Sketchbooks are the Window to an Artist’s Soul
Peek Into an Artist’s Soul on Notebook Day
A peek into an artists’ sketchbook is like a peek into their soul and the framework of their creative process. You can catch a glimpse of creative directions not taken, lines that lead to artistic dead ends and how one shape informs another. Sketchbooks allow creatives to work without the specter of perfectionism. They are a sandbox where the imagination of the artist can play.
That’s why we wanted to celebrate May 20 — Notebook Day — by inviting Queen City creatives to share some snapshots of their notebooks and sketchpads. A diverse array of artists answered the call, and we’re fascinated.
PHOTO CREDIT: Corrie Liotta
The Round Chaos – Exhibit at SOCO Gallery
The new exhibition at SOCO Gallery showcases four artists — Adin Kachisi, Senghor Reid, Alex Callender and Jackie Milad — whose work deals with race, identity and the environment.
Four More AAPI Creatives to Follow
In the last batch of The Biscuit, we shared profiles of four creatives doing amazing work in Charlotte as part of our celebration of Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. You can find them here.
This week, we’ve got four more for you … and many more to come. Get to know:
- Visual Artist Robin Stallings
- Photographer/Videographer Kevin Young
- Dancer Audrey Baran
- Visual Artist Vedavalli Saravanan
New Mural Celebrates 30 Years of Time Out Youth
Recently, Charlotte artist Bree Stallings, currently serving as the community partnership coordinator for Blumenthal Performing Arts, completed “Holding Space,” a mural project created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Time Out Youth, an organization that “offers support, advocacy, and opportunities for personal development and social interaction to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youth ages 11-20.”
A collection of more than 20 young artists from Time Out worked with Stallings on the mural, which they developed and painted together over the course of a few weeks. The project was funded, in part, by an Arts & Science Council grant and a $1,000 Bear HUG grant from Charlotte Is Creative, publishers of The Biscuit.
To see more photos of the mural from photographer Brooke Brown, click here. For video of the mural taken by Stallings, click here.
PHOTO CREDIT: Brooke Brown
The Lark Project Grant is Helping Fund a High Schooler’s Creative Passion
When Charlotte lost a remarkable creative leader to cancer during the pandemic, her legacy inspired the creation of The Paige Johnston Thomas Giving Tree (PJT) to provide scholarships and mentorship to aspiring young creatives.
After recently announcing the inaugural recipients of their Blue Jay Scholarship and Phoenix Scholarship, the board is now accepting applications for The Lark Project Grant – an award of $2,000 intended to help a high school student produce a “passion project.” All disciplines (plays, films, music, art, readings, communications, educational programs and more) are welcome as long as the project results in a creative presentation or interface with the public.
The purpose of the award is to help a student express an idea through a sector of the arts they feel passionate about. Collaborations are also welcome, such as combining music and visual art, or dance and film, or painting and literary work.
The application deadline is Oct. 1, and the grant will be awarded in November. The recipient will have a year to complete their project. The Lark Project Grant is offered in partnership with Blumenthal Performing Arts, which will assist the recipient with in-kind support and facility resources for administration, PR and space, while the PJT Giving Tree will offer consultation with members of its board of directors, all creative professionals in their fields.
[Editor’s Note: Matt Olin, co-publisher of The Biscuit, serves on the PJT Giving Tree board and their Lark Project Grant subcommittee.]
VIDEO: The Truth About the Meck Dec … REVEALED!
Today — May 20 — is Notebook Day, but it’s also MeckDec Day — a day Charlotteans celebrate the legendary signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence by 26 prominent civic leaders in 1775, more than a year before July 4, 1776. For years, scholars and citizens alike have twisted their spines to prove or disprove the existence of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.
After years of questing, we have an inside man who’s finally ready to tell the truth about Meck Dec. Watch the video and pull back the veil of lies.
If you don’t believe us, you may want to check out the May 20 Society.
Here’s the perfect way to take flight on an exploration of the Rail Trail into South End — take a photo standing in front of “Wonder Wings.” The nearly 7-foot-wide wings are part of #SouthEndBlooms, a weekend series of pop-up art installations and activities through mid-June.
The “Wonder Wings” are fiber art constructions, crocheted by local creatives Ashley Jane McIntyre and Kelly Rose Zimmerman, both members of CRAFT CLT, a collective of artists “connecting the textile arts community through history, skill-building and local partnerships.” The wings took over two weeks to create.
The wings are installed at “Edna’s Porch,” bright yellow swings just off the Rail Trail on E. Carson Street, kitty-corner to Midnight Diner.
#SouthEndBlooms is sponsored by South End and Charlotte Center City Partners and managed by Charlotte Is Creative. Installations (or “Blooms”) range from visual art to floral art, musical performances, dance, henna art and more. Find a line-up of this weekend’s activities here.
 PHOTO CREDIT: @winne_the_betch
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 dive into the history of nail artistry and the work of Julie Nhi of Cosmic Nails
- A look at banker/filmmaker/actor Jinna Kim’s 3 Biggest Challenges
Click here to dig in, y‘all.
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