Hey There Delilah, What’s It Like in the Queen City?
‘Say, That Looks Familiar!’ –
Delilah – a New Series on OWN – Was Filmed and Set in Charlotte
“I was drawn to the series and role because of their commitment to portray African-American women in an authentic way that set aside stereotypes and celebrated our consistent heroism in a way that was real to me,” said series star Maahra Hill. “Also, Oprah!”
A creative dream team, including Oprah Winfrey and Charlotte’s own Charles Randolph-Wright, is giving the QC a starring role in a TV series that celebrates strong Black women. Warner Brothers’ Delilah showcases Charlotte – not just as a fill-in for Anytown, USA. Charlotte stars as itself.
Catch the series premiere on Winfrey’s OWN network Tuesday, March 9 at 9 p.m. Eastern.
Image (Above) via the Oprah Winfrey Network
TONIGHT: Online Session about Rent, Utility and Mortgage Relief (Application deadline is March 15!)
A year into the pandemic, COVID-19 is still rippling through every aspect of Charlotte life, including its creative economy. The information below may be of use to you or someone you know.
The City of Charlotte and The Housing Partnership (which officially changed its name to DreamKey this week) are working together to manage RAMPCLT, a program offering rent, utility and mortgage relief.
Applications for rent and utilities assistance are now through Monday, March 15 at 5 p.m. Now is the time to get your paperwork and plans in order.
From 5:30-6:30 p.m. TONIGHT (March 3), the Arts & Science Council (ASC) is playing host to an information session on Zoom featuring Erin Barbee, senior vice president of DreamKey. She will introduce the RAMP CLT program, share information on how creatives can document the impacts of COVID-19 on their livelihoods and answer questions.
EVENT: Interact Studio Networks with Stacy Cassio of Pink Mentor Network
When: Thursday, March 11 from 11:00-11:30 a.m.
Networking in person is hard … networking in a virtual space can sometimes feel impossible. Our friends at Interact Studio — a Charlotte-based communication skills company — have created a bi-weekly virtual seminar series called The Human Touch to help alleviate those networking woes and offer a few moments of authentic connection.
And next week’s Human Touch guest speaker is none other than the master of networking, Stacy Cassio. Stacy is the founder and CEO of Pink Mentor Network, Charlotte’s first mentorship collective.
She knows the power of having a strong network with even stronger mentors and on the Human Touch she will share her wisdom as she speaks on “Virtual Relationship Building.”
PODCAST: Anthony Hamilton Shares His Creative Truth
To close out Black History Month in style, Joni Deutsch at our media partner WFAE interviewed Charlotte musical legend and Grammy Award-winning musician, Anthony Hamilton.
Speaking on the Amplifier podcast, Hamilton spoke on life in the South, the impact of COVID-19 on his life and the creative philosophy that guides his work.
Image (Above) via Anthony Hamilton
EDITORIAL: A Newcomer Reacts to Charlotte
Moving across the country to a city in which you know no one, have zero ties to and in the middle of a global pandemic sounds crazy, right?
Those were exactly Veronica LeMaster’s thoughts as she began packing everything she owned to move out of her apartment in Boise, Idaho and make her way to Charlotte.
Onboarding Podcast – Nao Tsurumaki Takes the Stage with Children’s Theatre
Children’s Theatre of Charlotte (CTC) has long been revered by Charlotteans, but especially head Biscuit-baker Matt Olin. Having spent many of his formative years working with CTC, Olin credits the organization for making a profound impact on him and his creative work today.
To start the year, CTC hired Nao Tsurumaki to take the stage as its new managing director. Tsurumaki arrived in Charlotte after spending many years working in the performing arts in Washington D.C., New York and — most recently — the Winter Garden Theatre in Orlando.
In today’s “Onboarding” segment of The Biscuit CLT Podcast, Olin speaks to Tsurumaki about what’s on his mind as the curtain opens on his new job. They discuss what brought Tsurumaki to the Queen City, what he hopes to accomplish in the years ahead and their shared passion for youth-oriented theater.
EQUAL TIME: @CLTChalkArt’s Crowning Achievement
Over the past two months, we’ve challenged creatives across the Queen City to make something amazing in just five minutes, and they have stepped up and blown our minds. See the first five here.
Today, our friend Michelle Walsh, who goes by the moniker @CLTChalkArt, creates a crown worthy of the Queen City with just two elements: a sidewalk and a fistful of chalk. Watch her work and learn more about her below.
The “Equal Time” series is sponsored by our partners at OrthoCarolina. They’ve launched an online scheduling system that helps you schedule your next appointment in five minutes flat — and that got them wondering about what Charlotte creatives could do in equal time.
Two Charlotteans Team Up to Take the Cake:
Meet Carolee Sinton & Jen Nowak
DISCLAIMER: You cannot gain weight by READING about pound cake. The Biscuit does not make that promise if you eat it. But, life without pound cake scarcely bears thinking about.
Tomorrow (March 4), is National Pound Cake Day. To celebrate — and make you hungry — The Biscuit’s Melissa Dorsch wants to introduce you to Takes the Cake. The business was born of friendship, love … and lots of butter.
Carolee Sinton and Jen Nowak met in 2012 when both had kids attending the same preschool. When Sinton’s husband had to have surgery, Nowak decided to bring them a pound cake made from a family recipe. Sinton asked for the recipe, and six months later, the pals paired up and started selling pound cakes to friends.
The 10-foot sculpture by the Metroview building near the intersection of Caldwell Street and Randolph Road has long been a source of curiosity for us at The Biscuit.
Featuring two halves of a mold with the gold-painted impression of a man on either side, this work has seemingly “always been there.” It was there when Biscuit editor, Tim Miner, drove past on the way to Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find in high school. And, it was there when he drove past on the way to his sleep apnea test in his forties. But, who made it? What is it called? That’s where it gets murky. There’s no information about the work at the site.
We turned to Instagram and the wise creative, Cher Cosper, knew the “who.” It’s the work of artist Austin Fox. Once we knew the name, we found that it was commissioned by Dr. Reed Gaskin and his medical partners for $9,000 and was installed in 1974. There are some reports that Fox’s son was the model behind the work.
The Charlotte Observer reported the work’s title as “Being” in a 1987 article and “Man Mold” in 1991. The discrepancy of the work’s name is lost to time, but not the story of its “scandal.” With its depiction of male nudity, the sculpture drew complaints immediately, with some talk of relocating it to the Mint Museum.
Of the controversy, Fox told The Charlotte News in 1981: “I said they could just dump it in the river.”
In researching this piece, we made a sad discovery. Fox died on Dec. 4, 2020 in a senior living center in Mint Hill at the age of 92. But, his work lives on, creating curiosity … and perhaps a little scandal.
Directions: 1900 Randolph Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207
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 art-filled mail day with 6 giant love-themed postcards created by local artists titled “Love, Charlotte”
- An introduction to Lucas Ayres, the photography mastermind behind @CLTShooters
Click here to dig in, y‘all.
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