BOOM is thrilled to announce the inaugural Celebrate Charlotte Arts collaboration with The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to showcase 12 local Charlotte artists’ work during BOOM 2020!
Date: Saturday, April 18, 2020
Time: Afternoon and evening
Location: Plaza Midwood, Charlotte, NC
This inaugural Celebrate Charlotte Arts initiative, which supports projects by and for residents of Charlotte, will showcase artistic excellence and capture the spirit of our city. The 12 winning artists are receiving grants from the Knight Foundation to bring their ideas to life during BOOM 2020.
The essence of Charlotte was reflected in the caliber and creativity of applications
for this new initiative. It’s undeniable that Charlotte is full of artists and arts
organizations creating and presenting high-quality work. Our hope is to help
highlight these 12 projects and bring the diversity, talent and potential of
Charlotte’s arts scene to new heights.
– Priya Sircar, Knight Foundation director for arts
Nearly 200 artists and organizations across diverse communities and in every artistic genre applied for this inaugural Celebrate Charlotte Arts showcase.
From a public art mural in the Historic West End, to a circus exploring the Central
American immigrant journey, and so much more, these projects capture the
complexity and beauty of Charlotte’s identity. Charlotte’s artists and arts
organizations play a critical role in telling our city’s stories, connecting us through
shared experiences and adding to our local vibrancy. We can’t wait to see these
winning projects come to fruition.
– Charles Thomas, Charlotte director for Knight Foundation
CarlosAlexis Cruz / the Nouveau Sud project: La Bestia
A contemporary circus take on the Central American immigrant journey to the US, told from the multicultural and intercultural perspective of the Nouveau Sud project.
Dimitris Papanikolaou / Urban Synergetics Lab at UNC Charlotte:Charlotte Breaths
An interactive public art installation of wirelessly-networked inflatables placed at
multiple sites in Charlotte that will allow visitors in each site to perceive the presence of visitors in other remote sites, promoting a spirit of collective awareness.
Eric Mullis: The Land of Nod
A dance theater work featuring Joy Davis, Brent Bagwell, Troy Conn, Jessica Lindsey, Chad Thompson, Charlie Trexler, Chris Walldorf and Eric Chang that utilizes Shaker-inspired music and choreography to investigate the story of Cain and Abel.
Giovanna Torres and Alexander Piñeres: Cine Casual Film Series
A film series presenting recent, internationally-acclaimed and award-winning Latin American films, specially curated for the Queen City.
Photo credit: Juan Ossa, Dia de Los Casi Muertos project
Julio Gonzalez: Dia de Los Casi Muertos
An ongoing multimedia
project that uses video and photography to explore the cultural differences between
Mexican and American experiences with death and aging.
Kevin Patterson and Stationary Hobo Productions: Detective Samwel Sift’s Loved One Discovery or Recovery Services
A second season of a zombie noir audio drama podcast series set in Charlotte, which will integrate more of Charlotte’s local history and character.
Kindred Collective: Kindred Roots
An exploration of multidisciplinary public art and creative storytelling, designed with Charlotte’s creative community and partners, culminating in a mural and event that highlights the Historic West End’s legacy and creativity.
Moving Poets: Heaven
A collaborative dance-theater and visual arts performance inspired by stories of migration, displacement and the tenacity of the human spirit.
Renee Cloud: The Shiny Language Project
A large-scale embroidery of Internet comments in sequins, emphasizing the language
we use and how it can affect others around us.
Sean Beck and Daniel Hamby: Light + Song
A cinematic video series of local musicians’ live performances, celebrating the city’s identity through music and creative collaborations.
True Lobster Charlotte: I. daughter-monster
A site-flexible theater performance where monsters, mothers and magic conspire to reckon with multi-layered abuses of privilege and power.
“Back Home” a mixed media collage of paper, glue and wood scrap.
Credit: Artist William Stephen Davis
William Stephen Davis: Foothills
A public art display of interactive dioramas accompanied by music and shared throughout the city in 2020.
The Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots investing in journalism, the arts and the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. The foundation’s goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which are essential for a healthy democracy.
The Knight Foundation funds great art because it builds community, connecting people to each other and to the places where they live. Since December 2016, the Knight Foundation has committed more than $1 million to Charlotte arts projects, big and small.