Keep Calm and Create On.
“Keep Calm and Carry On.” If you’ve been paying attention over the last few years, you know this phrase and the many, many iterations that have followed. It was originally commissioned by the British government’s Ministry of Information in 1939 as a means of boosting public morale during the outbreak of World War II. It’s received a bit of attention lately and we’ve seen it popping up all over social media. It’s a wonderful sentiment. But, we don’t think it’s enough to just “carry on.” As you’ve seen over the last few weeks, we believe that continuing to create occupies the mind, feeds the soul and keeps us sharp for where we go after the current crisis is over. Creating will help us sustain this period and will prepare us for the “New Normal” that replaces the “Now Normal” we’re experiencing today. So, we say “Keep Calm and Create On.”We’re proud to join three incredible reservoirs of Queen City creativity — AIGA, AMA and AAF — in sharing this message. As AIGA said on their recent Instagram post: Find a way to get those creative juices flowing today. Stay sharp and sane—come up with your own version of “keep calm and create on” and tag us! We’ll share it on our Instagram to help inspire the masses! Amen to that! Find time to create every day. Share it with those around you. Let us know about it by submitting it below. If you need a reminder, here’s an 8.5″ x 11″ “Keep Calm and Create On” poster you can print and post in your workspace. It was designed by Charlotte AAF president, John Howard. Oh, and there’s a third part of the message we edited out, but it’s still important “Keep Calm. Create On. AND, STAY AT HOME!“ Tim Miner & Matt Olin
Charlotte Is Creative Tell us how you’re engaging your own #CreativityInCaptivity using the link below.
City of Charlotte Placemaking Issues Call for Artists
The City of Charlotte is offering up an ideal way for Queen City artists to channel their pent-up creative juices. They’ve issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for those interested in participating in the 2020 Placemaking Program. According to the official web page, this initiative targets “neighborhoods and activity centers by funding projects that create active and inviting public spaces, through activating leftover and/or underutilized public spaces, implementing enhanced streetscapes as well as demonstrating how public spaces can help transform neighborhoods by creating vibrant gathering spaces.” RFQ submissions are due Sunday, April 26, 2020 by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Read more and apply here.
Experience the Mint Museum in Your PJs
From Levine Museum of the New South’s “NUEVOlution! – Latinos and The New South” to Discovery Place’s “Stay-At-Home Science” and ImaginOn’s virtual storytime, Charlotte’s Cultural institutions are inventing new ways to bring their experiences to you. The Mint Musem has joined in with digital tools that allow you to explore their collection and get some behind-the-scenes content with their new “Museum From Home” resources. Thus far, our favorite has to be the sped-up coverage of an artist sketching one of the busts from the “Classic Black” exhibition of black basalt sculptures. Watch here.
You May Have Seen the Dude from “You May Have Seen” PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Lafontaine If you were binging the third season of “Ozark” on Netflix last weekend, you may have seen the dude behind the “You May Have Seen” podcast — Charlottean Brian Lafontaine. Two other Queen City actors, Robert Treveiler and Kevin Johnson, also have roles again this season as Sheriff Nix and Sam Dermody. Brian has interviewed both of them on his podcast about film/tv actors who live in CLT. Check them out here.
Of the experience, Brian said, “I had an incredible time working with everyone on Ozark. To be able to work on a show with such an amazing cast and crew is like finding a unicorn. Watching Laura Linney work, up close and personal, was like watching a master class.” If you haven’t watched “Ozark,” yet … correct immediately.
Like all of us, Armando Bellmas, vice president of marketing and operation at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation, is adjusting to stay-at-home life. The Center is on top of it already, offering a selection of online workshops. They also want you to take a survey. But, we want to know how is Armando doing? What does he recommend we all do to stave off cabin fever and, more importantly, STAY AT HOME? Read what Armando and his family are doing. Do you know of someone we should interview for their “Housebound Hits?” Let us know here.
So, Alexa is Being Kind of a “B”
We didn’t see this coming. We knew being cooped up together was going to cause people to crack, but we sure didn’t expect the first one to give in to the Coronavirus pressure would be Alexa. But, as Matt Olin, co-publisher of The Biscuit, can attest, she’s already well over it. Watch the video.
Common Market Makes an Uncommon Commerical PHOTO CREDIT: Common Market While we hate the challenges the Queen City culinary community is facing these days, we have to say we’re encouraged and inspired by the ingenuity so many restaurants, caterers, breweries and markets are displaying, from curbside service to home delivery boxes. But, we have to single out Common Market on Monroe for their hilarious commercial about their beer and wine selection, takeaway food and … erm … tiny hands. It’s funny in its own right, but, for us longtime Charlotteans, it seems to be using the old skool “Reverand Rob” commercials from Apple Auto Sales.
 PHOTO CREDIT: Scott Phillips Chef Peter Reinhart’s Flaky BiscuitsHow is it that we’re well into stay-at-home and The Biscuit recipe recommendation series and we’ve never featured a biscuit!?!? Well, that ends now. For biscuit perfection, we turned to our buddy, Chef Peter Reinhart, the chef on assignment at Johnson & Wales University. The man is recognized the world over as a James-Beard-Award-winning expert on bread … and this is his recipe for flaky biscuits. And, for good measure, here’s his recipe for the pan pizza dough. (Yeah. It’s as amazing as you think it is.) Send Us Your Home Cooking Home Runs!Please, share your favorite easy recipes with us! Local recipes will get bonus flavor-factor points!
Faux Five #7: The Wyld Stallyns
There’s no situation a good air guitar session with a friend can’t make better, right? The next time you need to give out a visual greeting and a handshake or a hug won’t do — by Mecklenburg County order — we say you do as William “Bill” S. Preston Esq. and “Ted” Theodore Logan do. After all, it was good enough to save the future. And, remember — whether it’s 6 ft. away on the street or across the digital divide — BE EXCELLENT TO EACH OTHER. It’s the secret to winning the future. Got a “Faux Five” to recommend? Send us a GIF, video or photo right here!
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