More Than 20 Creatives Express Their Outrage Through Art
“Not In Repose” — inspired by the recent actions of SCOTUS — opens at Goodyear Arts on Aug. 26Charlotte-based artist Meredith Connelly has been frustrated with what she’s seen in the world around her for some time. But, it’s the recent ruling from the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade that jolted her into action. She wanted to share her outrage. And, she invited fellow artists to join her in addressing everything from reproductive rights to LGBTQIA+ rights to racial injustice and climate change. THE RESPONSE WAS EXPLOSIVE “From my initial contact with a handful of local creatives, more and more reached back out,” said Connelly. “My hope is that this is more than a moment, but rather a movement that continues beyond the exhibition as we take a stand for true justice.” Over the course of just a few weeks, Connelly curated her first collective art installation, Not In Repose. The installation features the work of 20+ local, regional and national artists exploring their feelings and perspectives on what is going on around them. Not In Repose opens this Friday, Aug. 26 with a reception at Goodyear Arts from 6 to 8 p.m. “As a multi-disciplinary artist, my work continues to probe our changing and volatile cultural consciousness,” said MyLoan Dinh, an artist contributing to Not In Repose. “As a woman of color, a Vietnamese-American and former war refugee, I cannot separate myself from these quandaries,” she said. “Silence is not an option.” Click the button below to read more about Not In Repose and find a full list of participating artists. 
Charlotte Is Creative, publisher of The Biscuit, is the presenting sponsor of “Not In Repose.”
 
Three Bone Theatre’s Toni Stone knocks it out of the park – By Page Leggett“So, don’t think I’m bragging when I tell you that I do the things I do well, better’n anybody. I am prone to ramblin’. Never could tell a story from beginning to end all nice and neat. My brain don’t work that way.” – Toni Stone, the first woman to play professional baseball
Toni Stone was the first woman to play baseball in the Negro Leagues. That made her the first woman to play professionally in a men’s league. Against the odds, Stone shattered expectations – and the glass ceiling – and became part of the male-dominated sports world. Based on Martha Ackmann’s book Curveball: The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone, award-winning playwright Lydia R. Diamond tells the true story of Stone’s journey to do what she loved most – play ball. Read on to learn more about Three Bone Theatre’s current production, which is running through Sept. 3.
Makayla Binter Joining Charlotte Is Creative as Communication ManagerCharlotte artist Makayla Binter is joining the Charlotte Is Creative team as our first communications manager. It’s been a big month for Binter. She’s won two art competitions (one in Milwaukee), graduated with a master’s in urban design from UNC Charlotte and jumped onboard the Charlotte Is Creative “crazy train.” And, that’s just how she likes it. In fact, the description of her month above is too reductive; she has done way more than that in August. We just don’t have space to write it all down. WHAT’S NEXT? Binter is always thinking about “what’s next?” Perfect evidence of that? She hasn’t even (officially) started at CIC … and she’s already got a notebook filled with incredible ideas of what she wants to do when she gets here. Charlotte Is Creative’s mission is to convene, connect and collaborate with the Queen City’s creative community – especially those creatives who need more resources to establish exciting and sustainable careers. Binter has already been doing that work for herself and those around her. She is an important voice in Charlotte. She has a drive to share her ideas through her work, while making the time to ensure others are heard, seen, supported and loved along with her. Get to know Binter on her Instagram feed. Welcome aboard!
“What conditions do creatives need to be successful in Charlotte?”Everything Charlotte Is Creative (publisher of The Biscuit) has done over the past seven years has been about exploring the question in the above headline. That question led us to engage a team from UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute. Together, we developed an online survey available to all creatives in Charlotte in the fall of 2021. With financial support from Reemprise Fund and the Arts & Science Council, we asked creatives of all experience levels, backgrounds, creative disciplines and sizes to tell us about what it’s like for them to be engaged as a full-time or part-time creative in Charlotte. Along the way, we collected more than 640 submissions that met the eligibility criteria. Some of the information confirmed and quantified what we already knew. Some of it was brand new. Some of it was encouraging. Some was not. All of it tells us that Charlotte’s creative community has a lot going for it, but we have work ahead of us. Now, you can download the full report, along with a literature review of how other cities are working to sustain and support their creative communities. 
We know you’ve seen … and maybe been momentarily freaked out by … the iconic Coca-Cola billboard on the John Belk Freeway featuring a woman and a man enjoying a refreshing drink together while sitting on the sign. It was created by Adams Outdoor over a decade ago. You’ve likely driven past it. Maybe you’ve run past it during the Around the Crown 10K. But, have you gotten a closer look? The sign was being worked on last week, and we were able to get in and snag some photos of what it looks like up close. Get the full story behind how the billboard was created, as well as the story of the model for the Coca-Cola-loving woman in the red dress and heels perched high above Charlotte. We wrote about it in The Biscuit in 2019. Read the story here. | The Biscuit is proudly sponsored by: |  |
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