What’s in Name? Searching for the Woman Behind the Crown
What’s in a Name? And, Who Was Queen Charlotte?
This batch of The Biscuit features a special editorial from Andrea Long about her lifelong fascination with Queen Charlotte:
I’ve always loved even the name Charlotte. I went to high school with a girl named Charlotte, and I was envious that she shared her name with our city. I was thrilled when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge named their daughter Charlotte. And I’ve long said that if I ever had to go into the witness protection program, I would choose Charlotte as my new name (which I guess is no longer an option since I’ve blown my cover here.) But how did the city of Charlotte become so?
Who was the original Charlotte, why does our city bear her name and how has her namesake town represented her in art?
Follow Andrea as she explores the history and identity of the Queen City’s namesake, as well as the many ways she’s been portrayed through art.
‘There will be a lot of Blackness in the building’
Carla Aaron-Lopez brings LOCAL/STREET, an underground art exhibition, to the mainstream
“I told all the artists: Exhibit your talents to the fullest. It’s not that we’re in competition with each other, but we’ve been given a platform to literally show out. So, I want you all to show people what you can do. Push it as far as you can.” – Carla Aaron-Lopez
With LOCAL/STREET — on display at the Mint Museum Randolph this weekend — artist and educator Carla Aaron-Lopez is bringing artists of color and artists who are part of Charlotte’s underground into the mainstream.
It’s a great opportunity to acquire art, meet the artists and – just maybe – get out of your comfort zone.
Read on to find out why LOCAL/STREET is the dopest thing to hit Charlotte this year.
A Creative Key to Brain Health: Making Junk Mail Collages
“You should see the participants let their guard down while they play with their food. This from a generation of people who demanded that their children ‘stop playing with their food!’” – Kelly Adams, Life Enrichment Coordinator at The Ivey
Kelly Adams uses a lot of creativity — and a little silliness — to unlock brain health in her weekly classes at The Ivey, a nonprofit that serves individuals living with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Her “Upcycle Arts” program encourages members of The Ivey to make art with everyday items around the house — including food!
Read about how Adams helps her classes focus on the freedom of the creative process, rather than the end result.
Creatively Seasoned: Five Charlotte Chefs Create with Bo’s Famous Seasoning
After a year of cooking at home, it’s time to spice up your weekly menu. Time to try something new. Dare we say, it’s “Bo Time?”
We wanted to find out what happens when five of Charlotte’s most imaginative chefs use Bojangles’ Famous Seasoning to create a brand new recipe. So we challenged Chef Sam Hart, Chef Joya Courtney, Chef Chianti Peek, Chef Adam Spears and Chef Jeff McElwee to show us their stuff. And, boy, did they deliver.
See what they cooked up! Click here for five original recipes creatively seasoned with Bo’s Famous Seasoning.
“Creatively Seasoned” is sponsored by Bojangles. All chefs involved were paid for their involvement.
Photo Credit (Above): Ernesto Moreno
PODCAST: “Who Built Me” with Ricky Singh
Ricky Singh is an educator, artist and father of four in Charlotte. He knows what it takes to help build individuals and neighborhoods by engaging their creative spirits. He binds people together through community projects that combine art and activism.
He put that knowledge and passion to work last summer in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests and a violent event on Beatties Ford Road. Singh initiated a series of community murals and multi-disciplinary events in an effort to rebuild the Beatties Ford corridor with peace and pride.
On this “Who Built Me?” segment, producer Andy Goh spoke with Singh about the people he credits for building him: his four sons.
Photo Credit (Above): Brooke Brown Photography
EQUAL TIME: @Sree_Henna Makes 5-Minute Mehndi
What can you create in five minutes?
To help save their patients time, OrthoCarolina has launched an online system to make appointments in five minutes flat and they asked us to challenge creatives across the Queen City to make something amazing in the same amount of time.
From jazz to chalk art and painting, the first six creatives have blown our minds. (See what they made here.)
But, Sreedivya – a.k.a. @Sree_Henna – may just take the cake. She practices the art of mehndi or henna, which is thousands of years old. And, the delicate, intricate designs she can create on a living canvas (hand, arm, etc.) with a small pouch of henna ink are a sight to behold. And, you CAN watch right here, right now.
This creative sprint was powered by content sponsor OrthoCarolina. Use their new online appointment system here.
Meet OG Weirdo.
“I looked in the mirror, and I felt different and weird. I thought about all the stuff people would say when they saw me. And I owned it.” – OG Weirdo
Based on his name and his art, we wanted to get to know the artist OG Weirdo. He draws you in with a bright, cartoony style and then, bam! He shocks you by showing you how really awful the world can be.
Titles such as “Kidnap Van,” “Dead Roaches” and “Street Sacrifice” give you a clue about his recurring themes.
But once we learned the story behind how Scott Summers became OG Weirdo, we realized that he’s not just a talented artist. He’s brave. He’s out there. And he’s unafraid. He’s exactly who we want for our New Best Friend.
Read more about OG Weirdo’s story here.
Charlotte artist Sharon Dowell is at it again. Over the past 16 years, she’s created her distinctive murals, which often feature a complex design of bright colors and intersecting lines, across the Queen City — from Camp North End to South End to East Charlotte. Now, she’s added University City to the list.
Dowell was commissioned to paint a mural, called “Transit” in the newly completed UNC Charlotte Marriott & Conference Center. The 226-room hotel sits along the LYNX Blue Line at the intersection of North Tryon Street and J.W. Clay Boulevard.
The piece, in which Dowell invested 100 hours from conception to completion, was curated by Denise Joseph of NINE dot ARTS art consultancy. It was designed to incorporate landmarks and themes related to the university.
Now that this project is complete, Dowell is headed out of Charlotte to create sculpture and murals in Boulder, Colorado, Raleigh and Carolina Beach. But, she’s teasing “potentially something very creative in the fall in Charlotte.”
“Who knows what else?” she says. “I will just keep trusting and asking for projects beyond what I can dream of will come my way.”
Before you see “Transit” for yourself, click here and learn more about Dowell’s complete design process and photos of the mural at various stages of development.
Directions: 9041 Robert D. Snyder Rd, Charlotte, NC 28262
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:
- An editorial asking 5 questions Charlotte needs to consider about arts funding
- An introduction to 2 Charlotte tech creatives who are building with Roblox