Culture Rewind: Top 5 From Charlotte Creatives in February 2026
There’s so much happening in Charlotte’s arts, musical and culture scenes that we can’t possibly cover it all, but what we can do is go back and let you know about some of the stuff you should’ve seen that happened this month.
Kwamé Ryan Becomes First Charlotte Symphony Director to Win Grammy
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra music director Kwamé Ryan started the month off strong, winning his first Grammy Award at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, when he took home the Best Opera Recording award for his work on Heggie: Intelligence, which he recorded with the Houston Grand Opera before coming to Charlotte.
The award makes the maestro the first music director in the Charlotte Symphony’s history to receive a Grammy Award.
“Kwamé Ryan’s Grammy win reflects what audiences in Charlotte experience every time he steps on the podium,” said Charlotte Symphony president and CEO David Fisk. “We are incredibly proud of Kwamé and this well-deserved honor. He brings extraordinary clarity, emotional depth, and purpose to the music, and this recognition underscores the artistic vision shaping the future of the Charlotte Symphony.”
Ryan joined the company as music director in fall 2024, making him the first Black music director in the 92 years since its founding. He is now also the first Black artist to win a Grammy in the Best Opera Recording category.
‘Sugar Man’ Video Brings Friends Together
Midniter, the solo electronic project from local musician Nic Pugh, released a new video for the single “Sugar Man,” addressing the issues around dependency in a capitalist society in the most fun way possible: with a dance party.
“Whether it’s drugs, booze, your phone, or literal sugar, it’s about being sold the things that kill us every day, and how we eagerly accept them in most cases,” Pugh told The Big Takeover upon the video’s premiere. “This song was inspired by my addictive personality, Velvet Underground’s ‘Waiting for the Man’, and Jeff Bezos. I liked the idea of making Sugar Man a character, attempting to personify a manipulative corporation, or the gaudy excess of capitalism.”
Read more: SugarTank! Records to Showcase Local LGBTQ+ Talent (2024)
The video was directed and edited by Paul Juan of Yawn Productions, with music production by Justin Aswell.
Arcadia Art Consultancy Opens Dilworth Gallery
Arcadia Art Consultancy, known as a behind-the-scenes touchstone of the local art community since its founding in 2017, opened a new brick-and-mortar gallery in Dilworth this month with a goal to “feature a dynamic rotation of exhibitions spanning both the primary and secondary markets, with a primary focus on exceptional works from the 19th and 20th centuries alongside presentations of leading contemporary artists,” according to a release.
Following its premiere exhibit, titled Ways of Seeing: Impressionism and Its Contemporaries, the gallery is now showcasing regional artist Leigh Suggs with its new showing, Time Slot. Currently based in Richmond, Virginia, Suggs was born in Boone and worked as a McColl Center artist-in-residence in 2025.
“Suggs creates works that treat vision as a durational, embodied process rather than an instantaneous event,” read a release announcing the new exhibit. “Her layered chromatic fields shift according to the viewer’s attention, prompting multiple readings of color, surface, and form. By painting on both sides of the paper and incorporating cutting and layering techniques, she produces a subtle radiance that extends beyond the picture plane, blurring the boundary between painting and sculpture.”
The exhibit will be on display until April 22 at the new Arcadia Art Consultancy gallery, located at 1620 Scott Ave.
Deore Drops Claymation Video for ‘Soft Boy’
Local pop singer/songwriter Deore dropped the visuals for her “Soft Boy” on Feb. 13, featuring a humorously dark claymation story by Callum Scott Dyson.
While past songs like “Brat (Humor Me)” delved into the dichotomy of finding personal power through submission, Deore takes the role of Dom in “Soft Boy.”
She sings, “On your knees, so pathetic for me/ How you callin’ me a snack when you’re too afraid to eat?/ So I’ll chew it right down and spit it in your mouth/ My baby bird won’t starve as long as I’m around…”
Read more: Deore Explores BDSM Kink, Art and Authenticity Through Music (2025)
The video sees a sculpted Deore preparing a scrumptious but toxic meal and an ill-advised bath for her “Soft Boy,” a gingerbread man, before eventually following through with one of the song’s refrains, “I eat men like him for breakfast…”
Charlotte Music Census Results Released
Music Everywhere CLT released the results of its Charlotte Music Census on Tuesday, giving a broad view at how folks involved in the local music scene live and what they feel they need to succeed.
“You told us what you wanted to learn about and what you need most. Your answers revealed real challenges that exist in the music ecosystem as well as some great opportunities,” read a release on Feb. 24.
Charlotte Music Everywhere as well as a number of other partnering organizations are now working on developing new projects and tweaking existing ones based on what Charlotte artists have asked for. Find the Data Dashboard and Findings Report here.
