WS Chronicle

By Busta Brown

This Friday, Designs, Vines and Wines; Vibe Funktion; and Accension Marketing Group are collaborating to bring you “Wine N’ Rhymes” at Studio 625 in the Arts District of downtown Winston-Salem.

This event will be hosted by LB the Poet of WORD Society, with featured Poet Janelle Strickland aka The Princess of Poetry, and live music from Vibe Band. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

Rachel White couldn’t hold back her excitement about this Friday event.

“Busta I’m so excited about Wine N’ Rhymes. We’ve worked extremely hard putting this together, and everyone involved has a true love for the arts.”

Rachel White is the owner of Designs, Vines and Wines in Winston-Salem. “I started my business so I could bring the art community together. I wanted to have a place where we can come feel as one.

One race, one people. “That’s what Wine N’ Rhymes is all about”, said Reece Johnson, owner of Accension Marketing Group. “One of the artists is Steve. I met Steve here at Designs, Vines and Wines. When I met him, he was homeless. He wasn’t looking for a handout, so I was kind of hesitant to offer him a place to stay cause I didn’t want to step on his toes. But from the moment I met him, that’s what I wanted to do for him” Johnson said.

Johnson keeps a spare key to his apartment in his wallet, and one day he and Steve talked for hours. “After we talked, he knew my heart and intentions were good, so I took out my spare key and handed to him. I said take this, you no longer have to be homeless anymore.” Rachel White began to tear up.

The more we talked, I realized that Wine N’ Rhymes was more than just an event; it was about love, hope and fulfilling dreams. It’s about a community that came together to give an extremely talented sharpie artist a place to sleep, eat, bathe and work on his dream.

“When he came in here, he had his art in a trash bag and asked if he could show some of  his work. I peeked in his bag, and said get that stuff outta that bag and lets put it up on the walls. And it’s been magical ever since,” Johnson said. He added, “With the global reach we have in this information age of technology, I don’t believe a starving artist should be a thing anymore.”

Rachel White is an artist and Reece Johnson is a Poet, and both are music lovers as well. The two reached out to their good friend musician Kolin Robinson of Vibe Funktion.

“We’re bringing vocalists, bands and dancers to Wine N’ Rhymes this Friday,” Robinson said. “What we do is expressive therapy; the people are going to love it. The purpose of the collaboration is to bring accessible and affordable events to the arts community in Winston-Salem. And if this is your first experience in the art community, get ready for a fantastic experience.”

Studio 625 is a small and intimate spot, with a very positive vibe as soon as you walk into the door. The artwork is some of the most creative and beautiful I’ve ever seen. Add wine tasting, poetry and live music, you have Wine N’ Rhymes this Friday.

“This is not the biggest place, so get your tickets early. We don’t want to turn anyone away,” Reece Johnson said as we closed the interview. For more info and tickets call, (336) 934-0235

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