Quick Creative Bites: Week of December 13
Artist Bunny Gregory and Dairy Bar owner Devin McDaniel
ONE: Wells Fargo Teams with Local Artists to Beautify Local Businesses
On Monday, a group of volunteers from Wells Fargo worked alongside Charlotte creatives Eleanor Shell, Bunny Gregory, Nkengi Freeman, Kristen Rowell, Amber Thompson and Julia Valle to enhance two women-owned businesses on West Sugar Creek Road – the Derita Dairy Bar Bar & Grill and Maria’s Grill.
Working directly with the artists, the volunteers assisted the artists in painting windows and trim, installing a new hand-painted sign, painting and installing custom planters and menu boards, prepping a wall for a future mural and creating a custom sidewalk mural.
This is the first of several projects in the Corridors of Opportunity managed by Charlotte Is Creative and funded by $75,000 from Wells Fargo’s Hope USA program to pay artists to enhance locally owned small businesses in the City’s Corridors of Opportunity. More projects are planned in the coming months.
TWO: ASC Allocates Nearly $200,000 in Artist Support Grants
The Arts & Science Council (ASC), working with the arts councils of Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln and Rowan counties, has awarded 74 regional artists $198,100 in Artist Support Grants for a wide array of creative disciplines ranging from film and theater to dance, visual arts and more. The ASC reports that more than 120 regional artists applied for available funding. By their measure, that represents a more than 150% increase of applicants for this fund in 2020.
THREE: Two Weeks Left to Apply got Wray Ward’s EmpoWWer Grant
Local 501(c)(3) nonprofits are invited to apply for EmpoWWer, a creative support program established by Charlotte agency Wray Ward. Based on the company’s three pillars — creativity, shelter and advancement, the EmpoWWer program has assisted 11 Queen City nonprofits with marketing communications assistance since launching in 2018. Those selected work directly with Wray Ward employees to address communications issues that impact their business and marketing goals. Applications close on Dec. 31.
FOUR: Online Moss Art Shop Now Open
Charlotte-based creative agency specializing in out-of-the-box initiatives, The Savage Way, has opened an online shop for premade moss art, an art form they pioneered. Moss art applies preserved moss and plants to custom-designed substrates, ranging from letters and words like “CLT” to illustrations accented by colored moss. Moss art does not need to be watered or tended.
