Creative Entrepreneurs Hard at Work in Charlotte SHOUT!ABOVE: “A State of Becoming” | CREDIT: Morag Myerscough We’ve been talking about Charlotte SHOUT!, a 17-day taking over Uptown Charlotte through this Sunday, a lot lately.
Last week, we shared our thoughts on the SHOUT! HUB, an experiment in giving local creative groups access to empty retail spaces in the Overstreet Mall. Read more here. That’s because SHOUT! is putting local creative entrepreneurs to work. SHOUT!, managed by Charlotte Center City Partners, provides Charlotte-area creatives, performers and makers with opportunities to showcase their skills. In many ways, SHOUT! is an audition before the Charlotte community of what we can hire local creatives to do the rest of the year. Members of Charlotte Is Creative’s Creative Entrepreneurs Initiative (CEI), funded by Wells Fargo and Mecklenburg County ARPA funds, are among the featured artists at SHOUT! spreading their creative wings. Managed by Charlotte Is Creative (publishers of The Biscuit), CEI cohort members receive 10 business classes designed to help them strengthen and establish their professional skills as small business owners. And, opportunities like SHOUT! help them put what they learned in class into practice. FIVE CREATIVES TO EXPERIENCE AT SHOUT! THIS WEEKENDHere are five current and alumni CEI creatives whose work you can experience during the final three days of Charlotte SHOUT! 
Ali Loncar | CREDIT: Jalen Marlowe
ALI LONCAR “Being part of SHOUT! has been a bit of a surreal experience. These types of projects are something I’ve dreamed about doing since I was little. It was a whirlwind and an extreme amount of work but I’d do it all over again without a doubt.” – Ali Loncar Last fall, multi-media artist Ali Loncar was engaged by decorating a pirate ship for the Novant Health Thanksgiving Eve Parade. The ship made such an impression that Loncar was asked to transform it again with legions of light-up, cloth jellyfish. Her creations and the pirate ship (where DJs play after dark this weekend) are harbored now on the Levine Avenue of the Arts. And, Lonchar was invited to work with London artist Morag Myerscough in building a large, immersive work of art surrounding Victoria Yards called “A State of Becoming.” See Loncar’s Work This Weekend
Rebecca Lipps | CREDIT: Dionna Bright
REBECCA LIPPS“It’s invigorating as an artist to see my work bring joy and happiness to Charlotte SHOUT! visitors. [Being part of this event] is a journey like a novel with many chapters that include planning, building, collaboration, discovery and reflection.” – Rebecca Lipps Last year at SHOUT!, Rebecca Lipps cast projection art on the facade of the McColl Center for SHOUT! Her encore this year is “Hydrate.” It’s another work of projection art, allowing people to step into illumination art projected onto the side of the WFAE building in First Ward Park after dark. According to Lipps’ description, “when you step into the interactive area, your image is inserted into the projection, then your movement determines the change in flow of digital water.” Lipps also teamed up with Mark Doepker to take their work on the road with “EyeLumination,” a 969 Volkswagen Beetle crowned by a stylized eye sculpture that houses a small projector and casts projections wherever it goes. See Lipps’ Work This Weekend
Will White
WILL WHITE “Two years ago, I was one of 9 artists displaying my very first public facing piece in the Queen’s Greens putt putt installation for SHOUT! This year I’m back with a host of public facing fashion events that I created myself. The entire experience has been a staunch showing of the tremendous artistic community we have here in Charlotte.” – Will White Will White is a leader in Charlotte’s burgeoning fashion designer scene. He teamed up with the SHOUT! organizing team to add his passion for fashion to the celebration. White has set up a workshop, called SHOUT! Chic, in vacant Overstreet Mall retail spaces. And, he organized 13 local designers to create original outfits displayed along the hallways of the 200 S. College Street building. They’re absolutely fabulous. Tonight, April 12, White is bringing fashion to the flicks with a free showing of Cruella, Disney’s reigning fashion diva, at Victoria Yards. But, the film won’t be the feature attraction, it’ll be the fashion that White has scheduled to accompany it. See White’s Work This Weekend
Angela Kollmer | Courtesy of Upcycle Arts
ANGELA KOLLMER“It’s amazing seeing the amount of creativity in Charlotte and watching Charlotteans discover and interact with the art.” – Angela Kollmer Angela Kollmer is the founder of Upcycle Arts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to turning unwanted or unused items into something more practical or valuable. Two years ago at SHOUT!, she worked with Charlotte Is Creative to inspire artists to build nine obstacles for the festival’s mini-golf course, The Queen’s Greens, out of discarded materials. This year, Kollmer returned to work with nine more artists, each creating an obstacle dedicated to one of the four pillars of Charlotte SHOUT! – Art, Food, Music and Ideas. On Saturday, Kollmer and her team want to work with you to make your own masterpiece. They’ll have a “Make & Take” hands-on art tent next to Loncar’s pirate ship at Levine Avenue of the arts. Like The Queen’s Greens above, this activity is free and open to makers of all ages. See Kollmer’s Work This Weekend
Delilah Eby | CREDIT: Jalen Marlo
DELILAH EBY“Getting to share a space of creative expression with artists of all types of mediums was such a unique and fruitful experience. For me, it really highlighted the rich creative spirit that is alive and thriving here in Charlotte. There always seems to be a common thread shared between creatives, whether that be other designers or musicians or visual artists.” – Delilah Eby Another of Charlotte’s up-and-coming fashion designers, Delilah Eby is a recent college graduate who chose to bet on herself and establish an online business selling custom knitwear she designs and makes herself. She was invited to create one of 15 “Fashion Icons” on display along Fashion Row in the 200 S. College Street Building. See Eby’s Work This WeekendFor a printable map and a full list of activities at SHOUT! this weekend, CLICK HERE.
OneBand – Session 11
Tuesday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m
Divine Barrel Brewing This may be the only occasion where being a “one-hit wonder” is the best possible outcome! OneBand, organized by our co-founder, Matt Olin, is an experiment in blending full-time and amateur musicians from the Charlotte area. Six times a year, Matt posts a setlist online and invites anyone (playing ANY instrument) who wants to join his “flash band” to sign up for one rehearsal and one live performance one week later. After that performance, they disband until a whole new band reforms two months later. Next Tuesday, April 16, OneBand will hit the stage at Divine Barrel (with the latest Drop mural from Tiara Mitchell behind them) for its 11th session. Carolina Voices’ ensemble IMPROMPTU will kick off the evening with a set and then the OneBand players will tackle this amazing setlist: - “9 to 5″ – Dolly Parton
- “Listen to the Music” – The Doobie Brothers
- “Fast Car” – Tracy Chapman
- “Drivin’ My Life Away” – Eddie Rabbitt
- “Scarlet Begonias” – Grateful Dead
- “Freedom! ’90” – George Michael
There’s no cover charge, but there will be cool people, cold beer and hot vittles from outside food trucks And, Matt promises: We’ll have you and your family home early on school night after an inspiring musical experience.” | The Biscuit is proudly sponsored by: |
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