Up & Coming Weekly

October 04, 2022

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OCTOBER 5 - 11, 2022 UCW 37 COVER STORY this concept to an even higher level as a celebrity has the added ben- efit. To see a piece by Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney or Richard Petty adds an element of awe." So, how do you share over 200 works by celebrities with the public? Create the ambiance for a restaurant by hanging your framed original art collection stacked up on the walls and even hanging the work in the bathroom and bath- room stalls. at's easy to build and own a restaurant with good food but also has the restaurant's décor that exudes your outgoing and engaging personality. is gallery and eatery exists in Elizabethtown, off Interstate 87, and is a combination restaurant, bar and ballroom. e stacked artworks filling the walls are in an 1850 Salon exposition style. e list is unexpectedly endless, while din- ing at the Cape Fear Winery, and includes works by Picasso, Salva- dor Dali, Matisse, Ron Wood, Ringo Starr, Dr. Suess, Jonathan Winters, Eric Clapton and more. As noted earlier, the collector is just as curious as the collection is. Graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in Advertising, Munroe started his first company in Wilm- ington, in 2000, producing and selling detectable warning systems. Munroe then returned home to expand his company at the Eliza- bethtown Industrial Park. Munroe states it best : "e aban- doned winery was across the street from my office. It was a beautiful property, so that I would walk my dog there every day. I discovered it was in foreclosure, so I leased it the day I found out. Worst case, it was a beautiful property, so it was a valuable real estate to me. I asked around and decided the area needed an event venue, restaurant and lodging." e Cape Fear Winery expanded to include a restaurant, a distillery, a venue for weddings or special occasions, and a new gift shop and spa. With the collection always hanging, the restaurant is always the place to venture to when you are ready for good food and an eclectic dining experience! Eventually, visitors to the res- taurant will be able to see his most recent works, six more "Peanuts" pieces by Tom Everhart and an original by famous guitarist, Slash. One would assume Munroe had lived in Los Angeles for many years and was directly influenced by celebrities to collect celebrity art. To my surprise, Munroe's brothers unknowingly influenced him to become a collector. Munroe tells his story about go- ing to New York City with his family as a young boy. He stated, "Coach Dean Smith was on the plane, and my brothers dared me to go get his autograph. I did, and my broth- ers thought I was so cool. So, to keep impressing them, I bought more stuff and suddenly had a nice collection. I have a broker in San Francisco who helps me acquire rare pieces when they come avail- able, usually about a year after the celebrity passes away." What began as a "way to impress his brothers" became a sincere passion, enriching the area where he was raised as a child. Munroe believes "great art will be around forever, and long after I'm gone. I think of myself more as the cur- rent proprietor of the art instead of the owner. You usually have to go to a big city to see the caliber of some of the art I have, so I'm happy to be able to share it locally. Before I opened the winery, most of my art was in cylinders in my attic. I originally thought I'd display select pieces, but as people started coming and asking if I had more, I happily hung more pieces on the walls." e public is invited to attend the opening reception of e Alex Munroe Collection: Artwork by Celebrities on Oct. 11 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Gallery 208 on Rowan Street in Fayetteville. Gallery hours are Monday thru ursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For anyone who cannot attend the opening, the exhibit will remain at Gallery 208 until Dec. 15. For infor- mation, call Up & Coming Weekly at 910-484-6200. SONI MARTIN, Gallery 208 Curator. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484- 6200. Art by Jimi Hendrix Art by Sid Caesar Art by Phyllis Diller

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