Black History Month concerts, tours and celebrations in the D.C. area

In 2004, playwright Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder traveled to Gee’s Bend, Ala., a rural African American community known for its tradition of striking quilts that evoke modern art. She interviewed four quilters and stitched together “Gee’s Bend,” a story of three generations of one family beginning in 1939. This staged reading features local actors Felicia Curry and Erika Rose, as part of the Phillips Collection’s monthly Third Thursday after-hours events. (Feb. 15 at 6:30 p.m. phillipscollection.org. Free; reservation required.)

The BHM24 concert at Montgomery College’s Silver Spring Cultural Arts Center showcases a lineup of dance companies from across the region, including the Washington School of Ballet’s adult and youth programs, the Maryland Youth Ballet, the University of Maryland, Bowie State University, Princess Mhoon Dance Institute and the Ktm eXtreme dance project. There are three shows in one day, each with a different lineup, and the 5 p.m. performance is available for streaming as well as in-person attendance. (Feb. 17 at 3, 5 and 7:30 p.m. marylandyouthballet.org/bhm. Tickets $20-$25 adults, $15-$20 seniors and children. $10 live stream.)

Kevin Jerome Everson’s experimental films, which focus on the richness and complexities of the Black experience, have been shown at the Sundance and Berlin film festivals and featured at art museums in New York, London and Paris. A weekend of screenings starts Saturday with a collection of short films created by Everson, the director of studio art at the University of Virginia, and his colleague Claudrena N. Harold, a history professor, over the course of a decade. Everson and Harold join Maya Cade, the founder of the Black Film Archive, for a post-screening discussion. On Sunday, Everson hosts the premiere of a series of new short films, followed by a discussion. (Feb. 24 from 2 to 4 p.m., Feb. 25 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. nga.gov. Free; registration required.)

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