Scream and SHOUT!, We’ve Got a Lot of Creative News to Talk About
The Sustainable Artist – From My Perspective
An Editorial by Nathan Davis III
The world changed for us all in March 2020.
COVID-19, and all that came with it, altered daily life almost overnight. For many, even the roles we play(ed) in the workplace and our communities were given a reevaluation, as our contributions and compensation were measured and evaluated. Suddenly, whole industries had dried up, and those who worked in them were out of work and left to scramble for survival.
Waiting for things to magically revert to what we knew before was quickly of no interest to me. Instead, I focused on myself, my writing and catalog of original music, my guitar skills, reading and personal development, projects around the house, the list is long …
I reassessed and challenged myself and my music and decided to answer the question:
“What does it mean to be a sustainable artist in the Charlotte music scene?”
This is the first of a series of editorials from Charlotte creatives about the “Business of Creativity.”
A Prestigious Address
For local artists, the McColl Center’s new studio space is the place to be
“We started to think about all the things we could offer – communal studios, equipment, professional development. We had a lot of studio space that would often go unused, so we decided to divide up those spaces and make them available as artists’ studios that could be rented.” – Armando Bellmas, McColl Center
“Space is at a premium now,” said Jonell Logan, the McColl Center for Art + Innovation’s creative director. “I know a lot of artists who lost their studio spaces [in the changing real estate market]. This is an opportunity to allow artists to work together and … have a sense of stability.” The McColl Center is accepting applications to rent one of nine artist studios.
Creatives, Apply to be Part of Charlotte SHOUT!
Last Friday, Charlotte Center City Partners and Blumenthal Performing Arts announced the return of Charlotte SHOUT!, a 17-day celebration of art, music, food, ideas and creativity. After being postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19, the festival will take place in the streets and public spaces of Uptown Charlotte from Sept. 17 through Oct. 3.
To build the collection of SHOUT! activities, organizers are inviting local creatives to submit ideas and get into the act. Two new festival programs were created to recognize and showcase local talent:
- Made in CLT, an umbrella name to encompass all participating Charlotte acts ranging from the visual and performing arts to the culinary skills and beyond. Creatives have an opportunity to submit new ideas or produce an existing event inside SHOUT!
- Of Earth and Sky, a large-scale poetry installation feature incorporating pieces from local poets, spoken word artists and wordsmiths.
Applications for Made in CLT are due May 15, 2021. Interested creatives can learn about the projects above, as well as the dates for information sessions about submitting an idea, by clicking here.
To help you prepare your application, you are invited to an information session to ask questions of event organizers tomorrow – Thursday, April 8 – at 9 a.m. Register to participate here.
Photo Credit (Above): Charlotte Center City Partners
Creative Work with the City of Charlotte
Charlotte’s Urban Design Center (Urban Design) has issued an open invitation to local creatives to apply to work on City of Charlotte projects:
Expanding Placemaking Artist Pool
Urban Design is expanding the Placemaking Artist Pool to include a wide range of creatives who manage, develop and implement original work. This includes creatives who work in:
- Mixed media
- Performing Arts
- Written and spoken word
- Videography/photography
They are also looking to add “organizations and businesses who manage the process of implementing public art and performance.”
Creative Specialists
The Urban Design team is also looking for individuals and teams with experience in community engagement, meeting planning and facilitation, social media, pop-up public space activation, design/decision sprints and more.
Photo Credit (Above): Austin Caine
5 Ridiculous Questions with Robert Krumbine
With the announcement that Charlotte SHOUT! is headed back to the streets of Uptown Charlotte from Sept. 17 to Oct. 3, we thought it was high time to see the wizard … the wonderful wizard of Queen City events, Robert Krumbine.
Krumbine has been the “man behind the curtain” for many of the city’s most notable events, ranging from the “Street of Champions” during the Final Four in 1994 to creating the original Charlotte SHOUT! In 2001.
He’s known as a man on the move, so we thought we’d better tie him down for five ridiculous questions before he sets out into the streets to scout for SHOUT! Here’s a taste:
You’re known as the “Event Wiz” … if you were at Hogwarts, which house would you be in and why?
I would have to say Ravenclaw because of my sense of curiosity and creativity. Plus, having a guy named Flitwick running the joint just rocks my face off.
EQUAL TIME: Spend Five Minutes Sketching with Mike Daikubara.
What can a creative make in just five minutes?
We’ve been asking that question since hearing about OrthoCarolina’s new online platform that makes it possible to make an appointment in just five minutes.
Five minutes may seem like no time at all, but we’ve learned that amazing things can come to life in just 300 seconds. Need an example to be convinced? We’ve got one.
“Urban sketch artist” Mike Daikubara takes a sketch pad with him wherever he goes … and he’s always on the go. We caught up with Daikubara having brunch at Moo & Brew in Plaza Midwood, and he decided to take on their Large Marge Bloody Mary in five minutes. (Illustrating it, that is; not drinking it that fast.)
Click the button below to watch Mike in action and learn about how he turns even the most mundane scenes in Charlotte into masterpieces.
This creative sprint was powered by content sponsor OrthoCarolina. Use their new online appointment system here.
Barry Greene Says Charlotte’s Creatives of Color Need Space to Grow
As the Charlotte community debates the future of arts funding and the future of zoning and development through 2040, local entrepreneur and founder of Shades of Moss and Mint City Connect, Barry Greene, is challenging all of us to act now. The Virginia native moved to Charlotte a few years ago to start a plant design business.
While he has found a willing customer base, Greene has not been able to find stable, affordable retail and workspace. He loves the Queen City, but he’s feeling pushed out. He wants to stay here — but, he’s worried he can’t. And, he’s concerned about the future of all the other excited creatives of color moving here and starting creative endeavors.
At CreativeMornings/Charlotte last week, Greene shared his concerns and his desire for Charlotte to be known for providing space and conditions where creatives of color can begin and realize their entrepreneurial dreams. Watch his talk by clicking the button below.
Six Local Creatives Get an April HUG
Every month, Charlotte Is Creative (CIC) awards $250 HUG (Helpful Unfettered Gifts) microgrants to help Charlotte-area creatives move a community-facing project or initiative forward.
In April, CIC awarded six $250 microgrant HUGs which vary from community initiatives to music and book publishing to performance art. Half of the grants went to projects whose main focus was on providing a service to youth.
The creatives and organizations getting April HUGs are:
- Promising Pages (Kelly Cates)
- Money Magnets Club (Alexandria Arrington)
- John Taylor, Musician
- Nathan Davis, Musician
- Dilworth Players Camp (Wes Curry)
- Melissa Wineman, Illustrator/Author
The HUG Microgrant is sponsored by T. Reid & Co., NoDa Brewing, Google Fiber and individual donations. If you’re interested in donating a HUG or applying for one yourself, click here.
New construction at Camp North End (CNE) is nothing … well … new. But, what is new is how art is incorporated into it.
The work being done along Keswick Avenue across from Free Range Brewing and Goodyear Arts requires a long construction fence that will be up for at least another year. It’s a prominent area at CNE, and the project management team decided it needed an art infusion. And, they called in Charlotte artist Jen Hill to help.
Hill assembled a diverse team of local creatives to paint a “rainbow animal wall” on the construction cloth that runs the length of the fence. The color scheme runs the ROYGBIV spectrum. Thanks to photographer Brooke Brown, we’re able to show you photos of the art and the artists here.
While the work is painted on a “canvas” that is normally discarded after construction wraps, CNE says they’re hoping to repurpose it if it’s still in good condition a year from now.
Artists involved in the project are:
Directions: 701 Keswick Ave, Charlotte, NC 28206
Photo Credit (Above): Brooke Brown Photography
Don’t go ’round hungry. If you missed the last batch of The Biscuit, don’t worry. We’ve kept it warm for you. This batch featured:
- A special letter-from-the-editor on the Business of Creativity from Tim Miner & Matt Olin
- A look at 7 easy ways you can support Charlotte’s creative community
Click here to dig in, y‘all.
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