This fundraising film, created by Kim Brattain for the Arts & Science Council, features a series of community voices (Speakers A‑E) who explain why supporting the council through workplace giving is vital. The speakers describe how art connects people across language and culture, improves mental health, fuels economic development, and enriches academic life in Charlotte‑Mecklenburg. They recount personal challenges faced by gig‑economy musicians during the pandemic and how the council’s support helped them stay creative. The film highlights STEAM education as a hands‑on, student‑centered pathway that builds perseverance and future career confidence. It also showcases senior dance programs that alleviate arthritis pain, reduce isolation, and foster community. The Arts & Science Council is portrayed as both a funder of impactful projects and a matchmaker that links artists with partners, ensuring resources meet community needs. The overarching call to action urges businesses and employees to contribute workplace donations so local artists can remain in Charlotte, preserving the city’s cultural vitality.
Chapters
Art serves as a connector. Anyone can connect to a piece of music.
See, it doesn't matter if it's in English, in Spanish. If it's good music, people are going to appreciate it.
People may connect to a movement in dance. People can connect to a work of art. Mental health, economic development, academic enrichment— it really enhances the quality of life for all residents in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
I was spending a lot of money and I wasn't making money, and I remember my wife saying, what are you doing? Nobody buys records anymore. But I don't know, man, it kept me optimistic, and, you know, I was doing music. I got that help from the Arts and Science in the critical moment where I wasn't sure if I have to start selling my guitars and go to work as a clerk. I felt like ASC helped me to believe in what I've been doing for the past 25 years.
When you think about creative individuals, they were also hit very hard during the pandemic because many of them work in the gig economy. We want creative individuals to live here and to work here, so we want to secure those dollars to invest in them and their creative practice to ensure that they are thriving in the community.
Science is really hard. Technology is really difficult, regardless of who the individual is that is working through it. And so for us to package STEAM in a really hands-on, engaging, student-centered way, it gets students to realize that they can develop that mindset of keep going. Then the light bulbs go off and they're able to achieve and realize, I can take this step by step and this is a future for me.
Well, we're dancing and it gives us a chance to move our limbs, exercise. I have arthritis and it makes a big difference. Dance is important in our community and I think it's very important to include everyone because it does build community. It gets rid of the isolation that plagues seniors. They come out happy, enjoying one another and making new friends.
Arts and Science Council plays a critical role for the individual artists as well as organizations because they help us fund the projects that matter to the community. They back us.
It takes intentionality, and the Arts and Science Council works from both the partner side to say, you're doing something really great, how do we bring this deeper into communities? And works with the individual side to say, what do you want? What do you need? What are you lacking? What kind of access would you like? And being that matchmaking.
Every community is different. Charlotte has a wonderful arts and culture scene. Yes, we want to strengthen it.
You don't want those artists to move somewhere else and to take their talent, their creativity to another city, to another state. They're from here, they live here. Let's help them so they can stay here.
No matter what stage in life you're at or what your background is, it is one of the great equalizers. Arts serve as a common ground.
