Two graduates from Iowa colleges presented their original documentary, “The Negro Artist,” in the Memorial Union on Tuesday night.
Caleb Rainey, known as “The Negro Artist,” is a poet who explores race, identity and inequities in his work. He is a University of Iowa alumnus with a bachelor’s in creative writing.
Nik Heftman founded The Seven Times, a video production and creative consulting company. He is the director of “The Negro Artist” and is an Emmy Award-winning journalist. Heftman is also an alumnus of Iowa State with a bachelor’s in journalism and mass communication.
“The Seven Times, my company, I founded with the mission of wanting to spotlight black entrepreneurs, and at the time, approaching Caleb about doing his story, I wanted to expand into making the stories more in-depth,” Heftman said. “Challenge myself, but also include black artists.”
The two teamed up to create this documentary. The film follows Rainey’s career through spoken word poetry and the struggles he had to face to get to where he is today.
“One of the things that drew me to Caleb was hearing him speak and talk about a lot of history,” Heftman said. “For me, the beginning was like ‘Where does that come from?’ Someone doesn’t just hop on stage and say the things he says and tell the stories he tells.”
This movie touches on a handful of artists and their work in the poetry world.
“To me, that was an illustration of the power of poetry because this isn’t just about Caleb, but it’s about poetry and art and how it boosts society in the right direction,” Heftman said.
Rainey’s family was featured a few times throughout the documentary. Chris and Selinda Rainey are an interracial couple, and shared their story of dealing with racism in Columbus, Missouri.
“I felt struck by that and was very grateful Nik was able to capture those kinds of moments,” Rainey said. “Both my parents called and said, ‘Hey, what you said is what hit me the most in this moment.’”
In addition to his art, Rainey also regularly works with youth. He founded a program called IC Speaks in Iowa City, Iowa, in 2019. This organization teaches spoken words and poetry to youth in local high schools.
“I’m trying to create spaces where you can be yourself, speak to your truth, and feel seen,” Rainey said.
Throughout the documentary, Rainey’s work with youth and schools is featured multiple times. They go into a deeper dive on IC Speaks, talking about why Rainey started it and the different work they do around the community.
Those interested in the documentary can watch the trailer here.
