Arttitude presents the second showcase of African American LGBTQ women poets, visual artists, and dancers. The pieces presented will speak to issues on identity, culture, and social climate while highlighting their work and honoring Juneteenth.
Lady Bsmoove
Spoken word poet, vocalist, songwriter, and author Lady BSmoove began her poetic journey in 2006 while hosting and performing in Texas and other states. She has written two albums and self-published her first book of poetry, titled Live, Love . . . Dream . . . Too, to accompany her second album, Live, Love . . . Dream. Lady Bsmoove has toured nationally. She is currently acting as one of the Art Program coordinators for Art nonprofit Arttitude and as curator of Women’s Art Culture. The Lady smoothly blends poetry with hip-hop and soul, sharing words of love, strength, God, and music.
Lyrique Jaye
Lyrique Jaye is a national spoken word artist, creator, and activist. Jaye began performing in 2003 at local open mics around the Dallas Metroplex, landing first at Dallas's MLK Center Open Mic. Perfecting her writing style and performance skills in 2017, she began going to the Dallas Poetry Slam's open mic. She started to compete in Slam competitions in 2018 and, coming in second place, competed at the Women of the World Slam. Jaye then won the competition to represent Dallas in the Women of the World Slam. Presently performing on local and national stages, she uses poetry to process experiences and share journeys, and she hopes to inspire others to do the same.
Shukee the Artist
Shukee is an independent visual artist who has been fascinated by art since an early age. This year she is returning with painted artwork and her beautiful singing voice. Her passion for drawing was influenced by her father early on. She was introduced to other mediums and other art forms by her art teacher, giving Shukee her first true exposure to abstract surrealism and mixed media art. Her influences were artists including Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and M. C. Escher. Her work was placed into the i and I gallery in Saint Louis. As time progressed, Shukee took on more endeavors and became a licensed barber stylist. In 2010 she relocated to Dallas to build her brand and pursue her passion. She began selling her artwork and networking to build and strengthen communities through her love and passion for art.
Misc Honey
Misc Honey is a Fort Worth–born Army veteran, branding herself as a lesbian comedian who also acts. In 2018 Misc Honey broke into acting after a friend suggested she go to an audition and she landed the role on the first try. The play was One Night Stand by King Legends Production, and it was produced here in Dallas. Misc Honey brings her craft of hosting to different events and that’s where she found the love and art of comedy. In 2020 local comedian Anastasia The Bold gave Misc Honey her first paid gig as a comedian. She has thus been cast in movies on Peacock and Tubi, including Forbidden Daughter and Mojo Savage, premiering end of 2023.
UmberLuv
Diane Vincent, aka UmberLuv, is a local poet, screenplay writer, novelist, and activist from Brooklyn who started performing spoken word to shed light on the injustice within the penal system to draw attention to the wrongful conviction of the Scott Sisters in Mississippi. Consequently, she fell in love with the art form of expression and began performing statewide, as well as in Georgia and New York. UmberLuv hopes to illuminate self-love, consciousness, culture, and kinship within her community through the aesthetic of Spoken Word and poetry, hence the poetry name UmberLuv.
Quel Hynson
Quel Hynson is a Houston native now residing in Dallas. Hynson creates multi-medium art acrylic on canvas. She has been professionally creating her artwork since 2018. Her acrylic and canvas paintings have been shown at Moody Performance Hall and the J. Erik Jonsson Library. Hynson is a woman who is proud of where they come from and hopes to spread joy when others experience their art.
This program is part of our Pride Block Party. See the full schedule of events here.