The Biscuit Interview with Avian - June 2024

 

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF CHARLOTTE IS CREATIVE

Portrait of a Young Artist On Fire June 18, 2024   Avian Cannon at the Mint Museum Uptown Meet Avian Cannon: A Rising Star in Charlotte's Creative Scene If you’re a regular reader of The Biscuit, you know where we stand: The Queen City is chock full of artistic talent across a wide swath of creative disciplines. We can see the product of working artists across our city, from murals to stage productions to music in every corner of the community. It isn’t quite so easy to gauge how much creative prowess exists in our schools. But, it’s there in abundance.  A few weeks ago, Avian Cannon (they/them), a local visual artist who just graduated from Lake Norman Charter High School, won first place in the district in the 2024 Congressional Art Competition. Cannon's oil painting, "Scrutiny in the Third Person," will be displayed in an exhibition in Washington, DC for the next year along with more than 400 artists from across the country.  Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D., congratulated Cannon and four other local student artists at a special ceremony at the Mint Museum Uptown on May 21. Watch a video here. Click the image above to watch the video. This spring, Cannon was also recognized for their work at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, which dates back to 1923.  This annual program recognizes various art forms, including ceramics, digital art, drawing, fashion, and photography. Sponsored by Adams Outdoor, NAMTA, and UNC Charlotte, the awards honor outstanding student submissions and rewards them by exhibiting their work at the Mint Museum Uptown. Read stories of past winners here and here. Cannon’s art was selected by Charlotte Is Creative, publishers of The Biscuit, for special recognition. And, we found the artist to be as interesting as the art, itself.  MEET AVIAN CANNON From a young age, Cannon has been deeply entrenched in the world of art. For them, art isn't just a pastime but a persistent calling. Initially drawn to sculpting with clay and Play-Doh, Cannon's childhood fascination evolved into a profound passion for character design and illustration, inspired by the imaginative storytelling and vibrant character designs in television shows like "My Little Pony,” “Voltron” and other animated shows. Avian has long dreamt of a career in character illustration within the animation industry … and they’re moving to make those dreams a reality. They are captivated by the power of character design to tell stories – how a simple drawing can encapsulate complex narratives and personify diverse experiences, making it not only a creative outlet but also a profound medium for storytelling. Avian Cannon's Art Click the image above to enlarge it. Q&A WITH AVIAN CANNON Not long after the exhibition of Scholastic work closed at the Mint Museum, we had an opportunity to speak with Cannon more about how they hope to develop a creative career. Your art is evocative. There's an emotional depth to it. What kinds of reactions do you see from people when they experience your work? Most of the time it's just people being surprised. Often, there's shock and awe at the skill level, which I've worked really hard for.  But there's also a lot of confusion about what my art means. Many of the the pieces that [Charlotte Is Creative] saw and evaluated are from my current AP portfolio where I'm focusing a lot on self-image and identity. People look at the pieces and be confused as to what they mean, but it's always a fun experience getting to explain it to them. About the self-portrait where you are peeling parts of your body off to reveal money – how did you hope that would make people feel? What kind of emotions or thoughts were you trying to elicit from an audience? Initially, with the pose and the lack of general clothing on it, I kind of wanted to get shock out of people. That was the original prompt for that piece -- to create a piece about an issue in the world.  It's supposed to be how your value can feel monetary at times and how you can only feel valued in the world if you're making money off of yourself. I wanted people to look at it and be like, “Oh, that's a cool painting. Wait a minute … what's going on? What's behind this? This is a lot more interesting than I initially thought.” Many people wanted to know the emotion behind it and the obligatory handful of people asking me if I was okay. It was clearly a self-portrait for a lot of people. It was hung up in my school for a time. So if I walked past it, people could kind of make the connection.  I received lots of questions about the individual choices I made about it and the emotion that went into it and how it connected to a lot of a greater concept. You are are planning to attend SCAD Savannah in the fall. How do you feel about that? When I set foot on the Savannah campus, it was this gorgeous city that you can look around and see. Every other building is a SCAD building. You feel like you're part of this big community. After college, what kind of creative career do you hope to have? My ideal job would be working at an animation company, preferably nothing owned by Disney, but just somewhere working in the pre-production, working on character design.   The Biscuit is proudly sponsored by:

April 2024

 

April 1st Avian and I finally found the jacket and shoes for prom.  We found a shop on Tryon that was packed with the coolest and most unique stuff.  Now all we needed was the vest and the outfit would be complete.  

April 2nd I got a call from the dentist that the tooth was still not back from the lab.  Delayed again!!  On a happier note, we found the perfect fabric for the vest.    I just had to get it made before prom.  

I love seeing the wysteria growing in the wild.  It reminds me of the house on Nantucket Drive. 

April 3rd we got new tires on the truck.  Now Tyrone is ready for the beach.  

April 4th, the Elders came over for dinner.  We served the much-requested Cafe Rio so they could have a taste of home.  

April 5th, I got the kitchen and the bonus room straightened up.  Normally this would not be noteworthy, but I have been insanely busy and to get two rooms cleaned on the same day was monumental.  Avian spent the afternoon with their friends having a picnic in the park.  

April 6th we started off with a taking a load to the dump, then went to Home Depot and then to Lowes to get some supplies for getting the yard ready for another growing season.    Steve worked on getting the bricks out front replaced with the stones we bought a couple of years ago.  It is going to look so nice when it is done.  I worked out in the backyard getting things cleaned up and painting the trellis to go in the garden.  It will allow things to grow up it while providing shade for the air conditioning units.  Win-Win!  Jeremy helped me get the garden ready.  We put the stuff from the compost bin into the garden to get it ready for planting.  Jeremy felt bad that the lizards were going to lose their "condo" (the pile of stones that has been on the back porch for two years) and so he created a couple of smaller ones in various spots in the yard.  We haven't seen any new tenants, but we are hopeful.  Nick stopped by to get some of his things and his bike.  I Zoomed with Mom and Kathy between conference sessions.  I  painted the trellis while listening to the second session.  Jeremy went to campus to set up for an event they were sponsoring the next day.  We were all pretty tired by the end of the day.  

April 7 - I finished painting the trellis during conference on Sunday.  Steve put new headlights on his xTerra.  Avian worked on their portfolio.  Jeremy went to the LAN conference on campus.  

April 8th - It was a busy day at school.  There was an 80% eclipse and the kids were all excited to have a look through the limited number of glasses we had.  Because of this, drama practice started very late and did NOT go well.  I was really nervous about the performance the following day.  

Avian finished their portfolio and submitted it to SCAD.  Cross your fingers that they like it and give us a good scholarship.  

April 9th, the students really stepped up and did an amazing job with their performances of the fractured fairytales for the 6th grade.  They performed on pure adrenaline and everyone had a great time.  

April 10th Steve found out that he has passed all the kidney stones.  Now we just have to keep new ones from forming.    That night was the Fractured Fairytales performance for the parents.  The students kicked it up another notch and the performances were fabulous!!  

April 14th we got to go to the Mint Museum and pick up Avian's art that had been on display for the Scholastic competition.   One of the ladies who helped organize the exhibit recognized Avian and gave them rave reviews and comments about their art.  Avian was beaming by the time we left.  

There was an Easter Egg display in the plaza outside the Mint Museum and we found this Ramen Noodle egg.  

April 15th - I got my real, permanent tooth!!   It is weird and wonderful at the same time.  No more flipper!!

April 16th, Avian went to Kelsey and got their hair cut for prom.  It is the best cut they have every gotten and they are feeling really good about prom this year.  After the haircut, Avian headed back to school to help with the costumes for the high school play.  

April 18th Avian officially committed to SCAD.  It was a scary decision with a lot of unknowns, but we feel confident it is the right decision!

April 19th, Steve and I went to dinner with the Boden's and Nancy and Miguel before heading to the church to set up for Women's Conference the next day.  Avian was a school helping with the play and Jeremy was out with friends seeing Dune 2.

April 20th, Avian signed up for housing and started filling out the paperwork.  I was at the church helping with the Women's Conference, which was a huge success.  Steve worked on the stones for the driveway again.  That night we went to the school play to support Avian and friends.  They performed "The Curious Savage" and it was really good and very well done!!

Niki did an amazing job on the food.  

After lunch, the women had a choice of 7 different service projects!

Jennifer and I are elephant pant sisters.  I knew I liked her for a reason!

Taking pictures of Avian's art on the wall at school during intermission.  

Avian absolutely LOVED being on the tech/support crew for the play.  

April 23rd, the digging in the front yard to put in the stones has created another project in the back yard.   All of the excess dirt needed to go somewhere.  We were either going to be doing multiple loads to the dump or we could find a way to use it elsewhere.  We decided to spruce up the fire pit.  Steve bought railroad ties and created a box where the firepit will go.  We will fill it with the extra dirt and then use the extra stones to create a flat surface for the firepit.  It is going to be really nice.  

It is going to be so nice when it is done!

While Steve and Jeremy were working on the box, I went to the Concord Ward RS activity where we learned all about gardening.  We also learned how to make self-watering planter boxes.  They raffled one off at the end of the night and I won!

Avian went out thrifting with Rose.  They always come up with something fun when they are together. 

Jeremy got stuck in Hosier traffic for a couple of hours trying to get home from the campus.  

April 25th was Knight of the Arts.  Steve came with me and we had a lot of fun.  I helped with the play and Steve enjoyed the food trucks and the art.  It was a good night.  

April 26th was prom.  Avian's outfit looked amazing.  We spent some time in the yard taking pictures before heading over to Michelle's house for pictures.  It was also the place where the limo was waiting.  Michelle's mom got it all set up and we all pitched in .  

The tickets were playing cards.  

One last dance picture in front of the hall closet door.  

They look amazing!

Rose and Avian

Keegan, Leah, Avian, Michelle, Anthony, Rose, Summer, Joey

Anthony, Keegan, Michelle, Rose, Leah, Summer, Joey and Avian getting ready to roll out in style.  

Silly

Serious

Loaded and ready to go. 

Prom was at a new location in Mooresville this year and the kids all said it was MUCH better. Everyone stayed until the very end.  There were blackjack and roulette tables and a photo booth and the food and drinks were better.  There was also an outside area if you wanted to get away from the noise.  After prom, Avian went to a sleep over at Carly's.  They came home the next morning with some fun memories of their last prom.  

April 27th, we started the morning off with getting the railroad ties for the fireplace area placed and put together.  I got to spend the morning with Tabitha Tufts.  They were back in town so Haylie could go to prom with her best friends.  It was so much fun to get to catch up with Tabitha and find out how things are going in Idaho.  I miss having the Tufts just down the road.   

That afternoon, Avian and I headed to the school to take some senior pictures for their announcements.  Avian invited Leah and Elise joined us and made things really fun.  I gave the camera to the girls and let them loose.  Avian had a great time.  

In the art room, sitting on the table where most of the year was spent.  

Sitting in the Knight's Nook chatting after an eventful and energetic photo session.  

Avian and I were in the truck just pulling out of our parking spot when we got the idea to take some pictures in their cap and gown at their parking spot. I am glad we did.  They turned out great.  

April 29th was Senior Skip Day.  Avian and the group had a picnic in the park and just enjoyed the day. 

It was 90s week at the middle school and we were encouraged to wear our 90s gear during morning carpool to get the week going.  I had to steal a lot of stuff from the kids, but I think I got the look right.  

Me and Jessica showing off our 90s look. 

Nick called later that day and was feeling a little down.  We took him some root beer float cupcakes and visited with him for a bit.  He was feeling better by the time we left.  

April 30th, Avian was invited to Senior Awards Night.  Jeremy was taking his finals head on and crushing it.  I am so proud of him.  He kept himself focused and finished his paper and project.  The teacher loved it and Jeremy ended up getting a 90/100!  

March 2024

 March 1st we started off the month getting to watch Lili Booker, our neighbor and basketball extraordinaire, play in the state playoffs.  Lili is such a commanding force on the floor and it was fun to watch. 

March 2, Steve went to the flea market in Salisbury with Jerry O'Brien.  They had a great time.  Afterwards they drove down to Rock Hill to look at some tools.  It was a fun-filled day for the two of them.  I went on a walk with Sandra in the morning.  I love or walks and talks.  Afterwards I got to take Anji and her family to look at some houses they might want to rent.  We found a few and Anji was going to look into applying for them.  Back at home I went grocery shopping with Avian.  Steve went to an Elder's Quorum activity that night.  

March 5th, Avian was recognized at the LNC board meeting for their gold keys, honorable mention and American Visions nomination.   The Board asked all sorts of questions and it was fun to see Avian engage with them.  They were genuinely interested in what Avian was doing and where they wanted to go to school, etc.  Ms. Matocha also announced that she is entering Avian's oil painting (see below) into the Congressional Award competition.  

Award winner - !!!!!!

March 8th, Avian got a package from SCAD.  It was full of SCAD swag as well as a letter notifying Avian that they had won 3rd place in the SCAD challenge.  That is a $2,000 scholarship every year for four years!  The letter also said that there had been over 3,900 entries for the 2-D art.  That is really cool that Avian was #3!  The winning painting is above!

Avian and their SCAD swag!

March 9th we took the train into Uptown to see Avian's art on display at the Mint Museum.  It was a great adventure.  It started on the UNCC Campus for parking and then a short tour while walking to the Traxx station.  Once in Uptown, we found our way to the museum and waited for Nick to arrive.  I wasn't quite prepared for the emotions of seeing Avian's art on the wall in a museum of this size.  It was surreal.  

Avian's portfolio

This one is the American Visions Award Nominee.  I also loved taking this picture because several people walked by and did a double-take when they realized that the artist was standing next to the picture.  

I HAD to take a picture of the sticker - sooooo cool!

We found a comfy place to sit and just people watch for a bit.  Avian got a kick out of the people walking along, looking at all the pictures and then stopping at one of theirs and talking about how much they liked it.  All the hours of hard work paid off during this time.  

We all went to lunch at Chipotle in Uptown and then said goodbye to Nick before heading back to the train.  Once back on campus, Jeremy took us on a tour of where he likes to hang out with his friends.  he also showed us all the cool places in the bookstore.  We found a cool puzzle to send to Grandma for April. 

That evening, Steve and I went to the adult session of Stake Conference.  It was a really fun day!

March 10th was the general session of Stake Conference.   At one point the Stake President got up and announced he was going to call some people up randomly to share their testimony, my heart started beating very quickly.  Steve nudged me and said, "You are getting called up", and then they called my name.  I had a few moments to collect my thoughts before it was my turn.  The night before, I had sat down and picked up a book by Barbara Richards (the lady who made our wedding cake) called.  It was about her journey finding joy after becoming paralyzed in a car accident at the age of 20.  She talked about JOY as Jesus Others Yourself which aligns with the greatest commandment to love God first and then others as yourself.  This is what makes joy so much better than happiness.  I was so grateful for the time I had taken to read the night before.  It gave me a basis for my testimony that day.  

March 11th was disappointing.  Dr. Vasa was not able to put the new tooth in because the appliance had not been made properly.  They took a physical mold of my mouth and I made an appointment for three weeks out for a second attempt.  

March 12th was a teacher work day.  The MTSS team took this opportunity to have Ashley Springs from NCDPI come in and help us facilitate the FAM-S which is a measurement of how well our school is doing with the MTSS implementation.  It was very validating to have the others echo what I had been saying for months.  We now have some very good goals to focus on for improving our MTSS process.  

That night Avian got to go be Rose's handler while Rose wore the school mascot uniform.  Apparently you cannot see very well while inside the Knight and need someone to guide you.  They had a great time.  

March 14th I went to lunch with Bev.  It was so good to see her and catch up.  She is so happy with her new job and I am really glad that she is doing something she enjoys.  There is also a lot less stress.  

That night Rebekah, Nancy and I went to the Reedy Creek Relief Society activity together.  We had a great time playing musical chairs, ping-pong ball tic-tac-toe and pin the Moroni on the temple.  Afterwards, we got to meet Nancy's boyfriend, Miguel.  He is super nice and treats her like a queen.  I love that for her!

March 16th, Avian and Steve went to the UNCG prospective student day on campus.   Avian liked the campus and said it is a good #2 choice if we cannot make SCAD work.  While they went to Greensboro, I went to the Harrisburg Relief Society activity in the morning and got to reconnect with old friends and meet some new people.  I left there to go help set up for the Knight of Shenanigans at Rural Hill.  We got everything set and I went home to get some things done before returning later that night.  It was a fun night filled with talking and laughing and selling band raffle tickets.  I was exhausted at the end of the night and glad to load up the truck and head home.

March 19th was MPA for the band.  I got there in time to watch the entire performance.  It wasn't until halfway through the first song that I remembered to get their performances on video.  The links are below.  They did great!  After their performance, they went into a warm-up room and did the sight reading portion of the adjudication.  This time they came home with a 2 (1 being the best.  It is out of 5 points).  

Avian as 1st clarinet

Here are the links to the performances.  You can copy and paste the URL into your browser.  

https://youtu.be/TjD_hkJGsec

 https://youtu.be/WJDrloivHyU

https://youtu.be/xocWwo8u7dY

March 20th Steve and I were up bright and early so we could get him to his lithotripsy by 6 am.  Everything went well, according to the doctor's report.  I got Steve home and his stomach was not happy so I left him sleeping while I went to the store to stock up on Sprite and Saltines.  He was feeling better when I got back.  

That night was really rough.  He didn't sleep much as was having A LOT of discomfort.  He was also peeing blood again.  I told him he needed to call the doctor first thing in the morning.  I left to go do a half day at work but told him to call me if he needed me to come home.  He called me about 9 to tell me that he had passed a lot of "schrapnel" and was feeling a lot better.  I came home at 11:30 and we headed out at 1:45 to get Avian so we could go meet with their SCAD counselor in South Charlotte.  It was nice to get to meet Sylvia in person and talk over Avian's options.  While we were sitting there talking, Avian mentioned the gold keys from Scholastic and Sylvia said that a gold key was worth $4,000 in scholarship money.  Also, Avian's AP classes would make it so Avian would be able to get their scientific illustration minor without adding any time on to their time at SCAD - 5 AP classes in exchange for 5 minor credit hours.  Sylvia also gave Avian some tips on putting together a portfolio and getting a resume written up.  We feel really good about Avian getting to go to SCAD.  We are hopeful that things are going to work out.  

March 23rd I woke in the morning and helped Anji get her apartment cleaned out.  Steve and I went to Karina and Zach's wedding in the afternoon and then I went back to Anji's to get some more carpet cleaning done.  Steve came to help because there was a possibility that I would have to drive Anji and her family to the Greyhound Bus Station as their departure time had been delayed.  We got everything cleaned up and then decided to go to dinner.  After dinner, we went and visited another friend who was in the hospital.  Avian was at a friend's birthday party and Jeremy was at a robotics competition on campus.  

March 24th we got a new bishopric at church.  Bishop Arias has served the ward well for the last 5 1/2 years.  Bishop Romney will be amazing!

After our sacrament meeting, I went to the Reedy Creek ward conference with Nancy.  Once at home, Steve and I went to Anji's storage unit to drop off a few items that got left behind.  Then it was time to relax!!

March 28th, I got home from work and edged the lawn so Steve could mow.  While he mowed, I pulled some weeds and got the front gardens looking a lot better.  

March 29th was a remote day for school (and the beginning of Spring Break!!).  After I signed off my computer for the day, Jeremy, Avian and I went to Kohls to get Jeremy some denim without holes!!

March 30th, Steve and I were up at 4:30 to go to the temple. It was nice to be in the temple the day before Easter.  Since we were able to get into the 8:00 a.m. session, we were home by 1:00 p.m.  That gave us some time to get some projects done in the yard.  Avian finished up another piece for a scholarship and Jeremy hosted another E-sports event on campus.  It was a full day.

March 31st - HAPPY EASTER!!!  We got to talk to Mom and Kathy and Nick came over for dinner.  It was a great way to end a busy month!