Photo by Jeridiane Ray
On Sunday evening, Mississippi artists took over the interior of Heartbreak Coffee for the inaugural Iris Room event. The art-sharing affair was hosted by Iris Arts, an up-and-coming non-profit organization, and aims to give artists a space to share poetry and song.
Iris Room is coordinated by Meridian, Miss. native and Chair of Iris Arts Amy Webb and physically arranged by UM Assistant Professor of Art and Oxford native Lance Yates. Local artists Amari Johnson, Locklynn Wilchynski, Jon Tae McCall and The Kites transformed a small corner at Heartbreak Coffee, a local staple, into a grand stage.
Johnson shared her motivation to publicly share her poetry.
“I want more women of color to feel like it’s possible for them to just come into a coffee shop and read out their poetry,” Johnson said. “Growing up, I never thought that something like (this) could happen.”
As people settled into the Iris Room and chatter slowly died down, Webb took the stage, welcomed new faces and greeted returning listeners.
After Webb, poet and senior education major Amari Johnson opened her set with her most vulnerable secret, “I’ve never been kissed.”
She then permeated the atmosphere with the warm breeze of her romantic sonnets, including
“Dear John,” “To Whomever This May Concern” and “Stargazing.”
Following Johnson’s set, Locklynn Wilchynski, a poet and freshman legal studies major, settled into the stage. She performed a reading of her poetry, including the works “Interstate Motel,” “Creepy Julie, “Diet Cigarettes,” “Metronome Home,” “’Lacuna,” “Jane’s Toes Don’t Walk on Souls,” “17″ and “Momma’s Song.”
After Wilchynski’s set, Webb introduced the crowd to visual artist and fine arts major Jon Tae McCall.
The crowd took a brief intermission to observe and admire McCall’s work. McCall’s setup featured two large pieces named “Unphased” and “Moving Forward,” along with many other small creations poised on dainty easels.
Following a brief intermission, The Kites, an indie pop trio composed of Kyle Kite, Amy Joe Kite and Jason “The Sauce ” Vallas graced the stage.
The Kites started out with a crowd favorite called “Backseat,” and a majority of the audience joined in to help them sing the catchy chorus. Then, the group performed “I Gotta Get Me Some,” a fast-paced song centered around the insecurities that fuel American consumerism.
Kyle Kite described his connection with the audience of Iris Room.
“I’m grateful to anybody who’s listening. Music is a collaboration between artists and listeners, and the listener makes it (the music) whole, ” he said.
Among the audience, math education graduate student Jaylen Cummings recounted his first experience with Iris Room.
“I feel inspired to try this out, and it’s super rad and super sick,” Cummings said.
Whether it’s an outlet for creativity or a source of inspiration, Iris Room branches out and touches any and all creatives in the Oxford area.
