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  • Arcana Celebrates 10 Years
  • An Experimental Festival
  • Things to Do in the Triangle This Week
  • ICYMI: Affordable Housing in Durham 
  • Poetry Fox Visits Cary

Good morning, readers.

The Lesbian Bar Project identifies just 36 “official” lesbian bars across the entire U.S. The documentary project lists only one (!) in North Carolina: Durham’s own Arcana.

Elliott Harrell wrote for the INDY about Arcana on the occasion of its 10th birthday and its one-year anniversary on the Lesbian Bar Project list.

“It really matters that we’re on the [lesbian bar] list,” owner Erin Karcher told Elliott. “It really kind of makes the whole state seem a little bit safer and queerer and is part of a contributing force that helps indicate Durham is definitely a little bit of a safe pocket.”

Read more below about how Arcana became a tucked away yet welcoming space known equally for dancing and tarot readings and—if you’ve never been before—some helpful tips on how to find it.

—Sarah W.

Read the Full Story on INDYWeek.com

Artist Raheleh Filsoofi returns to the Nasher Museum with BITE, a visceral live performance using clay gathered from the museum’s own grounds. Through the intimate act of biting ceramic plates, Filsoofi explores memory, migration, and the body’s bond to land. The evening includes an artist talk and reception. Free and open to the public. Join us on Thursday, February 5.

Learn More

The latest from INDY, plus other stories around the state you’ll want to read. Handpicked every day by INDY Editor-in-Chief Sarah Willets.

Composite image of Daniel Levin and Anabelle Scarborough. Photos by Alex Maness and Alexa Vélez.

Creative Pursuits

Later this month, the Active Imagination festival will bring together dancers, musicians and other performers who lean in the experimental direction, Brian Howe writes for the INDY.

INDY Selects

A performance by harpist Brandee Younger, Secret Monkey Band at Cat’s Cradle, and more events around the Triangle we recommend this month.

Credit: Illustration by Nicole Pajor Moore

Raise the Roof

How much affordable housing has been created or preserved since Durham voters passed a $95 million bond in 2019? INDY’s Justin Laidlaw reports.

Sponsored Content

LOCAL: An effort to build the state’s first freestanding children’s hospital in Apex just got a $25 million boost, ABC11 reports.

STATE: Have you gotten your flu shot yet? Flu deaths in North Carolina have nearly doubled over this time last year, WUNC reports.

STATE: The head of North Carolina’s prison system says the lack of a state budget (which would include raises for correctional officers) is creating dangerous conditions, NC Newsline reports.

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  • The plaza outside of the Martin Marietta Center is getting upgraded with wheelchair ramps, a drop-off lane and enhanced green space.
  • The City of Durham is planting 8,500 trees to help cool neighborhoods, improve air quality, and support wildlife. You can request one here.
  • The LGBTQ Center of Durham is holding a virtual legal workshop on adoption and family planning for queer parents and parents-to-be.
  • Durham’s Poetry Fox will be creating free poems on the spot at the Cary Regional Library on Sunday.
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