Memoirs from the Bruised
Join us for a multi-disciplinary performance inspired by Rashid Johnson’s outdoor installation, The Bruising: For Jules, The Bird, Jack and Leni.
Curated by artist and producer Robyn Jordan, Memoirs from the Bruised combines performances by five artists to initiate self-reflection, highlight systemic barriers and misconceptions, and amplify works that center emotion, color, and connection. Artists Shannon McGill, Cyrenthia Ngueya, Timika Williams, Joy Hinton, and Jessica Summerset will present a variety of works ranging from writing workshops and poetry to movement practice and conversations about coffee.
Set in the North Forest and inspired by Johnson’s work, Black culture, American customs, and the connection between colonialism and lovelessness, this event is not one to miss.
About the Artists
Robyn Jordan is a talent promoter, creative producer, and movement enthusiast from St. Louis, Missouri residing in Fayetteville, Arkansas. As a self-taught performer of over 15 years heavily influenced by Black and pop cultures and holistic practices, her desire is to use the cultural arts to heighten a sense of belonging and security for BIPOC, femmes, and diverse genders of all abilities within the creative economy. She is also the founder and organizer of Her Set Her Sound, a pioneer platform and music festival that celebrates womanhood, reclaims identity, and elevates historically disinvested creatives in Northwest Arkansas and beyond through the platforms of music, media, art, and a shared radical desire for mutualism. Her work has been developed with Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange (CACHE) and INTERFORM.
Timika L. Williams is a Certified Divine Life Coach and has met with and walked women through transitions for over 10 years. Her passion has always been helping women to unpack and uncover their true identity and their power within. Timika is a wife of 20 years and together they have three amazing adult sons. By day, Timika allows her light to shine brightly as a customer service specialist at Beautiful Lives Boutique and in the evenings, she helps women to uncover their light and to find their passion to live a life of substance and purpose! She views it as an honor to walk alongside women and to watch them take back their God-given power to LIVE!
Timika’s ultimate goal as your Divine Life Coach is to listen as you discover your light and passion and to uncover the divine creator within you!
Shannon McGill belongs to family of extremely talented artists, musicians, writers, playwrights, and leaders scattered through the United States. McGill and her siblings spent weekends with cousins in Tulsa but lived in Bixby, Oklahoma: a small suburb with a 98% white population. Although most of her life was spent between two entirely different worlds with very few blurred lines connecting them, Shannon enjoyed her upbringing and finds joy and comfort in recalling even the worst memories through essay, short story, and prose forms. She’s the author of two novels: Naked: A Collection of Poetry, Journal Entries and Short Stories, which was awarded a local bestseller in Fort Smith, Arkansas; and Unrequited Life. Shannon currently resides in Farmington, Arkansas, and is a Senior at The University of Arkansas seeking a degree in Communications while minoring in Rhetoric. Her free time is spent practicing yoga, reading, and enjoying her family.
Joy Hinton, aka Guitar Princess, recently moved to Arkansas from Durham, North Carolina. She is a classically trained guitarist, poet, screenwriter, adventure seeker, speaker of truth, and promoter of fantasy.
Cyrenthia McLennan, well known as A Black Coffee Tale, fell in love with coffee in 2011 when visiting a coffee farm in Guatemala. She then started working in specialty coffee professionally the following year. After a few years of being a barista, she was certified as a barista by the US Coffee Association of America. During her eighth year of coffee, she got into the competition sector of specialty coffee. Currently, she competes nationally in the Specialty Coffee Association’s Coffee in Good Spirits, a coffee-based cocktail competition. Competing in the Coffee and Good Spirits Competition in 2019 sparked her major interest in cocktail creation. She also has always had a deep passion for music and collects cassette tapes, CDs, and Vinyl. Combining her love for coffee, cocktails, and music is how she expresses her creativity. She is also a mother and a licensed social worker!