12 Creatives Win Celebrate Charlotte Arts Grants

#CharlotteIsCreative … and the Knight Foundation is helping to propel the Queen City Creative community further by funding a wide array of projects that will hit Charlotte next spring.

On Sept. 19, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation revealed the winners of its inaugural Celebrate Charlotte Arts initiative. This special funding initiative was designed to support projects and individuals that showcase artistic excellence and the Queen City’s creative spirit. Twelve projects were selected out of a field of more than 200 applicants and each will receive their share of the $200,000 with a goal of sharing their work at the BOOM Festival next April.

The 12 projects being funded are:

La Bestia – $25,000

A contemporary circus take on the Central American immigrant journey to the U.S., told from
the multicultural and intercultural perspective of the Nouveau Sud project.
From CarlosAlexis Cruz / the Nouveau Sud project

The Land of Nod – $3,500

A dance theater work that utilizes Shaker-inspired music and choreography to investigate the
story of Cain and Abel.
From Eric Mullis, Joy Davis, Brent Bagwell, Troy Conn, Jessica Lindsey, Victor Hahn, Charlie
Trexler, Chris Walldorf, Eric Chang

Cine Casual Film Series – $14,000

A film series presenting recent, internationally-acclaimed and award-winning Latin American
films, specially curated for the Queen City.
From Giovanna Torres and Alexander Piñeres

Dia de Los Casi Muertos- $17,650

An ongoing multimedia project that uses video and photography to explore the cultural
differences between Mexican and American experiences with death and aging.
From Julio Gonzalez

Detective Samwel Sift’s Loved One Discovery or Recovery Services – $5,000

A second season of a zombie noir audio drama podcast series set in Charlotte, which will
integrate more of Charlotte’s local history and character.
From Kevin Patterson and Stationary Hobo Productions

Kindred Roots – $25,000

An exploration of multidisciplinary public art and creative storytelling, designed with Charlotte’s
creative community and partners, culminating in a mural and event that highlights the Historic
West End’s legacy and creativity.
From Kindred Collective

Heaven – $25,000

A collaborative dance-theatre and visual arts performance inspired by stories of migration,
displacement and the tenacity of the human spirit.
From Moving Poets

The Shiny Language Project – $25,000

A large-scale embroidery of internet comments in sequins, emphasizing the language we use and
how it can affect others around us.
From Renee Cloud

Light + Song – $8,000

A cinematic video series of local musicians’ live performances, celebrating the city’s identity
through music and creative collaborations.
From Sean Beck and Daniel Hamby

I. daughter-monster – $15,850

A site-flexible theater performance where monsters, mothers and magic conspire to reckon with
multi-layered abuses of privilege and power.
From True Lobster Charlotte

Charlotte Breaths – $23,080

An interactive public art installation of wirelessly-networked inflatables placed at multiple sites
in Charlotte that will allow visitors in each site to perceive the presence of visitors in other
remote sites, promoting a spirit of collective awareness.
From the Urban Synergetics Lab at UNCC

Foothills – $12,920

A public art display of interactive dioramas accompanied by music and shared throughout the
city in 2020.
From William Stephen Davis