CHAMPIONING CHARLOTTE’S CREATIVITY
SINCE 2015
Charlotte is Creative
Charlotte Is Creative develops programs and initiatives designed to break the Charlotte mold and re-make it with creativity – into a city that draws people in, excites them, and inspires them to invest their financial, social and creative capital.We connect and celebrate Charlotte's creative citizens through live events like Creative Mornings/Charlotte and Queen City Quiz Show. We empower and support them through our HUG (Helpful Unfettered Gift) micro-grant program and related trainings. We inform and entertain our city through our official media channel, The Biscuit.
And we're innovating even more platforms and programming to provide further resources for Queen City creatives to be successful. Everything we do is in service of fortifying creativity in Charlotte, championing the diverse people making it happen, and strengthening the mutually-enriching relationship between Charlotte’s creative and business communities.
Matt Olin & Tim Miner, Co-Founders of Charlotte is Creative
Charlotte is Creative
Charlotte Is Creative develops programs and initiatives designed to break the Charlotte mold and re-make it with creativity.
HUG Micro-Grants
HUGs (Helpful Unfettered Gifts) are $250 strings-free micro-grants – aka “Love Bombs of Cash” – awarded monthly to non-profit and for-profit creative initiatives in Charlotte to help propel the project forward or remove a small obstacle to its overall success. As of January 2020, we've awarded more than $40,000 in HUGsto 160+ local projects.
Learn More
Queen City Quiz Show
Our live game show about Charlotte’s past and present is designed to spur community discourse, convey information, and empower citizens to shape our city’s future. QCQS has become known as an engaging component of public forums and gatherings and is available to hire for companies, outings, and events.
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Employee Engagement
We help companies and organizations adjust to today's remote workplace culture with Employee Engagement Programs that inspire teams, strengthen leaders and encourage innovation. Through our customized programs, employees become more passionate and committed to their employer, their colleagues, and their city. And that’s how companies retain talent.
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CreativeMornings/CLT
Join with hundreds of Charlotteans the first Friday of the month at this free monthly breakfast series celebrating the creative spirit of the city with local speakers, live music, and more. The diverse audience is united by the belief that “Everyone is Creative” and "Everyone is Welcome," shared by over 200 CreativeMornings chapters around the world.
Learn More
The Biscuit
Our official media channel, The Biscuit, helps you take a big bite out of life in Charlotte. The Biscuit leads you on an exploration of the Queen City's creative community with daily news, weekly videos, podcasts, and humor.
Read what's new in The Biscuit »
𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁-𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲
Tonight is your final chance to see “Out of Place,” an exhibition at Goodyear Arts curated by Naji Alali. It features ten artists who consider themselves “outliers,” many of whom you’ve read about in The Biscuit, like Kat Sanchez, Cheeks, ARKO and Taylor Lee Nicholson.
As you can see from this photo (and others on their Instagram - @goodyeararts ) this installation features non-traditional works of art that burst off the walls and envelop you. For their work on “Out of Place,” Naji and Cheeks received a “Bolt of Inspiration” from The Savage Way and OrthoCarolina.
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝗻𝗱
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁. 𝟭𝟳 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟲 𝘁𝗼 𝟵 𝗽.𝗺.
𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄: 𝐌.𝐆. 𝐍𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐫
𝐈𝐆: @mgnapierart
𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫: MGNapierArt
𝐓𝐢𝐤𝐓𝐨𝐤: mgnapierart
Meet M.G. Napier, a visual artist who has been living and creating in the Queen City for over 20 years. She describes her style as “Expressionism-Realism,” and for those who aren’t caught up on their art terminology, it basically means she makes art that is really frickin’ cool.
Her unique style incorporates acrylic paint and digital art to create cohesive, yet surreal illustrations and paintings. To see more of her work head to @mgnapierart then head to the link in her bio to purchase a jaw-dropping original that would make the rest of your art collection jealous.
We had the chance to ask M.G. a few questions:
𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞.
Charlotte's creative community is incredibly supportive, and it has been steadily increasing as we slowly walk into post-pandemic normality. Support from this community is vital and it continues to emerge.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞 (𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲) 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 & 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞?
Perhaps more opportunities for artists to display their work at public events. Encouraging the public to support and shop local.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰?
Many of us use art to express our trepidations and inner feelings and transform emotions into amazing works of art. Unfortunately, some lack opportunities to show the public their work. In a very competitive field, emerging artists face the fear of putting their work out there, and many might not know where to start.
Having organizations (and individuals) encourage emerging creatives to participate in events sponsored by the City/organization would be a great opportunity for networking and for forming strong connections with other creatives.
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#charlotteiscreative #charlotte #clt #cltarts #charlottearts #acrylicpainting #visualartist #supportlocalartists
𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 - 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐱𝐚𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞.
At any table where there is talk of government-sponsored housing displacement over dinner, you might also be served side dishes of side-eye glances, under-the-table kicks and quieting coughs.
Rarely would you find yourself in the middle of such a discussion amidst a jubilee of dance, theater and interactive art installations.
And yet, that is the experience Kat Martin (@kmart0728) and her production company, Mixed Metaphors, intend to dish out with their production of FixaPlate, a one-part full-length play, one-part exhibition and two parts community discussion among on-stage actors, featured artists, community partners and the audience.
Grab a fork and click the link in our bio to dig into more about FixaPlate in a story by @deeperthandesigner.
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#charlotteiscreative #mixedmetaphors #charlotte #clt #cltnc #cltarts #cltperformance #cltart #charlottearts #fixaplateclt
SNEAK PEEK! We’re working on a creative tour of Belmont for our exploration series with @orthocarolina … and @brookebrownphotography_clt snapped this gorgeous shot of the Belmont mural by @gardenofjourney herself, Georgie Nakima! Stay tuned for more next week.
![“[When I was growing up], I visited [McColl Center] a few times with the Studio 345 program, and I always wanted to work here. So this is a dream come true.” – Emily Núñez
𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐮́𝐧̃𝐞𝐳
The intimate community of creatives working together in the new artist studios at McColl Center is about to get a new neighbor — Charlotte native and visual artist, Emily Núñez (@brik.art).
Núñez recently earned a BFA from Appalachian State University. While she’s excited to begin her career in Charlotte, Núñez — like many working artists here — needs space to create. That changes for her on Oct. 4 when she begins her mini-residency in McColl Center's artist studios.
This month, Núñez was selected to be the second participant in a new collaboration between Charlotte Is Creative, publisher of The Biscuit, and McColl Center to provide three mini-residencies to local artists at no cost.
Read about how Núñez began her creative journey in Charlotte and what she intends to create during her time at McColl Center. Link in bio!
P.S. Swipe to see some of Emily’s work! 📸:@brik.art
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#charlotteiscreative #mccollcenter #art #innovation #charlotte #clt #queencity #cltarts #cltartist #charlotteartist #artistresidency #creativespace](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=OTQzOjE0OQ==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMTAwMCA1NjAiIHdpZHRoPSIxMDAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjU2MCIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIj48L3N2Zz4=)
“[When I was growing up], I visited [McColl Center] a few times with the Studio 345 program, and I always wanted to work here. So this is a dream come true.” – Emily Núñez
𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐮́𝐧̃𝐞𝐳
The intimate community of creatives working together in the new artist studios at McColl Center is about to get a new neighbor — Charlotte native and visual artist, Emily Núñez (@brik.art).
Núñez recently earned a BFA from Appalachian State University. While she’s excited to begin her career in Charlotte, Núñez — like many working artists here — needs space to create. That changes for her on Oct. 4 when she begins her mini-residency in McColl Center's artist studios.
This month, Núñez was selected to be the second participant in a new collaboration between Charlotte Is Creative, publisher of The Biscuit, and McColl Center to provide three mini-residencies to local artists at no cost.
Read about how Núñez began her creative journey in Charlotte and what she intends to create during her time at McColl Center. Link in bio!
P.S. Swipe to see some of Emily’s work! 📸:@brik.art
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#charlotteiscreative #mccollcenter #art #innovation #charlotte #clt #queencity #cltarts #cltartist #charlotteartist #artistresidency #creativespace
The stained glass in Biddle Hall at Johnson C. Smith University is absolutely beautiful.
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#charlotteiscreative #johnsoncsmithuniversity #jcsu #charlotte #clt #charlottenc #exploreclt #northcharlotte