The heavy rain that started and stopped with the Iowa Women's Music Festival on Saturday dampened wool socks worn with Tevas, but not spirits as talented artists from all over the country rocked the Johnson County Fairgrounds. The performances were empowering, fun, and inspiring. It came as no surprise that as the cool blues of the last set by Annie Mack Band faded from the barn, a full double rainbow flickered into being.
For me, one of the highlights of the festival was riding the roller coaster of Andrea Gibson's spoken word performance. Her poetry is at once deeply personal and universal, emotional and visual, striking and soothing. I found myself alternately weeping and laughing, sometimes laughing while weeping. She broke us to pieces with poems like "Ashes" and put us back together again with "A Letter to My Dog on the Human Condition."
The highlight of my week was learning that a video clip I put together was posted on a site Andrea and her tour manager, Kelsey Gibb, created called Stay Here With Me. The website aims to generate community around how art can play a critical role in helping to live with depression. In the clip below, Andrea and Kelsey talk about why they created the site and Andrea performs "The Madness Vase."
For me, one of the highlights of the festival was riding the roller coaster of Andrea Gibson's spoken word performance. Her poetry is at once deeply personal and universal, emotional and visual, striking and soothing. I found myself alternately weeping and laughing, sometimes laughing while weeping. She broke us to pieces with poems like "Ashes" and put us back together again with "A Letter to My Dog on the Human Condition."
The highlight of my week was learning that a video clip I put together was posted on a site Andrea and her tour manager, Kelsey Gibb, created called Stay Here With Me. The website aims to generate community around how art can play a critical role in helping to live with depression. In the clip below, Andrea and Kelsey talk about why they created the site and Andrea performs "The Madness Vase."
Stay tuned for a highlights reel of the festival!
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