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.
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

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

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

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

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

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

MUSIC BY VENUE
BEST LOCAL RECORD LABEL
Winner: Pachyderm Music Lab
Runner Up: Self Aware Records

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

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

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

BEST LIVE PERFORMER(S)
Winner: Natalie Carr
Runner Up: Lisa DeNovo

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

BEST R&B SINGER
Winner: Arsena Schroeder
Runner Up: Cyanca

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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