Founded in 2018, Mmmm, Yes! is built on the 30 year artistic practice of its founder, Iya Christina Springer. Through her fine art exhibitions, she realized not everyone can afford to be a collector, but, almost anyone could invest in lifestyle objects such as throw pillows, high tops, hoodies, table runners, mugs or duvet sets. She made it her mission to offer tiny affordable works of art for the home and person with a wide range of price points to remain accessible to all.
Iya Springer states, “Everyone should be able to live artfully. Everyone should be able to live beautifully. That’s what I’m doing. Making art accessible to everyone. Taking it out of the gallery. Making it less rarified and more in tune with how we used to live as a people – colorfully, gorgeously, creatively. I want us to live with our heads thrown back in laughter. I want us to walk with our heads held high.”
Iya Springer’s visual art has been exhibited in galleries nationally. In addition, she is the author of four collections of poetry, the most recent of which was published by Frayed Edge Press in 2018. As 30 year veteran of the arts and performance scene, she brings her willingness to take risks and make visual statements to what people consider to be mundane objects. April of 2022, the Bay Area’s 21V Choir will premiere the work they commissioned her to write, “Praisesong For Tulsa,” a choral piece commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Tulsa. She is also an Omo Obatala.
Ultimately, Mmmm Yes, normalizes new Black aesthetics by manifesting diaspora designs, with a uniquely Black womanist voice for all of our homes, home furnishings and on the go. Mmmm, Yes, believes we deserve to see ourselves everywhere, and most especially at home. In order to fully love ourselves, Mmmm Yes provides alternatives to Eurocentric design principles to dominate our lives. It is the same issue as lack of representation in films, books, and history, it carries a subliminal and subconscious message that you are not valuable or you must conform in order to succeed. Most folks don’t walk into a Macy’s and think, “Look at all these white towels, white tablecloths, white shoes and white scrunchies.” But, the reality of the industry is that is exactly what they are – products made by White people using White aesthetics that are supposed to appeal to everybody. Or they are siphoned and diluted Black aesthetics made by White imitators. Mmmm, Yes is here to shake that assumption up.
Iya Springer states, “I like to think we are one of the many Black creatives who are out here practicing ‘sankofa in real time.’ We are remembering and recalling our ancestors. We are taking our creativity back from those who would exploit us and enlivening our communities – one one hoodie, one suncatcher, one refrigerator magnet at a time. We have a unique creative voice and vision. Black creativity is consumed at an alarming rate worldwide with little financial return to the originators. It’s time for a change.”
Mmmm, Yes! offers many products, from socks to suitcases, from high tops to table runners, from baby gear to underwear. Come get your whole life.
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You can find Mmmm, Yes! at
Website: http://www.mmmmyes.com/
Instagram: @mmmmyesshop
