Here’s some of the most interesting creative news for the week of June 14:

The Skyline Will Light Up for Juneteenth

For the second year, Charlottean Brittany Moore, North Carolina’s Ambassador for the United States of Women, has arranged for buildings across the Charlotte skyline to lit up in green, yellow and red, the primary colors of African countries, in honor of Juneteenth. The Bank of America Corporate Center, Wells Fargo’s Duke Energy Center, Truist Center and more will participate in this effort after sundown on Saturday. 

Celebrate Juneteenth at Durag Fest

Celebrate Black culture through music, fashion, art and community from noon to 11 p.m. this Saturday, June 19 at the fourth annual Durag Fest. Organized to commemorate Juneteenth, this year’s Durag Fest is founded on the theme of “Flowers.” 

Organizer Dammit Wesley said, “Countless Black creatives are being robbed of their ideas and denied compensation. So this year, we want to give ‘us’ our flowers ‘cause we deserve ‘em.” 

Durag Fest activities will take place at Victoria Yards and the NASCAR Hall of Fame Plaza in uptown Charlotte and at Camp North End. Click here for tickets and information.

For information on other Juneteenth celebrations in the Charlotte area, we recommend following Shawn Allison, a.k.a. @BlackFerrisBueller 

Final Weekend of South End Blooms

South End Blooms, a weekly series of weekend creative pop-ups and installations, draws to a close this week with two of its most dramatic activities yet. Over the course of Blooms, nearly 30 creatives have been paid to delight South End residents and visitors with surprise activities. 

This weekend features free dog portraits, live painting and the creation of two new permanent murals by Garrison Gist at Wooden Robot Brewing and Amber Thompson at the Holiday Inn Express, the first hotel ever built in South End.

Click here for information on this weekend’s “Blooms.” 

South End Blooms is sponsored by Charlotte Center City Partners and managed by Charlotte Is Creative.

$38 Million Pledged to Support Local Arts

On Tuesday, June 15, the Charlotte City Council voted 11-1 to approve the proposed 2022 budget, which included a commitment for $6 million to support local arts efforts. This is part of a proposed three-year, $18 million in public funds, matched by $20 million in private funds Foundation for the Carolinas (FFTC) announced last week it had raised from more than 35 Charlotte businesses at the behest of the city. 

“A citizen-led grantmaking board will be created with a split of City of Charlotte and private-sector appointees,” to distribute these resources, according to a press release from FFTC. .

Read more on this vote by our media partners, WFAE.

Levine Museum Selling Building; Reimagining for the Digital Age

As reported in The Charlotte Ledger, the Levine Museum of the New South issued a letter to its members this week information them that the museum is selling its 0.7-acre site in Uptown Charlotte and will focus on greater digital programming in future. Museum CEO Kathryn Hill said in the letter that this new direction is necessary to implement their mission by imagining “new ways to create and deliver content in the digital age.” Read more here.

“That’s no moon …”

Blumenthal Performing Arts has announced that Gaia, a three-dimensional sculpture of Earth, will be suspended above Founders Hall during Charlotte SHOUT! this fall. Measuring 23 feet in diameter, Gaia rotates and is illuminated. It was created by British installation artist Luke Jerram to give visitors a simulated view of the planet from our moon. It will be free and open to the public. Read more here.