theCLog

This morning, the staff of Creative Loafing Charlotte received the following news release from officials in our corporate office:

TAMPA, FL — A prominent Florida newspaper executive has been named chief executive officer of Creative Loafing, the alternative newsweekly group, its owner announced today.

Marty Petty, 56, is the former publisher of the St. Petersburg Times and the Hartford (CT) Courant. She will succeed Richard W. Gilbert who has been interim CEO since the reorganized company emerged from bankruptcy this fall under the new ownership of Atalaya Capital Management LP, a New York investment firm.

The news was shared with the Creative Loafing staff today through a memo. Creative Loafing (www.creativeloafing.com) publishes six alternative weekly newspapers and other Web sites, such as (www.straightdope.com), in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Tampa, Sarasota, Fla. and here in Charlotte.

The announcement of Petty, who began her newspaper career in 1983 at the Kansas City Stay and Times, marks the second significant appointment of a notable news veteran this month; having named James Warren, former managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, to the publisher and president post at the Chicago Reader.

“I’m invigorated by the possibilities to deepen relationships with our readers and advertisers and expand our influence in our communities,” Petty said. “The coverage areas which have differentiated and distinguished the alternative press historically may be more important than ever.”

“This is an opportunity to lead a truly unique company in one of the most economically challenging times we have known. But these remain vibrant markets and it’s a wide open field as all media are challenged to redefine themselves to meet consumers changing lifestyles and information needs,” Petty said.

Gilbert described Petty’s expertise as “an unique mix seldom found in one publishing executive. She has solid journalistic values honed from her early career in the newsroom and her long-standing commitment to hard-hitting journalism. All three of her last papers earned Pulitzer Prizes during her leadership. As publisher of two of the nation’s most highly respected newspapers, she has also earned a reputation as a skilled and creative marketing and sales executive who knows how to build strategic alliances to ensure success. “

In addition to her CEO role, Petty joins the company’s board of directors. Gilbert, who has been at the helm of the business since Atalaya took ownership on August 25, will continue as a member of the board as well.

Creative Loafing is headquartered in Tampa, FL. It publishes six alternative newsweeklies: the Chicago Reader (www.chicagoreader.com) the City Paper in Washington DC www.washingtoncitypaper.com, Creative Loafing/Atlanta, Creative Loafing /Tampa, Creative Loafing/Sarasota and Creative Loafing/Charlotte (www.creativeloafing.com). Its national Web site presence also includes www.StraightDope.com. It has combined weekly print circulation of more than 400,000 copies and monthly online unique visitors in excess of 1.5 million.

Look for more on this appointment later on The CLog.

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When it comes to The Third Annual Runway for the Ballet, think Project Runway meets So You Think You Can Dance, but for a good cause. This event, going down Sunday, Nov. 8, is a fashion and dance affair benefiting North Carolina Dance Theatre and will exclusively feature fashions from boutiques Black & Blue, eMartini, Scout and Molly’s, and ChezElle on the runway. Varied in with the fashion, excerpts from one of NC Dance Theatre’s signature performances, Innovative Works, will be showcased. This year is extra special due to the show only featuring smaller businesses, which provides exposure for them as it supports the NC Dance Theatre. In the words of the beloved (yet heavily accented) Heidi Klum: “You’re either in or you’re OUT.” For tickets or more information, visit www.runwayfortheballet.com/home.htm. $20-$65. Nov. 8. 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-372-1000.

— Marian Drayton

Want to know more? Check out this video from last year’s Runway For Ballet.

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We spied Charlotte’s first and only African-American mayor, Harvey B. Gantt, speaking during a press conference yesterday at the new Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture in Uptown Charlotte.

— Video by Mike McCray

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The Blog-o-thon keeps on ticking! On this post, CL music contributor Mike McCray checks in with a couple of street performers in Uptown Charlotte.

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The Belleville Outfit: The young, yet well-traveled sextet plies American roads, rural and urban, gathering twangy and fiddle-caressed songs of roots, swing, country and jazz. The Austin-based band has Carolina roots, and the members are so cohesive in their writing and playing that it seems unlikely they’ve been together only a couple of years. The band’s new album, Time to Stand, has charm oozing out of the grooves that’s further accented with snug female vocals. With Seth Walker. Tonight (Oct. 9) at The Evening Muse.

Check out the band in action below:

— Samir Shukla

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As some commentators would have it, the well-meaning public sits on one side of a divide and art, artists and the “creative community” are perched on the other. This perceived “us and them” schism is animating some rather inane political rhetoric and downright uninformed ink. George Will’s recent editorial in The Washington Post (which was re-published under other titles in The Charlotte Observer and many other regional newspapers) was a shot across the bow for everybody who understands the significant role that art plays in our prosperity. All of us at McColl Center for Visual Art bristled at Will’s provocation and suggestion that today’s new political paradigm subsidizes the “untalented.” We fired off an editorial of our own to meet Will head on.

Will’s assertion that artists are “just another servile interest group seeking morsels from the federal banquet” is bunk. Being an artist is hard and often under-appreciated work. Many people do not fully understand the discipline, research, hard work, technical proficiency and significant resources required to pursue art-making at the highest level. Artists, like other professionals, struggle, experiment, fail and develop good and bad ideas, alike. Laying bare this process exposes artists in ways that can cause an agonizing sense of vulnerability among artists. But the rigors endured by accomplished artists have huge benefits for society. Some less-genuine artists enjoy and play upon the misplaced aura of mystical “genius” that many lay people have of artists. That kind of display accelerates the polarity promoted by George Will. In my opinion, focusing too much on stereotypes and too little on authentic unfolding of the creative process does a disservice to us all.

An invitation into a serious artist’s studio is a rare luxury. There is much to learn from such an experience — it enlightens and reveals the mundane and mysterious — demonstrating that the creative process demands hard work and dedication. Coming close to artists and talking with them about their process, intent and struggles makes them more human and their work more accessible, even when the ideas they are addressing are complex.

You can experience such a process unfold at www.creatingathread.blogspot.com – our resident artist Daniel McCormick is working with Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation, The Charlotte Nature Museum, Catawba Lands Conservancy and students from Queens University of Charlotte to create an environmental art installation that restores an eroded creek bed at Freedom Park.

It is our core belief that art and artists are catalysts for positive social change. Artists help us all discover our own creative voices and our community, region and nation are better for it, in spite of divisive voices that insist otherwise.

Suzanne Fetscher
President, McColl Center for Visual Art
(Guest Contributor)

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From Dawn Smith, originally sent to MoveOn:

I’m at the end of my rope. What CIGNA is doing to me is — well, it’s outrageous.

I have a brain tumor. Doctors are ready to help me. But CIGNA has been blocking me from getting testing and treatment for two years, while almost doubling my premiums.

Then, this week was the kicker. CIGNA’s pharmacy called to say that the co-pay on the medicine that helps control my debilitating head pain is skyrocketing from $10 to $1,115. That’s not a typo. They’re making me pay one hundred times what I’m paying now, in addition to my $753/month premium.

I can’t afford that. So when the pain comes, I won’t have any defense. I’ll spend hours in the fetal position, out of my mind with pain. (more…)

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(The documentary It Might Get Loud opens in Charlotte tomorrow. Following is Curt Holman’s review from the Atlanta Creative Loafing.)

Having taken on global warming with Al Gore in the 2006 film An Inconvenient Truth, filmmaker Davis Guggenheim teams with three guitar heroes to support global loudening in his latest documentary.

It Might Get Loud profiles the electric guitar superstars of three generations: Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, the Edge (aka David Howell Evans) of U2, and Jack White of the White Stripes and the Raconteurs. Partly, the film depicts the trio’s “summit meeting” — half jam session, half bull session — in a cavernous studio, but mostly It Might Get Loud uses interviews and vintage clips to trace each guitarist’s musical career and six-string aesthetic. (more…)

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Last week, we posted a blog item called “CIGNA wants woman dead.” This is a new blog post related to that one. From MoveOn.org:

Last week, you were one of over 100,000 MoveOn members who stood with Dawn Smith to demand that CIGNA cover the treatment for her brain tumor.

CIGNA had been denying Dawn’s requests for two years, but when she went public, with the help of MoveOn members across the country, CIGNA reversed course. They took the first step toward resolving Dawn’s case — agreeing to pay for the test she needs to determine her treatment plan. By reversing their denials, CIGNA made it clear that they didn’t think their decision would stand up to public scrutiny.

But they didn’t offer any explanation for all the previous denials. And they didn’t guarantee that they’ll approve the next step in Dawn’s treatment. And for all we know, they’re still doing this same thing to thousands of other people whose stories haven’t caught national attention.

That’s why Dawn is insisting that CIGNA explain the policies that led them to deny her care for so long. And — for herself and all the others who are suffering — she’s demanding proof that they’re changing those policies so this never happens again. (more…)

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Dawn is a few years younger than me. She lives in Atlanta. She’s an aspiring playwright. And four years ago, she was diagnosed with a rare, but treatable brain tumor.

Dawn’s doctors are ready to treat the tumor, but they can’t. CIGNA, her insurer, refuses to pay for the care she needs because the only hospitals qualified to treat her are out-of-network. And after years of fighting, Dawn just received her final denial letter.

For me, the scariest thing about Dawn’s story is that it could happen to any of us — to a friend of mine, or someone in my family. After all, Dawn has insurance. But as long as private insurers are the only game in town, they’ll continue to have the power to deny Americans the care they need.

Dawn is fighting back. And while CIGNA may be able to ignore Dawn, they won’t be able to ignore millions of us standing together with her. I’m joining Dawn’s fight to shine a light on Big Insurance’s abusive tactics, get Dawn the care she needs, and make sure they don’t do this to anyone ever again. Will you join me by signing a statement of support? Clicking here will add your name.

The statement says, “I stand with Dawn Smith. CIGNA must provide the treatment she needs and stop rejecting legitimate care for all the others who are suffering.” (more…)

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