The city of Birmingham’s arts and culture scene finally feels like it’s on pace to getting back to normal after nearly two years of virtual-only programs and limited-in person events. Some might even call it a revival as new venues open and long-time revenues reopen their doors for visitors.
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This month sports a new selection of artist talks, DJ sets, and live performances. From listening parties, to film screenings and history lectures, here are a few events to add to your calendar.
“Precocious I “: An exploration of Black fatherhood
“Precocious I” is a collaboration EP between visual and music artist Carey Fountain and his son, Caisen. (Credit: Sydney Foster)
Visual artist and musician Carey Fountain will host a silent listening party and art exhibit at Emerald Venue in downtown Birmingham for “Precocious I,” a 5-song EP written and recorded with his son, Caisen. “Precocious I” is the inaugural installment of the “Precocious series,” a project exploring the themes of Black fatherhood, the creativity of a child’s mind, and the bonds that exist in an artistic relationship between a parent and child.
“Precocious I” will also feature accompanying works of art for each song, activities for children and adults, discussions about parenthood, and a live Q&A session with Carey and Caisen Fountain. “Precocious I” is also a collaboration between Carey Fountain and Montgomery-born artist Sydney Foster. Foster, a photographer and creative director whose work revolves around themes such as vibrancy and southern Black culture, shot the promotional portraits of the Carey and Cason Fountain for the “Precocious” project. Foster is currently an artist in residence at the Wiregrass Museum of Art. Her exhibition “Sydney A. Foster: Reflections and Realities” is on view at the Wiregrass Museum of Art until March 26.
DETAILS:
The “Precocious I” silent listening party is on Saturday, February 12 at 5 p.m. at the Emerald Venue. Tickets are $20 and are available at vibesandvirtues.com and bit.ly/precocious1.
The Black Economic Alliance Presents: The 1619 Project
Birmingham’s Black Economic Alliance will host a two-part discussion of The 1619 Project, journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones’ Pulitzer-prize winning project for The New York Times Magazine that examines America’s history of slavery. (Credit: Clarence Muhammad)
Community organizer Clarence Muhammad and Birmingham’s Black Economic Alliance will host a two-part discussion of The 1619 Project, journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones’ Pulitzer-prize winning project for The New York Times Magazine that examines America’s history of slavery. The project has since expanded into a book.
Muhammad, who will facilitate the discussion with clinical psychiatrist Dr. Artie C. Nelson, intends for the talk to be a “no holds barred” conversation on a number of topics including race, critical race theory, and education.
“We’re opening it up to everybody. Black folks, white folks. And we’re having an honest conversation on race, about historical misconceptions, and history as it pertains to slavery and the founding of this country,” said Muhammad in an interview with AL.com. “We’ll talk about historical misconceptions about how history is taught in the public school system. How that has a negative impact, specifically on African Americans and how history has been sanitized.”
Yvas Witherspoon, a counselor and volunteer programmer for the Arlington House, organized the two-day discussion. Part one of the discussion, on Saturday, February 13, will focus primarily on the history of slavery and education. Part two of the discussion, set to be held the following Saturday, will delve into the psychological impact of racism and slavery. Muhammad and Dr. Nelson will speak for 45 minutes and then open up the floor for questions.
The discussion will be held at The Arlington House, the Antebellum mansion and former plantation house on Birmingham’s historic Cotton Avenue. The Black Economic Alliance made an intentional choice to host the discussion at the Arlington House. Over the past five years, the team at the Arlington House– a core staff and volunteers led by executive director Toby Richards— has worked on a number of projects to develop a robust set of community, education and art programs with the goal to rewrite the narrative of the Arlington House to include the history of the Black people who were enslaved on the property.
DETAILS:
“The Black Economic Alliance Presents: The 1619 Project” will be held at the Arlington Historic Homes and Gardens on Feb. 13 and Feb. 20 from 3 to 5 p.m. Admission to the discussion is free.
High Tea Presents: Love Tea at The Little London
(Courtesy: The Flourish)
High Tea, The Flourish Alabama’s poetry and live music performance series showcasing Southern and Black culture, returns to The Little London pub in Homewood on Sunday, February 13 for a special Valentine’s Day edition called “Love Tea,” On the rundown for the evening: a performance from Alabama R&B artist Humble Le and poetry from Josh Alex Baker.
A non-profit organization devoted to nurturing and mentoring artists, The Flourish– created by writers and educators Jahman Hill and Eric Marable, hosts a number of events around the city. Their mantra for High Tea: “It’s tea time with a twist. Southern Black artists rockin the mic in unexpected places.”
DETAILS:
“High Tea Presents: Love Tea at The Little London” is on Sunday, February 13 at the Little London Pub in Homewood. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $75 for couples VIP (VIP includes admission and a table for two, two drink tickets, and a selection of sweets and flowers). Tickets are available for purchase via Eventbrite.
Black Lens Film Week, Sidewalk Cinema
(Courtesy, Sidewalk Cinema)
This month, Sidewalk Cinema will debut its inaugural Black Lens Film Week– seven days of feature and documentary films produced by and starring people of color.
“The Black Lens Film Week will highlight new innovative films and celebrate some familiar classics as well,” Sidewalk Cinema said in a press release. “It’s our intention that the films shown as a part of this program reflect the diversity of the black experience in America, both past and present.”
Curated by T. Marie King, who leads both Sidewalk Cinema’s shorts and Black Lens programs, the Black Lens Film week schedule will showcase documentaries (including “A Soldier’s Story,” “Mama Gloria,” and “Fannie Lou Hamer: Stand Up”) as well as feature films (“Love Jones,” “Diary of a Mad Black Woman) and short films from Birmingham-based creators, including artist and designer Yogi Dada.
King and a host committee of artists, cultural critics, and educators (Celestia Morgan, Forte, Jason Avery, Patrick Johnson, Jasmine Shaw, Sonya Mitchell, and James Williams) designed the programming for the week, which includes screenings, filmmaker Q&A sessions, and DJ sets from The Kickback and DJ Rahdu.
“I really wanted to create space to highlight all of the beauty and artistry that Black people contribute to society.” King told AL.com in an email. “Whether [it’s] fights for social justice, exploring identity, love, laughter, music or just being us, that’s what I wanted to highlight. Black Lens Film Week is not for Black people only but it’s Black Centered!”
Black Lens Film Week kicks off on Monday, February 14.
DETAILS:
Black Lens Film Week at Sidewalk Cinema runs from Feb. 14 to Feb. 20. Tickets prices vary. Tickets are available on sidewalkfest.com. The Sidewalk Cinema is located on the lower level of the Pizitz.
The Future of Black: A Poetry Panel
(Courtesy: Politics and Prose)
Alabama’s Poet Laureate Ashley M. Jones will be one of the featured poets on “The Future of Black: A Poetry Panel” an online poetry reading and discussion about Afrofuturism, fantasy, and comic book culture. The 2021 anthology “The Future of Black: Afrofuturism, Black Comics, and Superhero Poetry,” highlighted the work of poets whose body of work explored themes of Afrofuturism, including Lucille Clifton and Gil Scott-Heron:
“The Future of Black: Afrofuturism, Black Comics, and Superhero Poetry is a groundbreaking collection highlighting work from poets who have written verse within this growing tradition. In addition, the anthology will also feature the work of artists showcasing their interpretations of superheroes, Black comic characters, Afrofuturistic images from the African diaspora.”
DETAILS:
“The Future of Black: A Poetry Panel” is on Friday, February 18 at 5:00. Admission to the online event is free and registration is open via Eventbrite.
Magic City Collective Presents: Lovers & Friends Takeover
(Courtesy: Magic City Collective)
Magic City Collective’s monthly DJ set and showcase at Ghost Train Brewing’s location in Lakeview returns on Friday, February 18 with a “Lovers and Friends” edition. Hosted by Sound Fader Media founder Chris Anderson and The Kickback, February’s showcase will feature performances from Alabama R&B artists Kidd Rifft, Linnil and DionRacii.
DETAILS:
Advance tickets for Magic City Collective Presents: Lovers & Friends takeover are available for purchase via Eventbrite. Tickets are $10.00 plus additional service fees. Tickets will also be available for purchase for $15 on Feb. 18 at Ghost Train Brewing.
Birmingham Culture Clash
(Courtesy: Birmingham Culture Clash)
Birmingham Culture Clash —a live music and art showcase– will debut its inaugural event at Ghost Train Brewing’s new location in Avondale (3501 1st Ave S). The “collision of art, music, and culture” will combine a selection of DJ sets, live performances, games, food trucks, and art exhibits. The first edition of Birmingham Culture Clash kicks off on Feb. 25. Set to run from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. the showcase will feature three DJs: a House & Techno set from DJ Andrea Really, Breakbeat and Latin from DJ Suaze, and R&B and hip-hop from DJ Love Deluxe. Alternative instrumentalist David Sheetz, R&B/Soul singer Kennie BLK and rapper Tia Raye will perform between the hour-long DJ sets. Birmingham Culture Clash is the brainchild of artists Carey Fountain, Jahman Hill and Giani Martin.
“I think it truly is a discovery and also a rediscovery of what kind of makes up Birmingham’s talent scene,” Martin told AL.com in an interview. “From discovering local artists you may not know about, to people that you know about but haven’t seen in a while. So there’s an opportunity for rediscovery of your favorite local artists.”
DETAILS:
Birmingham Culture Clash kicks off on Friday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. at the new location of Ghost Train Brewing. Tickets for Birmingham Culture Clash are available for purchase on Eventbrite (the link for tickets is also available on https://bit.ly/bhamcultureclash). Early bird prices are $10 for general admission and $60 for VIP (plus service fees). Early bird ticket sales end Feb.11. After that, tickets are $20 for general admission and $70 for VIP.
Black History Month Events at Birmingham Public Library
Throughout the month of February, the Birmingham Public Library will host more than 70 free programs and activities, both in person and online, including an Oral History Project discussion about unsung civil rights foot soldiers, lessons about genealogical research, and explorations of African folklore.
DETAILS
Program times vary. Admission to all is free. For a full calendar of programming, visit the Birmingham Public Library website.
BCRI Mindfulness Mondays
In honor of Black History Month, Dr. Kimberly Brown Pellum, the BCRI’s Curator in Residence, professional trauma counselor Krishula Edwards, and Charles Woods, the BCRI’s Director of Education, are hosting a series of virtual conversations at noon about the purpose of mindfulness. The conversations, which will be streamed on the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, will include access to mental health, the meditative power of herbs and yoga.
DETAILS:
The BCRI’s virtual Mindfulness Mondays programs are streamed on the BCRI’s Facebook page and Youtube channel at noon.
Biennial Ceramics weekend at the Birmingham Museum of Art
The Birmingham Museum of Art will host a weekend exploring the ceramic art in its collections and throughout Alabama. On Feb. 18, the BMA will host an artist talk featuring renowned Alabama-based ceramicist Larry Allen. Allen, who handcrafts his pieces from black stoneware clay, draws his inspiration from African and Native American art. The weekend will continue on Feb. 19 with a day of artmaking with Allen and ceramicist Meghan Howell who will lead workshops on construction and technique. Dr. Anne Forschler, the BMA’s Curator of Decorative Arts, will also give a special tour of the museum, highlighting its collection of ceramics from around the world.
DETAILS:
Biennial Clay Weekend is from Feb. 18 to Feb. 19 at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Admission is free and registration is required. Registration is available of the Birmingham Museum of Art website.
Beats & Brunch at Monday Night Brewing
On Saturday, Feb. 19, Birmingham’s Monday Night Social will host its inaugural Beats & Brunch, a monthly showcase of lo-fi beats by local producers paired with its brunch menu. The first edition of Beats & Brunch will feature sets from Kamal.Akeem, KahBay, and Rumin8.
DETAILS:
The first edition of Monday Night Social Club’s Beats & Brunch series is on Feb. 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.