Take a Walk on the Artistic Side — Five More Murals Hit the Streets
 Street mural by Rosalia Torres-Weiner We love it when artists are employed to bring their work out into the world for all of us to enjoy. This summer, the City of Charlotte Placemaking department organized 14 artists and artist groups to paint 15 street murals in neighborhoods across the city to lift our spirits and keep creatives working during COVID-19.
This is the second batch of these street murals we’ve covered, featuring new works from Charlotte artists Abel Jackson, Makayla Binter, Nico Amortegui, Ruth Ava Lyons and Rosalia Torres-Weiner. The link below will take you to a gallery of images by Charlotte photographer, Ernest Moren, featuring each of the murals, as well as information on how to find them, a statement from each artist and the ways to follow and tip them.
So check it out and plan your outdoor art adventure across the Queen City!
PODCAST: Rachel Stark Helps Build the City that Builds Us
Every day, City of Charlotte Senior Urban Designer Rachel Stark looks at our city and works to make it better. Everything from the structure of public spaces to the Black Lives Matter mural down to the zoning code is fair game for Stark, and her efforts will quite literally shape the city.
BISCUIT BLITZ: Jewel Pearson Knows The Big Secret of Tiny Houses
When Jewel Pearson embarked on her journey to build a tiny house a few years ago, she never envisioned the big adventure it would become. In an effort to simplify her own life, Jewel has become a prominent voice in a brand new movement, appearing on HGTV and speaking around the country. And, she’s become convinced that tiny homes could have a massive impact on intergenerational wealth if we can all embrace their place in the larger scheme of Charlotte.
Watch this short conversation between Tim Miner & Jewel Pearson.
VIEWFINDER: Matt Henesy Has a Wandering Lens
There are no shortage of incredible photographers in Charlotte sharing their adventures and their work on social media. But, we are drawn to the wanderings of Matt Henesy – AKA @MattSHDR. Day after day, Matt presents the Queen City (and the surrounding area) as he sees it: full of color and wonder and hidden gems. From skyscrapers to murals and drive-in dives, he sees and shares it all.
Breaking Down the Science: A Review of YUNG Citizen’s New EP
By Jalil Pack
Charlotte’s music scene is an interesting one. With our city’s rap, R&B, gospel, spoken word and a plethora of other genres on the rise — we are finding our way into the national music scene. One local artist, specifically, whose story and journey draw us in every time is YUNG Citizen. Jalil Pack recently interviewed YUNG on his JVY Podcast and here he shares his review of YUNG’s newest EP, Formula One, just for us.
5 Local Businesses Highlighted by Charlotte Black Owned
Each week the creative team at @CLTBlackOwned — Maddy, Jeff, Ashley and Jeremy — highlights a different Black-owned business in Charlotte and the surrounding area. Last week, they shared the skinny on five more businesses you should know all about, including Sweet Like Honey Bakes (shown above).
What’s the History Behind Charlotte’s Four Wards?
By Tom Hanchett
When Charlotte’s new Major League Soccer team, Charlotte FC, unveiled its logo, they rooted it in Charlotte history. The logo is based on a coin, highlighting our historic US Mint and our status as a financial capital. It features a crown, honoring Queen Charlotte of England. And, that crown has four spires. The logo reveal video from Charlotte FC says, “the spires represent each of the four wards of Uptown Charlotte.” But, what ARE the wards? And what are their significance to Charlotte?
Zada Jane’s Gets Yarn-Bombed
Earlier this month, Charlotte fiber artists from Craft CLT — Kelly Rose Creations and From Yarn to Stitches — teamed up to “bomb” Plaza-Midwood favorite Zada Jane’s with intricate and whimsical fiber work. And, they want to know what places you’d like to see yarn-bombed next!
See more photos of this piece on Instagram.
It’s a bit of an understatement to say there’s a lot going on in Charlotte right now. It’s hard to keep up. We can’t share every story that caught our attention, but here are a few of our favorites:
- Charlotte was chosen with 12 other cities to be featured in the global rollout of Google Arts & Culture platform. The online resource features over 3,000 artworks and artifacts from 13 Charlotte institutions.
- The deadline for the Access to Capital Small Business Recovery grants program has expanded to include businesses that received funding from the PPP, Golden LEAF, the City’s Micro Business Relief Fund or other government sources. The deadline has been extended to August 30.
- The ASC is looking for volunteers to join its North/West, Central or South/East Advisory Council. Applications are due by Friday, September 4.
- The Semi-Finals of the 2020 CLT DJ Battle, pitting 8 DJs against each other, is spinning up on August 29. Get your ticket here.
- CLTPosterMan is on the lookout for a man breaking into houses and “leaving fried chicken everywhere.” Help catch this dastardly villain.
- Apparo has two free sessions for creatives to put on your calendar — Mental Resilience in a Pandemic on August 27 and an information session on August 31 for the G.A.I.N. 2-year accelerator for nonprofits sponsored by Lowe’s. The ten nonprofits selected for this free program will receive more than $200,000 in hardware, software, implementation, training and support.
- The City of Charlotte commissioned artist Marcus Kiser to design coloring sheets so children could get in on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan and the Charlotte Post has all the details.
We want to add a little bit of color to your morning! This bright and bold mural titled “Our Lives, Our Culture, Our Time” was painted by artist Gil Croy in 2012 as a symbol of love, peace, equality, and pride for Charlotte’s LGBTQ+ community. You can find this mural wrapped around the entirety of White Rabbit on Central Avenue in Plaza Midwood.
White Rabbit is an LGBT-centric store that sells books, cards, gifts, jewelry, and a wide array of other products that are perfect for anyone who wants to show pride in their sexuality, identity, or gender expression. It’s a place where everyone is welcomed and accepted, something that the world could use a lot more of these days.
The location is also home to the headquarters of QNotes, a bi-weekly newspaper that is one of the largest print publications in the Southeast reporting on LGBT news, arts, and entertainment. QNotes recently caught up with Gil Croy, the artist behind this mural, on his thoughts about COVID-19 and his artistic response to the pandemic. You can read it here.
Directions: 920 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28204
This Queen City exploration is powered by OrthoCarolina.
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