‘The Negro Artist’ is a celebration of Blackness and the creative arts

Nik Heftman’s new documentary on Iowa City-based spoken word poet Caleb Rainey is inspiring and uplifting and much-needed at this time.

Caleb Rainey and Nik Heftman are two creatives whose work is unapologetically Black.

What I mean by this is they center Blackness and the Black experience at the heart of whatever they’re doing rather than try to shoehorn their passions into spaces that are considered more mainstream, especially at a time when anti-Blackness is loud and abundant.

The reason I bring up Caleb and Nik is that the two of them teamed up for a feature-length documentary film, “The Negro Artist.” The movie takes its title from Caleb’s stage name on the slam poetry scene.

“The Negro Artist” is a film that chronicles Caleb’s life so far. It features insight from friends, family, and professional acquaintances who help document his meteoric rise from being a byproduct of an interracial marriage — a love story that his white mother’s family refused to accept — to his discovery of poetry in high school as a means to chase after a girl.

While Caleb’s initial motivation for delving into the poetry scene is relatable to any teenage boy who took up a pastime to impress someone they liked (he got the girl, by the way,) this led to him realizing he was really good at poetry and it was a way to exercise his demons, celebrate his triumphs and struggles, and offer stinging critiques on our country’s existing power structure.

All of those events led to Caleb Rainey becoming Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey, who earlier this year was one of three recipients of the Iowa Author Award from the Des Moines Public Library Foundation.

Caleb is an incredibly impressive young man whom I initially got to know through the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat, which also happens to be where he and Nik Heftman initially crossed paths.

Producer Doug Burns shares the stage with director Nik Heftman and Caleby Rainey, the subject of “The Negro Artist,” at the documentary’s Iowa City premiere on Dec. 11.

Nik is from the West Coast but earned his undergrad degree from Iowa State
University in Ames. He even interned at a few Iowa news outlets, including the Carroll Times Herald, before he became an Emmy-winning producer on “CBS Mornings.”

In 2022, Nik launched The Seven Times, which originally started as a way to highlight Black businesses in Iowa and California that have a physical location and has since evolved into a full-scale media company and consulting firm.

“The Negro Artist” is The Seven Times' first feature-length production, and Nik served as director, writer, cameraman, and editor; however, you can’t tell it was a one-person crew when you watch this impressive feat of filmmaking.

Nik’s editing, shot selection and ability to tell and bring a story full circle are prominently displayed, not just for his documentary’s central subject but also for other characters in the film who have inspirational vignettes that further Caleb’s narrative.

The first-time filmmaker traveled across Iowa and the rest of the Midwest, including Caleb’s hometown of Columbia, Missouri, to tell this story. It featured a lot of familiar faces for those of you who subscribe to the Iowa Writers Collaborative Substack or have attended the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat.

Not only was this film a great introduction to the works of two young, creative, talented and hungry Black artisans, but for those who were unfamiliar with them before, it was a perfect project for two people who like to shine a light on the Black community and tell our stories in a way we don’t see portrayed as often as we should.

In spight of local and national attacks and pushback on anything considered “woke,” “DEI,” or “CRT,” which is all shorthand for Black, it was refreshing to see a film that unabashedly and proudly centers Blackness while also noting the importance of the written word and what it can do.

“Listening to Caleb Rainey for the first time is like handing a kid a microscope or a telescope and letting them see that there’s another world out there that is just sometimes glorious, sometimes sad, sometimes dangerous, but always at the end, there’s hope,” said Iowa journalist Robert Leonard AKA Dr. Bob in one of the movie’s numerous stand-out scenes.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Iowa City premiere of “The Negro Artist,” and Caleb and Nik are attending film festivals across the country to showcase this triumphant collaboration, and I highly encourage people to see it.

Check the www.the7times.com for future screenings.