MEET 14 AMAZING CHARLOTTEANS RIGHT NOW!

Charlotte’s creative community is vibrant and amazing because it’s fueled by vibrant and amazing people. We are fortunate as a city and region to have hard-working organizations and companies working every day to fill our streets and buildings with creative activities. But, it’s the individuals behind those entities that drive our artistic and cultural institutions forward.

In this batch of The Biscuit, we’re excited to introduce you to 14 creative Charlotteans who inspire us.

THESE 4 WOMEN WERE STRUCK BY A BOLT OF INSPIRATION

Each month at CreativeMornings/Charlotte, the team from Charlotte Is Creative awards one Charlottean with a “Bolt of Inspiration” Award. This award, sponsored by UNC Charlotte and the Savage Way, honors these individuals for their significant, ongoing support of our local creative community.

In the profiles below, meet the four women awarded with a Bolt this year.

Kathleen Finch – January 2025
Co-Founder, CLT Street Art Collab
WEB: cltstreetartcollab.com
IG: @cltstreetartcollab

A nurse by training and artist by nature, Kathleen Finch is building a creative ecosystem where art heals, community thrives, and local artists are paid and celebrated. Through CLT Street Art Collab, she fuses wellness and street art to create joyful, sustaining collaborations.

How do you show up for Charlotte? How does Charlotte show up for you?
“We are community builders that bring brilliant ideas from the Charlotte artists we work with to life. 

Our nonprofit’s mission is to assist local artists to attain & maintain a sustainable living in the arts via events, workshops, art markets, and mural opportunities where the artists are paid for their phenomenal work and  art vending is free.”

What is your superpower?
“Helping others is at the core of everything that I am. Diving back into art after a 20-year hiatus during the pandemic, I entered a community of artists that celebrated uniqueness and the healing power of art. In this beautiful community I felt accepted for the first time for my authentic self & was able to embrace the concept of self-love.”

Ana Ogbueze – February 2025
Founder, NC Dance District
WEB: NCDanceDistrict.com
IG: @ncdancedistrict

Ana Ogbueze keeps Charlotte dancing — not just through movement, but by fueling hope and community for dancers often overlooked. Her creative vision turns second chances into center stage opportunities. 

What are some of your goals in 2025?
“My number one personal goal is to land a distribution deal with a major streaming service for my show Project Full Out (NCDD’s nonprofit) so I can share the amazing stories of the second-chance dancers of Charlotte – a television series rooted in creating opportunities for those typically overlooked, but one that also amplifies the joy of dance and how it can serve as a therapeutic outlet…

My goal and dream for NC Dance District is to expand the studio to a second location that will operate as a co-working space for all movement artists and house several studio suites.”

What did it mean to you to receive a Bolt of Inspiration?
“It means that the long nights, hard work and obstacles are all worth it if it helps just one person and makes a difference in their lives. The bolt symbolizes that spark that we all need to lean on sometimes when we want to give up.”

Jill Cole – March 2025
Community Relations Manager, Carolina Panthers
WEB: Panthers.com
IG: @thejillyofalltrades

As a connector and advocate between the sports world and the community at large, Jill Cole amplifies Charlotte’s creative heartbeat by embedding it into NFL programming. She lets the universe guide her, but never misses a chance to walk beside a local artist or small business.

What did it mean to you to receive a Bolt of Inspiration?
“Receiving the Bolt of Inspiration meant the world to me. Being recognized as a “Charlottean” felt like a warm hug that I had been craving for so long. This honor reignited my drive for the work I do and filled me with pride.”

When you tell other people about the creative community in Charlotte, how do you describe it to them?
“The creative community in Charlotte is unmatched. Our creative neighbors make Charlotte a more beautiful place — not only for their tangible goods or colorful murals, but for their tender love and care that they provide for one another.”

Patricia Massey Hoke – April 2025
Executive Director, Women’s Impact Fund
WEB: womensimpactfund.org
IG: @patriciamasseyhoke

With deep empathy and purpose, Patricia Massey Hoke builds bridges across backgrounds and generations to power women-led philanthropy. As she prepares to step into a new chapter, her commitment to equity and connection remains firmly rooted in Charlotte, including the creative community she has championed for years.

How do you show up for Charlotte? How does Charlotte show up for you?
“I try to show up as my authentic self and to listen more than I speak. I also try to consider what equity really means and what defining it as a core value can mean to our community. Charlotte shows up by reflecting such a rich diversity that strengthens us and keeps us interesting.”

What did it mean to you to receive a Bolt of Inspiration?
“Honestly, it was a real surprise mostly because I don’t know that I consider myself ‘creative.’ I feel seen, and I feel like what I have done at Women’s Impact Fund matters and is being noticed.”

7 CREATIVES GET HUGged 

On April 4, seven Charlotte creatives received $250 H.U.G. (Helpful Unfettered Gift) micro-grants to help move their bold ideas forward:

• Amy Campbell (@lovingtheartistwithin) will use her H.U.G. to purchase lumber and materials for an upcoming installation piece.
• Mike Daikubara (@mikedaikubara) plans to apply his grant toward giclee printing and custom framing for a new exhibit at Central Piedmont Community College.
• Michelle Fernandez (@thesqueezeclt) is using her H.U.G. to buy supplies for a series of community art workshops.
• Geornee Jeffries (@curvaceousbehavior), collaborating with artist Michael Grant (@captain_kazan47), will direct her grant toward supplies for an upcoming exhibition at Camp North End.
• Sunah Lee (@sunahbunny) will invest her H.U.G. in custom framing for a new collection of her original paintings.

These grants were made possible April with support from LPL Financial, LISC, Wray Ward, Hot Sake and United Way of Greater Charlotte. H.U.G.s don’t happen without a community standing behind them.

Music Everywhere CLT H.U.G.

Through June, Charlotte Is Creative is partnering with Music Everywhere CLT to present a monthly H.U.G. micro-grant to a local musician.

The April recipient is Joe May (@joemaymusic), who will use the funds to purchase a new microphone for interviews with collaborators on his upcoming album and to hire a graphic designer to support the release.

The Extra Squeeze Grant: A New Monthly Boost
Thanks to a new partnership between SpringClean Global and Bogues Consulting Group, one H.U.G. recipient each month will receive an additional award — the Extra Squeeze — designed to give their brand a boost and expand their reach.

The first recipient is Phoenix Steele (@phoenix_filmart), a Charlotte-based creative makeup artist and advocate known for her bold vision, vibrant energy, and community spirit.

As the inaugural Extra Squeeze Grant winner, Phoenix will receive:

• $500 in additional funding from Charlotte Is Creative and SpringClean Global
• A custom media kit and brand development support from Bogues Consulting Group
• A feature on CharlotteFive
• A storefront spotlight with an average of 65,000 monthly visitors

CHARLOTTE IS CREATIVE PODCAST

After each gathering of CreativeMornings/Charlotte, co-founders Matt Olin and Tim Miner of Charlotte Is Creative, publishers of The Biscuit, record a podcast with that morning’s speaker to explore more about their artistic journey. Today we present two for your listening pleasure.

Kathren Martin, who spoke in February on the global topic of “Parallel” is the cofounder and Artistic Director of Mixed Metaphors Productions, an artist collective that disrupts narratives of erasure through immersive theatre, art installation, and new oral histories in Charlotte, NC. LISTEN TO HER CONVERSATION HERE.

On April 4, photographer, image activist & former “Charlottean of the Year” Alvin C. Jacobs, Jr., explored the topic of “Crossroads” at the newly refurbished Carolina Theater. Last weekend, an exhibition of Jacob’s work – “Black Behind Bars: The Untold Story of Black Biker Culture – opened at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. LISTEN TO HIS CONVERSATION HERE.