Two Charlotte Creatives Make 30-Foot High History
Eva Crawford and Hilary Siber capture five decades of Charlotte in new mural
“Charlotte’s creatives are daily preserving and promoting Charlotte’s history through their own making whether they write, paint, dance, drum, sculpt or photograph. Their voices carry their own story as well as those who informed them from the past.” – Hilary Siber
5,500 square feet.
30 feet high.
Six weeks of production.
Two years of planning.
In a city known for knocking down businesses and erasing its history, the Ervin Building (also known as the Varnadore building) is an anomaly.
After nearly a decade of standing vacant off E. Independence Rd., the seven-story building, constructed in the 1960s by home builder Charles Ervin, is currently being renovated, not demolished. And, a bit of its history – and the community around it – has been captured in a new mural created this summer by local artists Eva Crawford and Hilary Siber.
READ MORE about how this massive new mural came to be, and see photos of it from Brooke Brown.
JazzArts Charlotte Named “Southern Cultural Treasure”
Last week, South Arts, an Atlanta-based regional arts nonprofit focused on increasing access to arts and culture and empowering creatives and arts organizations, named JazzArts Charlotte one of 17 “Southern Cultural Treasures” in nine states. South Arts provides general operations funding to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)-led and -serving arts and cultural organizations throughout the Southeast.
As part of the cohort, JazzArts will receive $300,000 in total funding for general operations between now and 2025. The $6 million “Southern Cultural Treasures” initiative was funded, in part, by a $200,000 grant from the Infusion Fund. This three-year fund is a partnership of the City of Charlotte, private donors and corporations and Foundation For The Carolinas to support Charlotte-area arts and culture through FY 2023.
READ MORE about the Infusion Fund here.
Hopping from Giant Eggs to Giant Bunnies
Have you ever had to drive a giant bunny sculpture from Wilmington to Charlotte and back again? (And does that qualify you to travel in the HOV lane?) Charlotte creative Rupam Varma has had that unique experience. She was recently selected as one of 10 artists painting a 4 1/2 foot tall fiberglass rabbit for the “Hoppy Times” installation at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, N.C. The bunny will be on display through Dec. 31.
In April, Rupam was one of the local artists tapped to design one of the “Easter Eggs on Parade” installations at Charlotte SHOUT! She landed the commission for “Hoppy Times” immediately after SHOUT!
We caught up with her to learn more about the project. READ MORE about her experience.
 Brian McCully | CREDIT: Bray & Long Attorneys at Law Get Free Legal Advice (No … Seriously)
Making sure your contract documents protect you. Deciding to be an LLC or a 501(c)(3). Deciphering the legalese in the contract you just signed for a studio space.
If you’re like us, spending time on legal matters is not what makes the sun shine for you. But, not addressing legal issues is exactly what can keep your creative business from succeeding. The devil is in the details … and so are the horns. But, where do you start? Who do you call?
Over Zoom on Thursday, July 21, Charlotte lawyer Brian McCully of Bray & Long, PLLC will share insights on legal matters he feels creatives must confront to set themselves up for success. He will also take questions from the audience. And, he won’t be charging for the time. He is doing this as a favor to Charlotte Is Creative and to be of service to local creatives.
The special session for HUG grantees is now open to the public and will run from 5 to 6 p.m. on Zoom. It is free. SIGN UP HERE.
Open Position: Communications Manager at Charlotte Is Creative
- Do you love to write?
- Does research give you a thrill?
- Are you meticulous about your words and grammar?
- Are you driven to tell people’s stories?
- Do you want to help change the narrative of Charlotte?
If you answered “Yes” to the questions above, you may be just who we’re looking for. Charlotte Is Creative, publisher of The Biscuit, is seeking a communications manager.
We are looking for candidates who are near the beginning of their careers. This is just past an entry-level position. We need a creative who’s capable of balancing creative writing, business communication and expository writing.
HOW TO APPLY
Find more information on this position and an online application.
Creative Profile: Matthew Scott Honeycutt
IG: @MatthewScottHoneycutt
PayPal/Venmo: Use “Mxh720ac@email.cpcc.edu”
Open to commissions.
Matthew Scott Honeycutt is a visual artist and creative community engagement specialist at work in Charlotte. But, hundreds of artists in Charlotte know him as a collaborator, a creative who is always ready to lend a hand, an insight or a supportive word.
“My health forced me off my path of saving the world through physics and engineering – now I paint,” Honecutt said. He works primarily in oil paint and is currently selling his art at Wooden Robot’s Chamber and the TAC Gallery in NoDa.
When people see his work, Honeycutt hopes they’re curious … and not exactly sure what they’re seeing at first. “I want them to be confused, develop multiple reactions, question how they feel and spark curiosity,” he said.
Honeycutt is currently available for solo and collaborative commissions, as well as art consulting, installation staging and, as he says, “just about anything art-related.”
Tell us about the creative community in Charlotte.
I have noticed most Charlotte creatives help others shine even if they don’t benefit directly from it. It is wonderful to see such collaboration.
What does Charlotte (as a city) need to do to support creatives who live/work here?
More funding that makes it directly to individual artists. More places like the VAPA Center – affordable studio and event/exhibit spaces.
Funding and the increasing cost of living here as a disabled person on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) make it extremely difficult to survive and create simultaneously.
It’s a busy time in the Queen City creative community right now. Here are quick-hit resources and events we think you should know about.
Three Events We Like
- The Charlotte Peruvian Festival is returning to Camp North End on July 24. READ MORE.
- Through the Arts & Science Council’s Culture Blocks program, fiber artist Jillian Mueller is offering beginner classes in macrame and knitting. READ MORE.
- Fashion designer and stylist, Kianna, is seeking vendors (art, clothing, accessories, jewelry and beauty products) for a pop-up fashion show at Camp North End on August 19. Text 919-743-5285 for more information.
Three Resources You Need
- NC Arts has aggregated a large number of grant and educational opportunities for artists here. Please note that you should sort by deadline to find current/open programs. We recommend looking into South Arts’ “Cross Sector Impact Grant.”
- Speaking of South Arts, take a look at their “Professional Development and Artistic Planning Grants” to bolster your skills.
- Arts Impact CLT has partnered with Arts Connect International to offer summer and asynchronous anti-racism courses focused on cultural equity and creative justice for arts leaders. The summer course starts Monday. LEARN MORE.
RED ALERT! NERD ALERT! Okay, we say that with love because our own editor, Tim Miner, is a huge sci-fi nerd.
That’s why he lost his mind this week when YouTube’s TrekCulture named Charlotte-based actress Julie Cobb the recipient of the #1 “Most Messed Up Death” in all of classic Star Trek. WATCH IT HERE.
BEAM HER UP!
Cobb’s tragic appearance as Yeoman Leslie Thompson on the 1968 episode By Any Other Name saw her fall victim to the show’s “Red Shirt Curse.” (That’s the one in which never-before-seen members of the Enterprise crew, wearing red, are killed on away missions.)
After beaming down to a planet with the great triumvirate of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy, Yeoman Thompson was hit with a ray from the episode’s bad guy, Hanar.
STRANGE NEW WORLDS
Cobb went on to a long acting career, appearing in TV classics like Charles In Charge, Family Ties, Days of Our Lives, Fantasy Island, MacGyver and Beverly Hills, 90210. But, this was her first screen credit … and Yeoman Thompson is still mourned by Trekkies and Trekkers around the globe.
QUEEN CITY … ENERGIZE!
While we’re happy that Cobb’s first work is still being recognized today due to Yeoman Thompson’s horrific demise, we’re thrilled the real Julie Cobb is alive, well and active in Charlotte’s creative community.
Cobb gathered Charlotte actors together to perform and sharpen their skills during the pandemic, and she’s working on new theater projects we hope to share with you soon.
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