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 PHOTO CREDIT: Carol Rosegg Behind the Threads with RENT Costume Designer, Angela Wendt
With RENT’s 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour coming to Blumenthal Performing Arts Nov. 9–14, we had the honor of speaking with the woman who helped create the iconic looks for Mimi, Roger, Angel and crew.
Angela Wendt shares which characters have changed the most, where she gets her inspiration and the unique challenges this production has faced with the pandemic.
@CLTCoffeeMap Chooses Five QC Coffee Shops to Help You Get Your Cappuccino Fix
For you coffee drinkers looking for a frothy take on your regular cup of Joe, Monday, Nov. 8 is National Cappuccino Day! To honor this caffeinated “holiday,” we turned to our friend, Brandon Roffis of Charlotte Coffee Maps, to lead the way to great local coffee.
Snack on some See below for some quick hit on creative developments at work in the Queen City. With art, music, tech, history, and more … we have a quick creative bite for just about everyone!
ART EVENTS
ArtPop Street Unveils Upcycled Haute Couture
For years, Wendy Hickey, founder of ArtPop Street Gallery, has worked with billboard companies to showcase the work of local artists in Charlotte and communities across the U.S. But, what to do with the vinyl billboards once the art comes down?
As always, Hickey has a plan. She’s working with local nonprofit Upcycle Arts to turn the used materials into clothing. You can see them on the runway at the Upcycled Fashion Show at the Innovation Barn at 932 Seigle Ave. on Nov. 13 at 5 p.m.
Draw with Urban Sketch Legend, Mike Daikubara
Charlottean Mike Daikubara has fallen in love with urban sketching (creating quick, beautiful illustrations of the urban environment) … and he wants you to, as well. On Nov. 14, he’s teaching a three-hour class as part of the City of Charlotte Corridors of Opportunity playbook development along Albemarle Rd.
Each participant in this hands-on class will be given an art kit to keep and a copy of Daikubara’s book, Sketch NOW Think Later. The group will meet outside (weather permitting) and sketch along with the artist. Tickets are very limited.
MUSIC
Gaze Into the Charlotte Music Scene
If you’ve been sleeping on the CLT music scene, here’s a chance to wake up and groove on. The Stargazer Music Fest is headed to Greenlife Family Farms from 7 p.m. to midnight on Nov. 13.
The event features a local hip-up, electronic and live instrumentals from local acts, including Your Neighborhood Orchestra, Deku, FLLS, MasterKie, Half Caste, Starlitmire and RoyalCity Lif (previously featured in The Biscuit). The festival includes food trucks, a night market and onsite telescopes to survey the night sky.
INTERIOR DESIGN
Charlotte Company Furnishes Homes and Finds Needed Funds
In college, husband-and-wife creative duo, Regina and Robin Reaves, met working in a home design store. Today, they have a successful business, R & R Interior Design 365.
Last week, they earned first place by generating $17,513 through community support at FURNISHED, a fundraiser and competition for Furnish for Good, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving families and individuals transitioning out of homelessness.
PUBLIC ART
 PHOTO CREDIT: WFAE Attorney Julius Chambers Holds Court on the Trail of History
As reported by our media partners, WFAE, a statue honoring civil rights lawyer Julius Chambers was unveiled on the Trail of History, a collection of bronze statues honoring Charlotte trailblazers such as Thad Tate along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway.
Chambers died in 2013, but his legacy looms large over civil rights history. He groundbreaking lawsuits against school segregation and racial discrimination, including the exclusion of Myers Park running back Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick from the 1965 Shrine Bowl.
CHARLOTTE HISTORY
Charlotte’s “One-Person Search Engine”
Local students on a tight deadline and local history buffs can sleep soundly these days.
Though the main branch of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library may be going into hibernation for four years, the boundless knowledge of Charlotte history embodied by its staff is very much awake.
As reported by the Charlotte Ledger, Shelia Bumgarner has served as a librarian since the Robinson Spangler Carolina Room opened in 1989. And, she will continue to be a “go-to guide” through Queen City history when the Carolina Room collection is relocated in a few months.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
CreativeMornings/Charlotte Live and In-Person Nov. 12
The rumors are true! After a 20-month hiatus from in-person events, CreativeMornings/Charlotte will offer both a live event at Wray Ward’s new offices on Thrift Road and Zoom and on Facebook LIVE from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 12.
Participants will enjoy live music, short “speed date” presentations from local creatives and a question-and-answer session with Dorothy “Dot” Counts-Scoggins. In 1957, she was one of four black students to integrate Charlotte high schools.
Based on her experience, Counts-Scoggins has dedicated her life to ensuring “that all children would receive a quality education regardless of their race, religion and culture.” Tickets are free, but limited.
Another Chance to Celebrate Dia de Los Muertos
Dia de los Muertos (the “Day of the Dead”), the traditional Mexican celebration of departed loved ones, may have ended Nov. 2, but it rolls on this Sunday, Nov. 7 from noon to 5 p.m. at Camp North End. In partnership with local artists, La Coalición, the Latin American Coalition, is building an ofrenda, an “altar” inspired by the victims of the pandemic.
Attendees are invited to bring a photograph of someone they’ve lost to help complete the ofrenda. The celebration will be punctuated by live music from María Elena Valdez – “La Reina del Mariachi” and others, and include Latin dance, crafts and food. Admission is free.
TECH CREATIVES
When Nick Napoletano Met Mark Zuckerberg (Sorta)
Last week, a Charlotte mural and virtual reality (VR) artist found himself in the middle of Facebook’s rebranding to Meta last week. A work of art he originally designed as VR and then painted in real life at Salon 1226 and Khali Yoga on 36th Street in Charlotte was featured in a video showcasing the social media giant’s new name.
Meta didn’t name-drop him in their video, but we will here: It was Nick Napoletano. On his Instagram account, Napoletano described the experience as the “cherry on a rather bizarre week.”
Carolina Fintech Club and MassChallenge Give CLT Startups a Leg Up
Tech creatives: Now may be your time to take your idea to the next level.
Carolina Fintech Hub (CFH) has partnered with MassChallenge (MC) to create “The Meta Lab,” essentially a “lab for labs.” The initiative will help identify startups and innovators and connect them to corporate clients such as Atrium Health, Barings and Truist that need to solve big challenges.
Tariq Bokhari, Charlotte City Council member and founder of CFH, says Charlotte has become known as a global fintech destination over the last five years. Applications are open until Nov. 10.
Mayor Lyles Dedicates $10 Million to Address the Digital Divide
As the Charlotte start-up community makes moves (see the story above) to become the “Silicon Valley of the South,” the inequity of the digital divide takes on an increased urgency. Equity of access to reliable, high-speed internet access and training in all corners of the city must be addressed to realize the potential of Charlotte’s tech creatives.
In the announcement of the $250 million Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative, Mayor Vi Lyles pledged $62.25 million for the city’s six Corridors of Opportunity and $10 million to bridge the digital divide. Enhancing the availability of Charlotte’s digital resources is important to us at Charlotte Is Creative. We will continue to follow this story as it develops.
 PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte Star Room Part-time Vocal Teacher Needed at Charlotte Star Room
If you love to sing and love to help others find their voice, this may be an ideal opportunity.
Charlotte Star Room, a boutique music development and video production studio, is seeking a vocal teacher. This part-time position will work directly with co-founder Alexis Jo Bruce, a classically trained singer and music manager.
Star Room vocal teachers work with students through in-studio training and recording. While blending fun and fundamentals, teachers help students build confidence and focus on producing a final product or even an EP.
The real question is, “Where aren’t we in CLT?” After three years of Talking Walls, Charlotte is adorned with an incredible collection of new murals. Click here for a map of all Talking Walls murals created to date.
In late October, eight artists — a mixture of local and national creatives — painted new murals at the Metropolitan, Camp North End, Fat City Lofts, Mission Gathering Church and Ink Floyd.
While you may have seen the finished products online, we rarely get a peek at the artists at work. Click the image below for a gallery of the people behind the paint from photographer Brooke Brown.
PLEASE NOTE: Brown donated her services for this gallery. In her honor, Charlotte Is Creative is giving two $250 HUG micro-grants to local creatives in November.
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