The Creatives

Pottery is Jim McDowell's passion, and the Weaverville, N.C., artisan is one of the best producers of face jugs, an art form developed in Africa to celebrate family lineage. McDowell's work is on display at the Smithsonian Museum of African American Art and Culture in Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

A funeral director by day, Shuler King's going places as a comic. Next up: America's Got Talent.

Raven Barkley reflects on 10 years with Charlotte Ballet by recalling her favorite roles, the physicality of dance and professional future as a teacher and mentor.

Actor Mike Wiley talks about his one-man performance in "Breach of Peace: Freedom Riders of 1961" at Children's Theatre of Charlotte. The production is a treatment of a pivotal moment in the civil rights era for young audiences.

Charlotte author of the young adult novel "Half-Truths" talks about an interracial friendship in the 1950s

Children's book author Kelly Starling Lyons talks about the adaption of her book "Tiara's Hat Parade" for the stage at Children's Theatre of Charlotte Feb. 22-March 9.