7 minute read
Bringing Up the Lights
The Show Must Go On!
Charlotte Arts Organizations Come Alive Again
By John Burton, Jr.
Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com
Spike Lee wins the adapted screenplay award for “BlacKkKlansman” during the 91st Academy Awards. Lee will speak at the Charlotte Shout! festival on September 21, 7:30 p.m. at Belk Theater.
Upcoming Culturally Diverse Events in Charlotte
The Charlotte Ballet
50th Anniversary Celebration / Oct. 7-9, 2021 Nutcracker / Dec. 2021 Sleeping Beauty / April 2022
Charlotte Shout
Film Director Spike Lee / Sept. 21, 2021, Belk Theater
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
J Anthony Brown Watch Out Deh
Now! Tour / Aug. 21, 2021, McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square Meshell Ndegeocello / Sept. 1, Booth Playhouse Ledisi / Oct. 19, Knight Theater
A Conversation with Stacey Abrams
/ Nov. 17, 2021, Ovens Auditorium
After more than a year of darkened house lights, empty venues, and halted ticket sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the arts community is revving up to reemerge from the shadows. Part of getting America going again is recouping the arts and humanities sectors.
In March 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan, which appropriated $135 million to the National Endowment for the Arts to support national, regional and state arts organizations that have been impacted by the pandemic. Some politicians and others criticized the funding, calling it “wasteful spending.” Still, it’s the arts that help to translate the stories of our lives. With much of the world reopening, although cautiously — comedy, dance, fine arts and music are ready to take the spotlight once more.
During the global crisis, the arts and culture communities struggled to maintain their missions amid a myriad of difficulties, operationally and economically, with pressing public health uncertainties. Once it was evident the coronavirus wasn’t dissipating, the world had to pivot in order to persevere.
“When the pandemic hit, we had to learn to reinvent ourselves which meant embracing technology and integrating virtual programming,” said David Taylor, executive David Taylor
Photo courtesy of The Gantt Center The Charlotte Museum of History
Language of Clay / Aug. 2021 Siloam School Project / 2022
The Harvey B. Gantt Center
Classic Black Cinema / Monthly Masterpiece Moment / Biweekly Tommy Robinson Exhibit / Feb. 2022
The Levine Museum of the New South
What Is It Going to Take? / Aug. 24, 2021 Brooklyn, The Walking Tour / 2022
director of the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. The Gantt Center “Unmasked” series, a virtual-only dialogue on a variety of topics affecting the Black community, was one of the Center’s most popular programs to date, gaining virtual attendees from across the U.S. and internationally. “We had to find an innovative way to be the voice in the community while being a platform for others,” said Taylor.
Virtual programming has been a lifeline for many arts organizations in keeping their connection with the community. Although many organizations strongly considered the technological option of going virtual, many arts administrators didn’t believe they would have to adjust so quickly. “We had no idea that we’d be pushed into the digital realm,” said Adria Focht, President & CEO of the Charlotte Museum of History. “It was a 10-year Adria Focht leap we made in a short period of time, thanks to our staff who stepped up and made it happen,” Focht continued. The Charlotte Museum of History, which was accustomed to educational field trip programming, had to discover ways to reach students who were learning from home. Like the Gantt Center, the museum acquiesced to a hybrid model for its constituents, part in-person and virtual. “Digital programming has allowed us to be even more creative. Through digital resources, we can create a renewed value in history and the arts,” Focht said.
“Having more of a digital platform has changed how we think about serving the community,” said Dr. Willie Griffin, staff historian at the Levine Museum of the Dr. Willie New South. “We had to Griffin close three months into our exhibit on the historic Brooklyn community in Charlotte. Now people can partake in a guided virtual tour,” he said.
The Charlotte Ballet used digital means to stay connected to its patrons also. “We filmed, produced and edited two dance-on-film projects for people to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes,” said Douglas Singleton,
Photo courtesy of the Charlotte Museum of History
Photo courtesy of Levine Museum of the New South Jamie Lamor Thompson / Shutterstock.com
Ledisi will perform at the Knight Theater, Oct. 19.
Stacey Abrams will speak at Ovens Auditorium on Nov. 17.
Lev Radin / Shutterstock.com
Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln star in the 1964 film, “Nothing But a Man,” playing at the Harvey B. Gantt Center, Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. executive director of the Charlotte Ballet. “We also performed in-person for limited-capacity, socially-distanced, masked-up audiences,” Singleton added.
Whereas many organizations have been able to implement virtual programming, nothing can substitute for live, in-person performances. Now that restrictions on in-person gatherings are lifting, courtesy of vaccines and patrons taking the necessary personal precautions with face masks, hand sanitizing and social distancing, venues are welcoming patrons back inside for live entertainment. Adam Burke, Artistic Director of the Children’s Theater of Charlotte, told The Charlotte Observer, “There’s nothing like a sold-out full theater. It’s a powerful feeling.”
Singleton and the Charlotte Ballet are most excited to be part of a show that feels “normal” this fall. “In October, our season opener, which is a celebration of our 50 years as a company, will take place at the Belk Theater with live music from the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra,” Singleton said.
In the coming months at the Levine Museum of the New South, look forward to taking a walking tour through the Brooklyn community. “We’re excited that an 8-site walking tour is forthcoming,” Griffin stated. “People will be able to visit prominent sites and hear an oral history and telling of their biographies,” he added.
Part of the reemergence at the Gantt Center has a local connection. “We’re excited about so many things coming up at the Gantt Center this season and next year,” Taylor said. “One upcoming exciting show is the Tommy Robinson exhibit in 2022. Robinson is a pillar in the arts community in Charlotte. His work spans five decades.”
As many Charlotte arts and culture organizations seek to restart the arts with open doors and revamped programming to attract new audiences, our support of those arts organizations is crucial. Check your local listings for the many arts opportunities that may appeal to your artistic palate. Attend a concert, dance or exhibit to bolster the need and commitment to the arts in the Queen City.” P
Douglas Singleton
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