15 Reasons to Get Out and Explore Charlotte this Weekend
Well, we made it! This is the third and final installment of our series exploring the new street murals the City of Charlotte Placemaking department commissioned in 15 Charlotte neighborhoods to lift our collective community spirits during COVID-19. Today, through the lens of local photographer, Ernest Moren, we offer you a look at the final five Charlotte artists: Britt Flood, Carla Garrison-Mattos, Dakotah Aiyana, Gina Elizabeth Franco and Leandro Manzo. Now, there’s only one thing left to do … GET OUT THERE AND SEE THEM FOR YOURSELVES! They’re amazing!Click the link below to see all 15 murals, hear from the artists and get directions to see them in real life. 
Meredith Dean Talks About Brad, Chad, Thad … and Dad.This is the story of how four men who impacted the life of one woman. Are we conscious of the effects that words have on the people who receive them? In today’s Who Built Me series, we talk to Meredith Dean, CEO and Founder of The Dean’s List, about four men in her life whose words shaped who she became. The words of the first three men were not well-intentioned, and Meredith talks about how she used these words to fuel her desire to grow strong and build her business. The fourth man is her father. His words were much more uplifting and they’ve fueled her desire to build others. 
SHOUTing Match: Kat Sanchez & Jillian Mueller Bob, Weave & AnimateWhile fiber artists Jillian Mueller and Kat Sánchez Standfield have worked together before, they’ve never done anything like this. We featured them on our social feed a few months ago for “yarn bombing” NoDa with an encouraging message for those struggling with COVID-19. When we approached them about a SHOUTing Match!, they decided to develop a fiber project to honor the Black Lives Matter movement that they could animate while installing it at North Charlotte Park in NoDa. This collaboration was sponsored by Charlotte SHOUT!
Charlotte Black-Owned Shines the Spotlight on 7 Local BusinessesEach week the team at @CLTBlackOwned — Maddy, Jeff, Ashley and Jeremy — highlights different Black-owned businesses in Charlotte and the surrounding area. Over the past two weeks, they’ve shared details on seven more Queen City businesses and entrepreneurs that should be on your radar, including artist Kalin Devone (shown above).
UMMMMM … Can We Laugh About It Now?To quote The Usual Suspects: “And, like that – poof – he’s gone!” Okay, our long road to the RNC in Charlotte is over. It was the source of anxiety for many who didn’t want it to come here. And, its greatly diminished presence here this week was still a source of anxiety and lost business to the hospitality industry. But, the sun has set and it’s no longer in front of us. That’s kind of hard to believe. August 2020 felt like a date that was constantly in front of us for a really long time. Now that the RNC is in the rearview, we think it’s time to bring back two videos we made in partnership with Charlotte Squawks last year. We made these when the RNC was more than a year away to offer succor and (hopefully) a few chuckles for a city on a countdown. This seems like a perfect time to trot them back out and exhale sharply. RNCialis (Above)For voters experiencing elect-ile dysfunction — difficulty getting excited about the RNC coming to Charlotte. Patients reported a 37% increase in the chance to vote to satisfaction. Watch here. For voters experiencing anxiety related to RNC’s arrival in Charlotte — take it from our very stable geniuses, RNCelexa works. Watch here.
Creative news moves pretty fast in Charlotte. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might just miss it.
There are three things certain in this world: death, taxes, & the “Nutcracker” will be performed during the Holiday season. Except, this year, that isn’t true. Charlotte Ledger spoke with two Charlotte Ballet dancers about the impact of this year’s “Nutcracker” performances being canceled. Charlotte Agenda caught up with military veteran and creative extraordinaire Dari Calimari, the artist behind the “R” in Charlotte’s Black Lives Matter Mural, about her desire to “paint the whole world.” For nearly 80 years, the Excelsior Club was an integral part of Charlotte’s African American community and after sitting empty since 2016, it’s finally getting revitalized. The Charlotte Post recently spoke with Darrel Williams, the architect behind the uplift, about how he will bring the Excelsior into the future while honoring its past. Creative Opportunities:Sweater weather is coming sooner than expected this year and Craft CLT needs your help knitting a “sweater” for a… van?! That’s right! They are teaming up with Town Brewing to cover the brewery’s iconic van with 12”x12” fabric squares that you create. See how you can participate here. Pat’s Place is looking for an artist to create a “happy, fun, and insta-worthy” walkway mural to help lift the spirits of the children they help and make sure that the first step on their journey of healing is a positive one. Learn more here. Events:This one’s for the adults so if you’re under 18, keep scrolling kid. The crew over at Southern Tiger Collective is showing off their new warehouse space with an art show, “Kama.” Prepare to have some aesthetic pleasure brought straight to your eyeballs by a few of Charlotte’s most talented artists on September 3, 4, & 5. What do you get when a mixologist, a musician, a magician and a comedian walk into a Zoom call together? We don’t know either, but hopefully the team at Beerly Funny will be able to deliver a punchline at “A Taste of Entertainment: Virtual Extravaganza” on September 10!
Now this is a story all about how, one creative woman flipped her home upside down, and we’d like to take a minute, to tell you all about this starlet, and how she made a ‘90s palace in a town called Charlotte. Charlottean Jessica Jones was bit by the nostalgia bug a few years ago and transformed her home into a museum of the ’90s. And what ‘90s themed home would be complete without a Fresh Prince mural? In the words of The Dude, the mural (painted by Inigma) really ties the room together. And the best part is… you can spend the night in this time machine back to the ‘90s! It is listed on Airbnb here. You can also check out the “Home of the 90s” on Instagram for more information. This Queen City exploration is powered by OrthoCarolina. *Image provided by Home of the 90s.
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 features stories about: - An in-depth look at Matt Hooker’s new mural
- The new CEO of Freedom School Partners, Glenda Bernhardt
- August’s HUG Grant and Bolt of Inspiration recipients
- A look at a 30 Day Drawing Challenge by Corrie Liotta
- A “Who Built Me” video with Siu Challons-Lipton
- The new pet care facility and bar Skiptown
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