By Cameron Lee
June 4, 2026
Photo: @untitled.exposure
Charlotte artist and self-described “community catalyst,” Makayla Binter has always been active, moving fluidly between athletics, academics, and creative pursuits since her high school years. Growing up in Rochester, New York, she was a standout multi-sport athlete at Greece Arcadia High School, competing in track and field while also playing soccer and basketball. Binter excelled in the long jump, high jump, and 400 meters, earning Athlete of the Year honors, receiving the Principal’s Scholar-Athlete Award in 2016, and setting multiple school records that still stand today.
Her introduction to North Carolina came during a visit to Davidson College in 2016 through a high school program that connected minority students with colleges across the country. She was immediately drawn to the campus and chose Davidson despite receiving soccer scholarship offers in her home state.
“The entire time [during her first visit], it was pouring rain, but I loved it,” she said. “So then I got my mom down for the first time, and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, this place is beautiful.’”
Binter was also struck by the overwhelming hospitality she encountered on Davidson’s campus.
“It was definitely a culture shift. I was a little confused about why everyone was so nice,” she said. “Professors and students were smiling, waving, and asking if I was having a good day or if I knew where I was going.”
But Binter may be underestimating her own naturally welcoming, kinetic energy — qualities that have made her one of Charlotte’s most recognizable community connectors and facilitators. Her work with Charlotte Is Creative has allowed her to flourish as an event organizer and bridge-builder, while her art often reflects the active, animated “shero” persona for which she has become known for throughout the city.
During her track career at Davidson, she competed in the Atlantic 10 Conference in the heptathlon and pentathlon, and graduated with degrees in biology and studio art. After college, she worked as a teaching fellow at Charlotte Country Day School and coached middle and high school track teams before enrolling in UNC Charlotte’s Master of Urban Design program, earning her degree in 2022.
She was initially drawn to the master’s program after attempts to revitalize a basketball court in West Charlotte and develop a community mural initiative failed to gain traction.
“For some reason, it just wasn’t clicking — it wasn’t landing anywhere,” she said. “Maybe there’s a skill set I need, or maybe I don’t have the right jargon. Then I ended up finding the Master of Urban Design program at UNC Charlotte.”
The community-oriented program helped her understand how to work with local government while developing technical and strategic skills in urban design and planning. During her master’s program, she got her first taste of public art installation as she and fellow students helped transform basketball courts at Alexander Street Park with street art.
Binter’s work has been showcased across the city through partnerships with companies such as Ally, including projects tied to the ACC Tournament and the American Black Film Festival. She has also collaborated with brands and organizations including Converse, Champion, Adobe, the Panthers, the Hornets, and Sierra Nevada.
When Binter first joined Charlotte Is Creative, she was hired as communications manager, but over time, her role evolved into a multidimensional position centered on artist advocacy, community building, and creative project management.
“I was basically building a role for myself through community engagement and outreach as I was going to events, meeting new people, visiting venues, and touring spaces — trying to understand how to bring them into the fold of Charlotte Is Creative,” she said. “Can we hire them for a gig coming up? Can we put them on WBTV? Should they fill out an artist profile? They’ve allowed me to really step into who I am as a person and build a career around it.”
Binter has also played a key role in shaping FOMO into one of Charlotte’s premier cultural gatherings. Originally launched as a mixer during Wednesday Night Live through a partnership between Charlotte Is Creative and multidisciplinary artist, DJ, and community organizer Dammit Wesley, the event has grown into a defining celebration of fashion, art, music, and nightlife in the city.
Spanning Levine Avenue of the Arts and South Tryon Street, FOMO transforms Charlotte’s museum district — anchored by the Mint Museum, the Bechtler, and The Gantt — into a vibrant hub of creativity, culture, and connection.
“It’s becoming a festival, and we have a really great team around us.”
That team now includes Ahmed “Salif” Waller of Sonorous Wave, who oversees sound and band direction; Darryl McNeil (@stay.greased), a DJ and organizer of Touch Grass events at Freedom Park, whom Binter calls “a visionary when it comes to content”; DJ Sudd, who helps manage partnerships and artist relations; and Alston (DJ Teejay Suave), who assists with hosting and after-parties.
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Binter is all about connection, but her role as a “catalyst” is ultimately what she wants to be known for, and she takes her advocacy of artists seriously.
“I set fires under creatives that I see doing great work and who I believe are capable of doing whatever the hell they want and dream of,” she said. “I’m not here to do the work for you, but I will say, ‘Oh, this is what you want?’ or ‘This is an idea you have?’ and I’ll kick you off the ledge and tell you that you can do it.”
Through her Makers & Creators mixers, Binter helps connect local artists and creatives, serving as an incubator for ideas, utilizing questionnaires to spark collaboration. The process parallels her work through Charlotte Is Creative’s Reciprocity Circles.
“I ask questions like, ‘Who’s a creative you’ve been trying to meet in Charlotte but haven’t?’ or ‘What’s a project you’re trying to get off the ground that you’ve been struggling with?’ Then, based on people’s responses, I make sure certain people are in the room and say, ‘Hey, you were talking about this — go talk to this person about that.’”
The Makers & Creators events shift into a laid-back party after 8 p.m. with a DJ, drinks, and conversation, creating an environment where, as Binter puts it, “ideation and creativity really explode.” Charlotte Is Creative’s Reciprocity Circles, meanwhile, is “more of a chill Saturday morning coffee-and-breakfast vibe” that’s “a little easier for introverts to jump into.”
While Binter has lived in the Charlotte area for only about a decade, she is deeply knowledgeable about the city’s history and the artists and organizers who helped shape the independent arts landscape. She cites Davita Galloway of DUPP & SWAT, John Hairston Jr., Marcus Kiser, Jason Woodberry, Bluz, and many others who laid the foundation for Charlotte’s contemporary arts scene.
Binter believes Charlotte has made meaningful progress in bridging the gap between artists, government, and corporate institutions, but she says there is still work to be done.
“There’s still just so much dialogue that’s missing between how much money people make in Charlotte and how it can disseminate into the arts and culture of our community and add to the economic ecosystem.”
Through her art, advocacy, and commitment to community building with Charlotte Is Creative, Binter is helping bridge that gap, or more fittingly, serving as the catalyst that makes it possible.
You can follow Makayla Binter, Charlotte Is Creative, and FOMO Museum Block Party on Instagram.
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