget" on June 3 at 2 p.m. The event features speaker Journonya Harris-Rayner, a wedding consultant and owner of Party Pleasers, a Knightdale event-planning firm.

Nikki Wilson, owner of Gel Salon, in Cary, along with Cary O2 Fitness club, announced a 60-day makeover challenge to award hair and makeup styling to eight women. Announcement of the winners is scheduled for a celebration at Gel Salon on June 16.

Cary's Umstead Hotel and Spa, co-owned by Ann Goodnight, received the Integrity in Business Award from the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce at the 28th annual Pinnacle Business Awards.

Marissa Heyl, an alumnus of UNC-Chapel Hill, held a pre-launch party for Symbology, her fair-trade clothing line. Items from the first collection, Peacocks and Paisleys, are available at local boutiques, such as Gypsy Jule, in downtown Raleigh.

Laura A. Schoppe, president of Apex-based Fuentek, and Nannette Strangle-Castor, Ph.D., a senior technology transfer consultant at the firm, hosted a webinar titled "Implementing Open Innovation: Symbiotic Success for Tech Transfer Offices." Fuentek is a consulting firm that provides intellectual property and technology transfer services.

Stephanie Ferrell joined Five Star Staffing & Accounting Recruiters, which focuses on administrative and accounting placements in the Triangle, as a recruiting specialist.

Sherry Wyble, owner of Scott Private Wealth Group, a wealth management firm in Raleigh, spoke at the Tri-State Chapters Retreat of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She delivered a presentation titled "Determining the Marital Standard of Living."

Raleigh's Linda Meeks, owner of Pencil Me In, and Lisa DeVita, owner of DeVita Fabric Arts, co-host the Slipcover Summit in Hickory, N.C., from June 27 to 29.

The Raleigh African-American Chamber of Commerce announced:

• Peggy Tatum, CEO and editor of TCP Magazine, a national gospel publication, received the 2012 Award for Business and the N.C. Gospel Announcers Guild 2012 Prestige Award for the Ministry of Excellence.
• Kim Burke, CEO of the Burke Learning Center, hosted the 2012 Inaugural Community Service Awards.

Donna Preiss, founder and CEO of the Preiss Company, a student housing management firm based in Raleigh, participated in a panel discussion at the fourth annual InterFace Student Housing Conference.

Eileen Stevie, of Stevie Organizing Services, recently spoke at the Business of Women series at Prestonwood Country Club, in Cary.

Julie Gilbert, chef, culinary instructor and author of the cookbook "In Good Taste," hosted the first Saturday3 Farmer's Market at NoFo at the Pig in Raleigh.

Corrinna Jackson, a student at Wake Tech Community College, took first place for her tiered cake topped by a giant cupcake in a live Showpiece Challenge at Wake Tech's annual Culinary Arts Showcase at the Raleigh Convention Center.

Andrea Reusing, cookbook author and chef-owner of Lantern, in Chapel Hill, is participating in the Citymeals-on-Wheels annual chefs' tribute in New York this month. Her restaurant participated in the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival last month. Reusing is the 2011 winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast.

Chapel Hill's Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, in Research Triangle Park, received the 2012 Health Policy Hero Award. The award is presented by the National Research Center for Women and Families.

Erin Mulligan Graber, of Raleigh, was appointed to the District Court bench for the 10th Judicial District, which covers Wake County. Graber currently practices family, juvenile and criminal law.

Gov. Bev Perdue hosted a reception for the Lady Bears basketball team of Shaw University, in Raleigh, in honor of the team's national championship title in the NCAA Division II tournament.

Coats and Bennett, an intellectual property law firm, in Cary, announced:

• Emily Hass, an associate in the litigation group, was named co-chair of the lawyer support committee at the Wake County Bar Association.
• Letao Qin, Ph.D., an electrical and communications associate, led a question-and-answer session on intellectual property at the China Bioscience Connect Conference in Winston-Salem, N.C. The conference was designed to assist in business relations between China and the United States.

Ruth Levy is now an associate at Heath Law Firm, in Raleigh. Levy concentrates on business and regulatory law for healthcare providers.

Kerry Burleigh, an attorney formerly of Burleigh Law Firm, joined Springfield Collaborative Divorce, a law firm with two offices in the Triangle. Burleigh is managing the Durham office.

Howard, Merrell & Partners, an advertising agency in Raleigh, announced the promotions of Christina Woods to digital media supervisor and Shavette Purvis to analytics manager in the interactive department.

Melanie Ingool was promoted to account supervisor at Burkhead Brand Group, an advertising agency in Cary. She now oversees all aspects of integrated marketing and advertising campaigns.

Marilyn Bryant-Tucker, founder of MBT Marketing Solutions, a public relations and event marketing management company in Raleigh, was accepted into the doctoral business administration marketing program at Walden University.

Patty Briguglio, president of MMI Public Relations in Raleigh, presented on security incident responses at the Virginia Bankers Association Operations and Technology Conference.

Anita Shontel Woodley, an actress and playwright from Chapel Hill, performed the one-woman play "Mama Juggs," which confronts the themes of women's health, motherhood and living with breast cancer, at Health Touch N.C. in Durham last month. Also, Woodley was recently inducted into the Durham Arts Council's Emerging Artists Program in the category of drama.

Lorena Guillen completed her second year as conductor of the Triangle Jewish Chorale with a concert last month at the Levin Jewish Community Center, in Durham.

"Music for Teacups," by Melissa Haviland and David Colagiovanni, was shown at the Raleigh Art Commission's Block2.

Toni Stevens and The Billitones, of Durham, performed last month at Running on Empty, a fundraiser for the Durham Art Guild.

Louise Toppin, soprano, was featured in selections from George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" and other Broadway musicals during the Triangle Wind Ensemble's sixth annual "An American Celebration" concert last month in Cary.

At the Murphey School Theater in Raleigh, Burning Coal Theatre Company:

• Held the MusiCoal 2012 Series. The show included performances from acappella groups including Cognitive Resonance, Second Shift and transit. Local women performing included Kristin Sroka, Lacie Scofield, Lauren Thomason, Kristen Clyburn, Kelly Sambrick, Brie Adams, Susan Caplow, Jessica Efird, Ashley Trantham, Michelle Williams, Anna Yeargan and April McTaggart.
• Presented "For Colored Girls Who've Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf." The show was directed by Karen Dacons-Brock, choreographed by Cynthia Penn, stage managed by Natasha Jackson and starred Aurelia Belfield, LaKeisha Coffey, Emelia Cowans, Carly Jones, Kyma Lassiter, Sherida McMullan and Tara Whitney Rison.
• Presents PoliTheatrics 2012, a festival of "devised theatre," from June 28 to July 8. The festival features women from across the Southeastern United States, including Sue Jin Song, Karin Rosnizeck and Ilana Faye Silverstein of force/collision; Emily Hill of Haymaker; and Anna Jones, a freelance theater director.

The General Federation of Women's Club of North Carolina honored women for their significant contributions to the state. The Women of Achievement award winners included:

• Gale Adcock, of Cary, director of SAS Institute's Corporate Health Services,
• Willa Brigham, of Cary, inspirational speaker, storyteller, writer, performing artist and clubwoman
• Pam Saulsby, of Raleigh, journalist with WRAL-TV, singer and volunteer,
• Jackie Strange, of Pittsboro, former deputy postmaster general of the U.S. Postal Service, artist, poet, composer and fashion designer
• Dr. Mary Crabtree Tonges, of Durham, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at UNC Healthcare.

Rahel Gebremeskel, executive program manager at Triangle Blvd, a marketing firm in Raleigh, announced that Redress Raleigh took place in April. The showcase of environmentally conscious fashion design was part of the N.C. Science Festival, a multi-day, statewide celebration highlighting the educational, cultural and financial impact of science and technology in the state. Proceeds from the event benefited ABAN, a Chapel Hill organization that empowers girls in Ghana.

Jill Heath, president and CEO of Mulkey Engineers and Consultants, was selected as a candidate for the board of directors of the Cary Chamber of Commerce.

Nancy Bromhal, development director at SAFEchild, a child-abuse prevention agency in Wake County, announced that Swing Time to Benefit SAFEchild took place last month.

Bebee Bason Lee, president of Junior Achievement of Eastern N.C., based in Raleigh, announced that the organization was awarded an $11,000 grant from the Carolina Hurricanes' Kids 'N Community Foundation.

The Lotus Survival Foundation hosted its first Mind, Body and Soul virtual 3K walk and celebration last month, in Cary. The event
raised awareness and funds for underserved individuals affected by breast cancer.

Mary Freeman, of Raleigh, was honored last month at a reception at the Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities, in Raleigh. Freeman was recognized for 15 years of service as she retired as president and CEO of the organization's operations.

Lisa Qualls, president of FemCity Raleigh, announced that the local chapter of Femfessionals hosted a Connection Lunch last month in Raleigh.

Jennifer Bowman, of Community Innovations, and Kerri Erb, of the Autism Society of North Carolina, both located in Raleigh, have completed the Advancing Strong Leadership in Developmental Disabilities program of the N.C. Council on Development Disabilities. The program works to develop leaders who can respond to the growing demands for quality services for people with developmental disabilities.

Anna Merrett, public relations chair of the Assistance League of the Triangle Area, announced that the organization invited 190 elementary students from Wake, Durham and Orange counties to shop for school clothes and shoes as a part of Operation School Bell.

Women's Power Networking held several events last month, including:

• The Business Alliance Rally at the McKimmon Center at N.C. State University
• Power Lunch featuring actress Deborah Richter
• The after-hours Cocktails and Contacts, in Morrisville.

Allison Moriarty, vice president of sales and marketing for the Raleigh division of M/I Homes, won the firm's award for the best work in that position.

The Triangle Sales & Marketing Council of North Carolina, representing the Homebuilder's Association of Raleigh/Wake County and the Home Builder's Association of Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties, presented the Major Achievements in Marketing Excellence awards. Among the honorees were:

• Reyna Estrada for Internet specialist of the year and Hillary Morrow for marketing professional of the year of M/I Homes, in Raleigh.
• Suzanne Hardeman, of Beazer Homes in Raleigh, for salesperson of the year. The firm also won best selection/design center, which is managed by Dianne Lovell.

Coldwell Banker Commercial TradeMark Properties, in Raleigh, announced:

• Billie Redmond, president and CEO, was a panelist at the membership luncheon of the Triangle Commercial Real Estate Women.
• The firm was named the top Coldwell Banker Commercial office in North Carolina for 2011.
• Tara Kreider, commercial real estate advisor, became a member of the Million Dollar Land Sales Club.
• Mary Lobdell, director of retail service, was named a member of the Million Dollar Retail Listing Club.

Linda Craft and Team Realtors, in Raleigh, announced:

• Linda Craft shared her experience and opinions on the state of the real estate market at the Raleigh Mortgage Bankers Association gathering.
• Pamela Mansueti was the April Agent of the Month with the most buyer contracts on the team.

Nancy McFarlane, president of MedPro Rx, a Raleigh-based provider of specialty pharmacy services, announced that the firm was ranked 24th among the top 50 fastest-growing, women-owned companies in North America by American Express OPEN and the Women Presidents' Organization.

Lisa Feierstein, RN, co-founder of Active Healthcare, a medical equipment provider in Raleigh, announced that the company introduced the Provent Acclimation Program for treating sleep apnea.

Dr. Angela Baylis, of Raleigh, donated proceeds from all chiropractic services rendered on May 1 to benefit The ONE Research Foundation's "1 Day 4 One." The money is used for research for BPS and NET, a multi-modal, mind-body intervention for patients who suffer from cancer-related psychological and emotional distress.

DiabetesSisters, of Raleigh, announced that cookbook author and TV star Paula Deen was a virtual walker in the 2012 orange:will Diabetes Awareness Walk last month in Raleigh.

Leah Brown, president and CEO of A10 Clinical Solutions, in Cary, was named to the 2012 independent judging panel for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Program in the Carolinas. This year's winner is set to be announced during an awards gala on June 21 at The Westin Charlotte. Brown was a recipient of the award in 2010.

McIntyre's Fine Books in Pittsboro's Fearrington Village is featuring:

• Gabrielle Donnelly reading from her novel "Little Women Letters" on June 15.
• Karen White reading from her novel "Sea Change" on June 16.
• Jesmyn Ward reading from her novel "Salvage The Bones" on June 27.

Nancy LaPonzina released her debut novel, "Nardi Point." The story is set in North Raleigh, where a successful IT couple discovers remnants of Native American pottery on the building site of their new home.

Amy Leigh Brown and Anna Lena Phillips, both of Durham, and Iris Tillman, of Chapel Hill, were winners in the fourth annual Nazim Hikmat Poetry Festival.

Kristy Stevenson, of Wake Forest, accepted a position on the editorial board of The Eleusis, the nationwide publication of Chi Omega Fraternity.

Rita Berman, of Chapel Hill, announced the publication of "Still Hopping, Still Hoping," her biography of amputee Carla Shuford. The book is available on Amazon and Kindle.

Lila Hopkins, of Fuquay-Varina, released "Mabel's Way" as an e-book and in print. Her novel is an insider's view of living in a continuing-care retirement community.

Nicole Burgess, of Raleigh, announced that her book "Ingrid Darling" is available online and at Quail Ridge Bookstore, in Raleigh, and Regulator Bookshop, in Durham. The novel follows a college student with an attachment to material substances who tries to remove herself from temptation by moving to New York.