In the age of the iPhone, what’s the appeal of a photograph without filters, outtakes, or touchups? Perhaps just that—a one-of-a-kind physical image that captures a moment as it is, without revision. Will Harlan Campbell, an instructor of photography at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, has been practicing tintype photography, a historic technique that produces one such unique image, for thirty years.
Invented in the 1850s, tintype photography produces an image by applying emulsion to an iron sheet coated with dark lacquer or enamel. The process didn’t require a lab and was speedier than previous methods, thus making portraiture more broadly accessible. On Thursday, in conjunction with the Nasher Museum of Art’s Coming into Focus photography exhibition—which closes in January—Campbell will demonstrate the process; attendees can register in a raffle for the chance to take a portrait home.
—Sarah Edwards
Onyx Williams may be the most popular and interesting person in North Carolina right now. In recent weeks, he’s assistant-coached in the Dean Dome for NC Central, fielded pregame questions from reporters at the Hornets’ Spectrum Center, and been illustrated alongside Spider-Man in a Marvel comic. The other day, he graduated from Duke as an honorary alumnus.
Of course, as a 4-year-old, he hasn’t done it all himself. Pulling the strings in the background (among other family members) has been Onyx’s father, veteran Durham rapper Jooselord, dropping nearly everything to give the best life possible to his son ever since a diagnosis of brain cancer late last year. Considering who his dad is—not just a rapper, but one of the most universally respected and loved artists in the Triangle—it’s no surprise that multiple benefit shows have sprung up in Onyx’s name, including this past February at The Pour House in Raleigh.
On Friday night, Joose & Co. are doing it again, this time with Sonny Miles, Vacant Company, Truth Club, and Survival Tactics on the bill. It’s a fittingly eclectic lineup for an artist whose boundless energy and love of people has always transcended genre, and the latest demonstration that the area’s music scene is going to keep coming together like this for as long as Onyx’s family needs. —Ryan Cocca
Surprise the mid-century modern obsessive in your life with an early Christmas present—a tour of a home designed by renowned NC State architect George Matsumoto that just narrowly escaped the claws of demolition. Designed in 1954, the Transylvania Avenue home was slated to be torn down in 2023 when Raleigh couple Melinda and Andrew Knowles got involved, securing permission to move the modernist split-level, chunk-by-chunk, seven minutes down the road to an empty lot beside their home.
Two years later, the restored home is ready to be toured by preservation lovers, nosy neighbors, and anyone who likes to pretend they’re in Mad Men. Timed entry tickets are $14.95 in advance or $25 at the door, for a limited time; all proceeds benefit NCModernist, a nonprofit organization devoted to “documenting, preserving, and promoting North Carolina residential architecture,” per the event listing. No shoes allowed in the house. —SE
Since 2015, the town of Hillsborough has been celebrating the winter solstice (which technically falls on the 21st this year but is worth celebrating at any dark winter hour) by hosting a meditative lantern processional along the Eno River Riverwalk trail. A decade later, the event has ballooned in popularity, with the Hillsborough Arts Council estimating that between 4,000 and 5,000 people attended the 2023 solstice event.
That’s no surprise, really: The event is an enchanting chance to actually enjoy the dark and cold for what it is, as well as the chance to practice some creative DIY lantern-making techniques. (You can see past lanterns, modeled into suns, animals, Star Wars ships, and more, here.) The event begins at Hillsborough’s Farmers Market Pavilion, where you can grab a hot mug of cider or a similar beverage and browse local arts and craft vendors, and listen to live music, before beginning your walk. The event is free, but pre-registration and a suggested donation of $5-$8 are encouraged. —SE
It’s the holiday season. What could be more festive than going to see a play about political and artistic censorship? Playwright David Edgar’s new-ish play made its debut in the United States with this Burning Coal Theatre production of the drama, which closes this weekend.
Here in America takes viewers, per Burning Coal’s website, to a “crisp New England afternoon in 1952” where two friends, the playwright Arthur Miller and director Elias Kazan—the duo behind Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, among other classics—are meeting to catch up. Except, no, they aren’t just catching up: Kazan is trying to figure out how to tell Miller, a leftist, that he had decided to name names to Senator Joseph McCartney amid the “Red Scare” of the 1950s. The specter of Marilyn Monroe, meanwhile, looms over the historic afternoon. This production is directed by Jerome Davis and stars Andrew Goins and Chip Carey as the artists battling politics and loyalties; tickets start at $20 and are $5 for students or those 18 and under. —SE
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