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

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

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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