TheBiscuit122924
WHO NEEDS BLACK FRIDAY? WE’VE GOT HDAF.
One day. Eighty-five artists. 1,600 works of art.
Forget about Black Friday. Forget about big-box stores. Saturday, Dec. 21, is sure to be the biggest shopping day of the year when it comes to local art. And almost everything is $100.
This Saturday, the Hunnid Dollar Art Fair (HDAF) is back for a third year in the Ford Building at Camp North End from 4-8 p.m.
A unique aspects of HDAF is that it’s designed to create community among artists, as well as sales. The event features the work of well-established local artists like Frankie Zombie, Alvin C. Jacobs, Garrison Gist, Bunny Gregory and TWOKAT alongside incredible up-and-coming talents like MASE, Mac Elliot, $oho, London Lavender, Dru Swan and more.
Click here for a list of artists participating in HDAF 2025.
Buy Art Saturday. And, Keep Buying It.
HDAF is again organized by the BLKMRKTCLT team—Dammit Wesley, Will Jenkins, Carla Aaron-Lopez, Jamea Marlowe and Carrin Smaw.
The event is large in scope, but the goals behind it are simple:
- Get artists paid.
- Incite the next generation of art collectors in the Charlotte area to support the artists over the course of their careers.
“Supporting community is a radical act,” said Wesley. “The HDAF was organized in an effort to create a grassroots ecosystem for artists, collectors, curators and everyone in between.”
Collecting Is for Everyone
In its first year, HDAF featured 15 artists and generated around $12,000 in total sales. A special VIP opening event on Dec. 14 for HDAF 2024 eclipsed that number in just a few hours. Wesley says the overall goal is more than five times the original total.
For those new to buying and collecting art … and maybe a little worried they’re not ready to start, Wesley has a simple tip: “Don’t be so serious. Have fun. Collecting is like creating fanfic. You’re creating your own narrative with other people’s work, so figure your story and get collecting.”
Put simply, Wesley says to make a purchase and just get started. He and the team behind HDAF are betting you won’t want to stop, especially if you find an artist—or several—you want to follow through their careers.
Building Community and Sharing Knowledge
HDAF was also designed to build community among artists and serve as a learning opportunity for creatives breaking into the market. The intention is for them to build their understanding of how to price and sell their work side-by-side with more experienced artists.
“Hunnid Dollar Artists are selected via two criteria: taste and opportunity,” said Wesley, the original curator of HDAF. “Some artists are selected based on my personal taste and the tastes of Charlotte collectors. Others are selected because they simply need an opportunity to shine. Much like DJs, it is a curator’s job to break new artists.”
The impact of being surrounded by a highly diverse array of local creatives and new audiences is important to Shefalee Patel, whose works are featured for the first time at this year’s event.
“HDAF offers visual artists a rare opportunity to connect directly with the community in an accessible, vibrant and energetic space,” said Patel. “HDAF is different because it values the relationship between artists and art lovers, making original work attainable while giving artists a chance to share their stories face-to-face.”
Bring Your Cash (and Imaginations) to HDAF
Finally, to help newcomers get a sense of what they’re in for on Saturday, Wesley suggests they prepare for “old-school Black Friday vibes—tons of pieces, good music and great vibes.”
Hunnid Dollar Art Fair will be open 4-8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Camp North End, 300 Camp Road, Charlotte. Admission is free. Cash and credit cards will be accepted.
Seven Creatives Got Hugged This Month
At CreativeMornings/Charlotte on Friday, Dec. 13, Charlotte Is Creative recognized seven local creatives with $250 H.U.G. (“Helpful Unfettered Gift”) micro-grants to help propel their artistic projects:
- Allison Graham
- Dasia Hood (Photo: Robert Delk)
- Foster Weems
- Jackson Harden
- Liz Knapp
- Mikel Frank
- Sarah Oguntomilade
GIVE A H.U.G. GET A H.U.G.
H.U.G. micro-grants are made possible through the generous support of individual donors and corporate sponsors, including Hot Sake, Wray Ward, LISC and LPL Financial.
This month, additional H.U.G.s were donated by Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Carolinas and the creators of I Love/Hate Everything: The Board Game.
COFFEE WITH CREATIVES TAKES ON CONCORD!
Creatives crave community and connection. After a short conversation with our creative collaborator and buddy, Kat Cornelius A.K.A. “TuxedoKat,” the Charlotte Is Creative crew took our monthly Coffee With Creatives gathering on the road to Cabarrus County. And it was awesome., for several reasons.
Tucked up in Mattie Ruth’s Coffee House, we bought a cup of coffee for 19 amazing artists, creators, and makers at.
A PLACE TO CONNECT
We packed Mattie Ruth’s Coffee House, right across from Gibson Mill Market and got to know one another, talking about challenges, goals, passions, frustrations, and tenacity. We highly recommend Mattie’s as a location for meet-ups and creative conversations. The coffee drinks were great. But, the hospitality was off the charts.
NEW ARTISTS AND NEW FRIENDS
From age to background to artistic discipline, this meeting of Coffee With Creatives drew the most diverse group of creatives we’ve ever assembled over coffee. Some folks made the drive from Charlotte and others from Gastonia, but the majority of those who came called Concord home. We had photographers, painters, fashion designers, community engagement folks, actors, models, dancers and more.
We left the morning buzzing on incredible coffee and the knowledge that CONCORD (INDEED) IS CREATIVE!
GET TO KNOW THEM BELOW. FOLLOW THEM. HIRE THEM.
Alice Maria James
Digital Creator
Andrew Stewart
Model
Akunna Amaefule
Poet and Spoken Word Artist
Bunny Luna
Creative Educator, Photographer and Model
Carolina Diaz
Graphic Designer and Screen Printer
Cassie Fuertez
Photographer
Dre Robbins
Abstract Paintier
Enacense
Musical Artist
Erika Rose
Creative Empowerment Facilitator and Coach
Gary Hoyt
Graphic Designer and Illustrator
Kat Cornelius
Visual Artist and Installation Curator
Kat Harmon
Yoga and Dance Instructor
Logan Weidenhammer
Visual Artist
Maureen Binter
Creative Consultant
Patrick Sainte
Graphic Designer, Photographer and Videographer
Quiana Lubin
Jeweler and Oracle Decks
Sam Diggs Hunter
Videographer & Cabarrus Arts Council
Selena Moreno
Mixed Media Artist and Painter
Tacora Woods
Graphic Designer and Photographer