Arts & CultureMusicThe Best in Charlotte - Best in the Nest

Arts & Entertainment Readers’ Pick Winners: Best in the Nest 2021

Best of Charlotte's arts and entertainment scenes chosen by Queen City Nerve readers


Best in the Nest Readers’ Picks were chosen exclusively by readers through a one-month nomination process followed by a one-month voting process. The nominations were not tampered with by Queen City Nerve staff at all — save for removing ourselves from a few categories to proactively dispel any notions of favoritism. In other words, if you disagree with these ones, that’s on your fellow reader, not us.

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VISUAL ARTS

 

BEST ART GALLERY

Winner: Goodyear Arts
Runner Up: The Artisan’s Palate

 

BEST DISPLAY OF PUBLIC ART

Winner: Camp North End Murals
Runner Up: ArtPop Street Gallery

Rosalia Torres-Weiner in front of one of her murals at Hygge Coworking in Camp North End. (Photo by Grant Baldwin)

BEST EXHIBIT

Winner: Blumenthal Arts – Immersive Van Gogh
Runner Up: Mint Museum Randolph – It Takes A Village

Immersive Van Gogh Charlotte
Media members wander around the Immersive Van Gogh Charlotte space before the preview begins. (Photo by Jayme Johnson)

BEST STREET ARTIST

Winner: Bree Stallings
Runner Up: Matt Hooker

 

BEST MOVIE THEATER

Winner: VisArt Video Screening Room
Runner Up: Cinemark Movie Bistro (Monroe Road)

 

BEST MUSEUM

Winner: Mint Museum – Uptown
Runner Up: Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture

 

BEST PHOTOGRAPHER

Winner: Brian BT Twitty
Runner Up: Joseph Prater

Brian Twitty shoots video for the Your Neighborhood Orchestra project. (Photo by Arlynn Zachary)

BEST TATTOO ARTIST

Winner: Elisa Sanchez
Runner Up: Hayley Moran

 

BEST VISUAL ARTIST

Winner: Lo’Vonia Parks
Runner Up: Katrina “Fiberess” Sánchez Standfield

 


PERFORMING ARTS

 

BEST ACTOR

Winner: Bryan Pierce
Runner Up: Jermaine Gamble

 

BEST ACTRESS

Winner: Rasheeda Moore
Runner Up: Becca Worthington

 

BEST BALLET DANCER

Winner: Zoë Ross Parker
Runner Up: Sarah Hayes Harkins

 

BEST COMEDIAN

Winner: Jason Allen King
Runner Up: Kevin Delgado

 

BEST DRAG PERFORMER

Winner: Onya Nerves

 

BEST IMPROV TROUPE

Winner: Now Are the Foxes
Runner Up: Therapy Adjacent

 

BEST PERFORMING ARTIST(S)

Winner: Flamingo Revue
Runner Up: Satarah

 

BEST PLACE TO TAKE IN SPOKEN-WORD POETRY

Winner: The Evening Muse
Runner Up: Petra’s

The Evening Muse stands at the corner of East 36th and North Davidson streets. (Photo by Grant Baldwin)

BEST PLACE TO SEE COMEDY

Winner: Comedy Zone
Runner Up: The Evening Muse

 

BEST THEATRE COMPANY

Winner: Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte
Runner Up: Theatre Charlotte

Actor's Theatre of Charlotte
The cast of Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte’s ‘Rock of Ages’ at The Barn in MoRa. (Photo by Fenix Foto)

BEST THEATRE SHOW

Winner: Blumenthal Arts Broadway Lights, Wicked
Runner Up: Free Reign Theatre Company, [they fight] An Immersive Dinner Theatre Experience

Talia Suskaer as Elphaba in ‘Wicked.’ (Photo by Joan Marcus)


MUSIC BY VENUE

 

BEST LOCAL RECORD LABEL

Winner: Pachyderm Music Lab
Runner Up: Self Aware Records

The Pachyderm House
Pachyderm Music Lab, currently located in a former home on East 22nd Street in Optimist Park. (Photo by Pat Moran)

BEST LOCAL SHOW (PAST 12 MONTHS)

Winner: The Flight Risks at Tommy’s Pub
Runner Up: Dylan Gilbert at Goodyear Arts

 

BEST NATIONAL CONCERT (PAST 12 MONTHS)

Winner: Phoebe Bridgers at CMCU Amphitheater
Runner Up: My Morning Jacket at CMCU Amphitheater

Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers performs at CMCU Amphitheatre on Sept. 19. (Photo by Jeff Hahne)

BEST IN-STATE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Winner: MerleFest
Runner Up: Hopscotch Music Festival

 

BEST MUSIC SCHOOL/LESSONS

Winner: School of Rock Charlotte
Runner Up: Pachyderm Music Lab

 

BEST MUSIC VENUE

Winner: Neighborhood Theatre
Runner Up: The Evening Muse

 

BEST OPEN MIC NIGHT

Winner: Find Your Muse at The Evening Muse
Runner Up: Tommy’s Pub Thursdays w/ Johnny Starr

Former Find Your Muse host Eric-Scott Guthrie introduces an act at Find Your Muse open mic night in 2008. (Photo by Jeff Hahne)

BEST PLACE TO HEAR COUNTRY MUSIC

Winner: Thirsty Beaver Saloon
Runner Up: Coyote Joe’s

 

BEST PLACE TO HEAR JAZZ MUSIC

Winner: Petra’s
Runner Up: Middle C Jazz

 

BEST RECORDING STUDIO

Winner: Sioux Sioux Studio
Runner Up: Grindhaus Studios

 


MUSIC BY ARTIST

 

BEST BLUES/JAZZ/SOUL BAND

Winner: Harvey Cummings Project
Runner Up: Chad Andrew Harris and the Blue Herons

 

BEST COUNTRY/FOLK BAND

Winner: Sinners & Saints
Runner Up: Amigo

 

BEST DJ

Winner: That Guy Smitty
Runner Up: DJ Fannie Mae

 

BEST EXPERIMENTAL MUSICIAN/BAND

Winner: The Flight Risks
Runner Up: Hey RICHARD

 

BEST INDIE ROCK BAND

Winner: Modern Moxie
Runner Up: The Fill Ins

Modern Moxie
Modern Moxie (from left): Harry Kollm, Charlie Weeks, Madison Lucas and Phil Pucci. (Photo by Lindsey Miller)

BEST LIVE PERFORMER(S)

Winner: Natalie Carr
Runner Up: Lisa DeNovo

Natalie Carr
Natalie Carr (Photo by Rick Ullberg)

BEST LOCAL ALBUM

Winner: Hey RICHARD, self-titled
Runner Up: Pluto Gang, Live From the Unknown

 

BEST NEW BAND

Winner: Hey RICHARD
Runner Up: Stop Talking!

 

BEST POTENTIAL BREAKOUT ARTIST

Winner: Hey RICHARD
Runner Up: Natalie Carr

 

BEST PRODUCER

Winner: Stephen Warwick
Runner Up: Dark Adaptation

Stephen Warwick
Stephen Warwick (Courtesy photo)

BEST R&B SINGER

Winner: Arsena Schroeder
Runner Up: Cyanca

Arsena Schroeder. (Photo by Andrea Orr/LevelUpCLT)

BEST RAPPER

Winner: Elevator Jay
Runner Up: Lil Skritt

 

BEST SINGER/SONGWRITER

Winner: Lisa DeNovo
Runner Up: Dylan Gilbert

 

BEST SOLO PERFORMER

Winner: Lisa DeNovo
Runner Up: Natalie Carr

 


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