Photo by Cameron Adams
Cameron Adams
Editor-in-Chief
Jackson State University’s student organization Outspoken Arts and Collective members showed out during their performances at “Art Night” hosted by the Mississippi Museum of Art.
On April 18, 2023, three members of Outspoken were featured as primary performers for the Mississippi Museum of Art’s “Art Night”. The members included Jamee “JEM” McAdoo, Ja’Miyah “JAMS” Stokes, and Jasmine “JT” Thomas.
Each artist performed a powerful poem based on different art pieces that were on display in the museum’s permanent exhibit.
The first performer was Stokes, the Vice President of Outspoken and a junior physiology major from Chicago, Ill. Her powerful performance immediately set the tone for the rest of the night.
Her poem was based on the art piece, “The Mississippi Wilderness”, which displayed a black girl in a blue dress surrounded by a beautiful array of colors and trees.
Stokes seemed comfortable on the stage as if she was performing in front of her peers back on campus. However, Stokes expressed that the two felt like two different environments.
“I have been performing on campus since my sophomore year so in my opinion there was an extreme difference,” stated Stokes. “During my performance, I can say that I was nervous but I felt so grounded.”
The next performer was McAdoo, a senior Journalism and Media Studies major from Little Rock, Ark., and 2022-2023 Miss Outspoken Arts Collective.
McAdoo is a professional poet, award-winning playwright, former on-air radio personality, published author, and influencer. She also serves as JSU’s MADDRAMA Performance Troupe’s Performance Coordinator.
Her performance was based on a painting named “Kudzu”. McAdoo claimed that she was inspired by this piece due to her love for nature.
“The name of the piece I wrote was ‘Kudzu’ which is a type of plant,” stated McAdoo. “I was drawn to this painting because I resonated with the young girl standing alone in the wilderness.”
McAdoo’s performance was just as vibrant and colorful as the painting. Although McAdoo has performed in front of several crowds, she also expressed that the Art Night audience was much different compared to the campus crowd.
“It definitely is a different vibe performing in the community versus on campus,” stated McAdoo. “The energy was great but there were less familiar faces. Seeing members of Outspoken come out to support definitely made me less nervous!”
After JEM’s performance, Thomas, a Jackson State University alum from Atlanta, Ga., had the final performance of the segment.
Thomas has a B.A. in media studies and performing arts from Fort Valley State University and a Masters in Journalism and Media Studies from Jackson State University.
JT has been writing and performing poetry for over 15 years. She has also been featured in several productions in her years of performing.
Her highlight performances are “Beyond the Cave”, the Nick Cave exhibit at the Mississippi Museum of Art, “Poetry Out Loud”, and the Def Poetry Jam reunion tour in 2020.
Her performance was emotional and had the crowd on the edge of their seats as she poured her heart out about the struggles of African-Americans and identifying their roots.
After the main performances of the three Outspoken members, more members of the organization took their talents to the stage during the Open Mic segment.
Kyndal Smith, also known as “Kynētic Energy” is a freshman elementary education major from Indianapolis, Ind.
Her poem was entitled “Stupid Boy”, a piece that was written during the performance of her peers. Although the poem was written on short notice, she made a lasting impression.
When reflecting on the inspiration behind the piece she claimed that it was fueled by her past experiences.
“I was driven by old memories with a person that I’ve gladly left in my past,” stated Smith.
Smith then explained that her purpose in writing is to express herself as much as possible without any censorship.
“I aim to make my writing as authentic as possible, no time for sugarcoating. I live the truth so I write the truth.”
Outspoken allowed local artists to step out of their comfort zone throughout several on-campus events. The growth of the organization continues to increase as the semester comes to an end.
Smith expressed that Outspoken has caused her to grow not just as an artist, but also as a person.
“Outspoken has grown me in more ways than I thought possible, both on and off the mic. they truly made me believe in the power of my pen and my voice,” stated Smith. “I wouldn’t change anything about how my time with my OAC family has been, because they have embodied the meaning of the word in every sense.”
