It Takes A Village of Creatives … Good Thing Charlotte Has A Whole Cityful
It Takes a (Creative) Village to Make an Impact
You’ve probably heard the threadbare quote, “It takes a village to raise a child.” But for the upcoming exhibition at The Mint Museum, the phrase illustrates a deeper significance for Charlotte’s creative community.
It Takes a Village: Charlotte Artist Collectives presents works from three innovative artist collectives: Goodyear Arts, BLKMRKTCLT and Brand the Moth. More than 25 artists will have works on display at Mint Museum Randolph and installations in Mint Museum Uptown’s Level 5 expansion space.
You’ll likely recognize many of the Charlotte creatives in this line-up — Carla Aaron-Lopez, for instance. She underscores the impact this exhibition could have on Charlotte’s culture: “It’s honoring people who haven’t been recognized and the Black art collectives that came before us.”
The opening celebration is this Saturday, June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. So go ahead and add it to your calendar. (We’ll wait …)
PICTURED ABOVE: (Left to right) Will Jenkins, Carla Aaron-Lopez, Carey J. King and Dammit Wesley
Creating Art From Pain
Eboné Lockett Will Use Her McColl Center Studio for a Project that Raises Awareness of Sickle Cell Disease
“The McColl [Center] is more than just an art studio or an arts center. It is really about that integrated experience and how art helps us get through life. Art can be a social innovator; it can be so much more than just ‘art.’” – Eboné M. Lockett
Eboné M. Lockett is an educator, consultant, spoken word artist and mom to a teenager with sickle cell disease. She will be the first HUG grantee to take up a four-month mini-residency at the new artist studios at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation. She joins a community of seven other artists selected by the McColl Center to christen this new space.
This week, she shares her plans to use her McColl Center artist studio space to create an awareness-raising exhibition and event about the impact of sickle cell disease. This is art with a mission.
Museum of History Explores The Past with Creativity
The Charlotte Museum of History is ending its African-American Heritage Festival this Saturday, June 12, with creative, in-person events on the museum grounds. “Chronicles of Adam” is a first-person historical narrative with interpreter Dontavius Williams. Drums 4 Life will also perform.
The “Path of Portraits” features four Queen City artists — Makayla Binter, Kalin Renée Devone, Abel Jackson and Ricky Singh. They will be on-site to live paint portraits of notable Black Charlotteans from noon to 4 p.m.
Take a Bite Out of Eat Black Charlotte Week
There are three more days to explore local Black-owned restaurants during Eat Black Charlotte Week. Participating eateries are offering prix fixe menus through Saturday, June 12, culminating with the EATBLKCLT Food & Cultural Festival at Unknown Brewing Co from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and at 1501 South Mint St. from 4 to 6 p.m.
Hola Charlotte está de vuelta este Octubre
After canceling their 2020 celebration due to COVID-19, Norsan Media announced this week that the Hola Charlotte Festival will return to the streets of Uptown Charlotte on Saturday, Oct. 9.
Five Local Creatives HUGged in Broad Daylight
Each month, with help from sponsors, Charlotte Is Creative provides $250 HUG micro-grants to Queen City creatives undertaking new projects through the HUG (Helpful Unfettered Gift) program.
Here’s how the June HUG winners will use their $250 micro-grants:
- Caroline O’Dell of the Caroline Keller Band will pay studio costs for recording new music.
- Barry Greene of Shades of Moss is paying membership fees to display work at the Charlotte Art League.
- Valentina DiMarco of Mémoire will pay a designer to create custom packaging for a new tea blend collab with Emily Sage.
- Maddy Carothers of @CLTBlackOwned passed on her HUG to cover fees for a Black-owned business to have space at an upcoming event.
- Fiber artist, Cat Babbie, will purchase a laser printer to help create her tracing pattern.
To make a donation in any amount to help fund a Charlotte creative through a HUG micro-grant or to apply for a HUG, visit HUGGrant.com.
The HUG program is sponsored by NoDa Brewing and Google Fiber. This month, photographer Brooke Brown donated her services to fund a HUG.
Image (Above): Fiber art by Cat Babbie
 A “flower bomb” from Iris Blossoms 
South End Keeps on Bloomin’
Creative surprises have bloomed across South End the past three weekends, with local creatives popping up in public places and businesses, bringing their talents — yarn bombing, music, painting, collage, drawing, flower bombing, chalk art and more — with them. Click here for #SouthEndBlooms photos on Instagram.
There are two more weekends of creative “blooms” in-store. Next weekend, two new murals will be underway in South End. And, here’s the fun planned for this weekend:
Saturday, June 12
- Eraklis Petmezas will sketch outside of Common Market from noon to 3 p.m.
- Musician Greg Cox will perform outside Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
- Sana Nisar will make free henna art at Re: Salon from noon to 3 p.m.
Sunday, June 13
- Rexii Wilson will live paint at Greenlife Remedies from 1 to 6 p.m.
- Valencia Goodwin will live paint at Bishops Cut/Color from noon to 3 p.m.
- Luvly Moon is painting flowers along the 1800 block of Camden Rd. throughout the day
Views n’ Blooms from Last Weekend:
 Crocheted Flower Vines by Emily Rose Zimmerman on Hawkins St  Demetria Mosley Doing Collage at at Three Little Birds  Lydia Lundgren as a Fairy Princess  Julia Valle painting at The Golden Carrot  Painted Windows on Camden Rd by Luvly Moon South End Blooms is sponsored by Charlotte Center City Partners with help from Charlotte Is Creative.
Photo Credit (Images Above): Ernest Moreno
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 look back at Charlotte’s Black Lives Matter mural a year later
- A spoken-word piece by Greg Jackson of HEAL Charlotte
Click here to dig in, y‘all.
| The Biscuit is proudly sponsored by: |
 |
 |
|
