INDY Selects: What to Do in the Triangle This Week

With Black History Month underway, three artists are coming together to discuss the singular visual language they employ in Black storytelling. Deborah Willis, a photographer and photography historian; Jamaica Gilmer, an artist and curator; and Kennedi Carter, a digital-media artist, for a conversation about Black photography’s legacy and future. All three are decorated photographers.

Willis is the chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Gilmer is the founder of Durham-based The Beautiful Project, which uses storytelling and visual arts to “advance representational justice for Black women,” according to its website. Carter’s work has been featured in many galleries and magazines, photographing influential figures from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Beyoncé. The reception and book signing will begin at 5:30 in the Great Hall, with the artist talk starting at 7 in the Lecture Hall. Willis’ book, Reflections in Black, will be available for purchase. —Kennedy Thomason

An intimate look into Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel’s life, this film explores the “passions, struggles, and enduring impact” of his advocacy for human rights, according to the NC Museum of Art. Wiesel, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work, was a political activist, professor, and author. He wrote more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books chronicling his experiences. “Why I write? What else could I do? I write to bare witness,” Wiesel says in the film’s trailer. Documentary Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire gives an exclusive look into Wiesel’s personal archives, as well as interviews with his family. After the screening, award-winning director and filmmaker Oren Rudavsky will participate in a talkback. Tickets are $10, but members can snag them for $5. —KT

Locals acts Blue Cactus and Skylar Gudasz are joining together for Smitten, a night for “lovers, loners, and the lovelorn,” per the Cat Cradle website, where the bands will be playing the night before Valentine’s. Doors will open at 7 for the pre-show “Love Fair,” which includes tarot readings, flowers, a photo booth, and more surprises. Durham musician Gudasz most recently released 2024’s Country, an album weaving together a sense of “timeless desire” and the musical sensibility of “Southern-fried lightning in a bottle”; she also added vocals to a song on Blue Cactus’s sophomore album, Stranger Again, which released in 2025, traversing topics of musical and romantic partnership. Tickets are $20 before fees and can be purchased online. —KT

In today’s warp-speed entertainment culture, it can feel like just a few days or weeks make all the difference between buzzing anticipation and total irrelevance. And yet, there still remains a handful of things precious enough that people will wait almost indefinitely for. I know this because even though Black Royalty—the documentary about local emcee, writer, and educator Joshua “Rowdy” Rowsey, who passed away in 2024 at age 32—is more than a year in the making, and still has a long way to go, the enthusiasm for the project hasn’t ebbed one bit.

As much as Josh’s singularly contagious love for life, music, and people will sustain our interest until whenever Black Royalty arrives, director Naima Harrell and Co. need sustenance of a financial sort, too. In response to those funding needs, and in a spirit befitting of Rowdy’s far-reaching musical legacy and hip-hop passion, this Saturday’s Black Rowdy “Loveraiser” doubles as a celebration of some of the area’s brightest young talents—many of whom were once his students or mentees. Performances include Durham rappers Harrell (who performs as Eemah) and .zone, a cypher from Triangle rap collective The Deviants, and a dance performance from WXLF and Jose Velasquez. Tickets are $25. —Ryan Cocca

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Four years ago, upon the release of sophomore album Dream Rooms, we heaped praise on Kate Rhudy’s elegant songwriting and its “witty, openhearted precision.” Doubtless, you’ll feel the same about the folksy Raleigh musician’s songs, which offer a fresh and compelling take on otherwise familiar topics like romance, relationships, and heartbreak. Romance is always in season, and we’re eager for Rhudy’s next release; given that her last show at the Rialto was sold out, audiences seem to agree. In the meantime, bring your sweetheart and catch Rhudy and Missouri-based musician Grady Drugg on Valentine’s. Tickets are $29-$34.50. —SE

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