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>>> And now an eight special
presentation.
>>> Coming up on Artbeat Nation,
we see the importance of
community celebrated through
regional theater.
>> I think regional theater has
been really important in
strengthening the American
theater.
>> An artist's unique take on
the average face.
>> I came to understand that a
painting can be a lot more than
just an Aesthetic part of
somebody's home.
>> A musician who revives an
artistic practice from the past.
>> I don't like to think of
music for silent film as a lost
art form.
>> And a Colorado artist who
paints the town with her murals.
>> A positive, good feeling, I
guess that's what I hope to
portray in my murals.
>> It's all ahead on this
edition of Artbeat Nation.
>>> Funding for Artbeat Nation
is made possible by
contributions to eight from
viewers like you.
Thank you.
>>> Regional theaters strive to
produce quality stage shows for
smaller communities.
These productions connect to
audiences by tapping into local
issues and topics.
In this segment, we travel to
Syracuse stage in central New
York where we learn how their
theater reflects the community
and its people.
>> This is the most cruel death!
>> There's a huge difference
between a Broadway and what
happens in regional theaters.
In Broadway, the ultimate goal
is to make money for the
investors of the show.
Here, we're a nonprofit
organization, and our goal is to
produce theater at the highest
possible quality level for this
community.
The regional theater movement
began back in the 1960s, and
with a handful of theaters, that
we're committed to moving away
from centrist New York,
commercial fair, and giving a
voice to different regional
theaters, and their communities,
and that was a pretty radical
idea at the time.
>> Prior to the 1960s, most of
the professional theaters that
people saw in this country was
through Broadway touring shows
or you had to go to New York,
and to see theater, and there
was a, a movement that had
developed in the 1960s that,
that the communities like to
have their own theater company,
and they would like to have the
programming of that company
really reflect the community
that they existed in.
>> Sometimes, and more often
than not, the work that happens
in a regional theater is quite
specifically about really
connecting with its community
and really connecting with its
audience.
>> To bring professional theater
to a region that reflects the
concerns that are going on in
that community, is really the
key, and one of the things
Syracuse stage has tapped into
is a lot of the local issues
that are happening in central
New York.
>> We've done a number of plays
by August Wilson, in part
because there's a substantial
African-American community here,
and in certain plays of Wilsons
like two trains running, which
we did this season, we're about
urban renewal, and that's a big
topic in Syracuse.
>> Picking a season for Syracuse
stage is one of the main
responsibilities I have as the
artistic director, and it's
probably the most difficult and
satisfying thing that I do.
I try to look for new plays.
I try to look for a classic that
we can bring a fresh, a bold
interpretation to that would
give a new view of that piece.
We love to do musical plays
that, that can, can sometimes
involve our students.
S.U. drama.
We also look for, for comedies
and plays that really talk to
issues that are going on in our
community.
>> I think regional theater has
been really important in
strengthening the American
theater, and it's done so in a
number of ways.
It used to be that most of the
theater was centered in New York
City, and what's happened now
with this regional theater
movement, there's been an
explosion of theater companies.
There are now some people
estimate 1200 professional
theaters around the country.
And what happens in these
companies is that a number of
things, artists are being
developed, so at Syracuse stage,
we get a lot of both established
professional artists but artists
who are just starting out in
their careers, and they have
opportunities to develop their
craft.
>> The regional theater really
is an incredible training ground
for artists, for actors, for
designers, for director and, and
it really helps us hone our
skills, and helps us to start
developing a career, so that can
often lead to work on a larger
scale, or commercially.
>> We can be part of a solution
of greater issues across the
globe, as well as knowing a
little bit more about whose part
of our own community right here.
>> Syracuse stage just
celebrated its 40th
anniversary season.
To learn more, visit
Syracusestage.org.
>>> Nicholas Harper has gained
national notoriety for his
surrealistic paintings.
His vivid Byzantine inspired
portraits feature long next,
large hands and darkened eyes.
In this segment, watch as harper
explains his craft and gives us
a look into his contemporary art
exhibit.
>>> When we're surrounded by
this amazing environment all the
time, it's easy to take it for
granted and lose sight of.
Say attempt to do, to distort
the human form in such a way we
don't take it for granted.
Hopefully elevate it to being
more than just a representation
of a particular person, but
elevated to this idea of a
symbol.
I learned to draw classically at
the atelier lack in northeast
Minneapolis, and at the bougie
studio in south Minneapolis,
going to the Minneapolis
institute of art, a lot as a
child, I was influenced by the
Dutch masters and the Italian
renaissance and German masters,
so as an adult I was intrigued
with the idea of learning how to
paint and draw like that.
The intention behind my artwork
started to take shape when I got
interested in Russian and
Byzantine iconography, and
studying those traditions, I
came to understand that a
painting can be a lot more than
just an Aesthetic part of
somebody's home or a design
element in their room.
In 2011, I took an intensive
workshop on painting icons, and
during that process I learned
that every element of the icon
from the materials to each level
of the process encapsulates a
mystical and spiritual meaning
to it, and that the process of
making an icon in and of itself
is a meditation, and it has a
start and a finish, and
hopefully, throughout that
journey, the artist would reach
a deeper understanding of
themselves.
Within, within is the traditions
of iconography, the owner of the
icon could place it in a
prominent place in the home, and
it was a daily focal point for
them, and a point of meditation,
and something that they would
turn to when they were happy and
had thanks, or when they were in
need of something, or concerned
about something.
And so I really wanted to
transfer that kind of ideology
to my artwork.
I guess I'm probably most
well-known for my paintings of
women with long necks.
For me, the head represents our
spiritual nature, and our divine
potential, and the hands
represent our worldly nature.
How we think about ourselves and
others, and how we act towards
ourselves and others.
And in a lot of people, I think
that there is a disconnect
between these two aspects of
ourself, so the long neck acts
as a visual representation of
this tension or disconnect, and
sometimes, the arms are also
disconnected from the rest of
the body.
And that reinforces that
tension, so if a viewer views
the artwork up close, they might
see it as fragmented and various
different parts disconnected
from each other.
But, if they step away from the
painting and view it from a
distance, it takes on a
wholeness and a completeness,
and they realize that actually,
everything is in unison and in
balance with each other, and
there is no tension.
It's kind of like a puzzle, all
the pieces are separate but in
balance with the ones around
them and they are all connected,
and without any of knows
individual pieces, the image
isn't complete.
I paint primarily women,
partially because I was raised
by my mother, and she has been
kind of the biggest role model
in my life in terms of artistic
expression.
I also have five sisters.
So, I kind of have this, I
guess, reverence for the
feminine.
The men I usually paint with a
sense of noir, and with a
lighting to them, often times I
burn out the eyes because I want
to play with the concept of, of
the eyes being the window to the
soul.
And if there are no eyes, what
does that say about the notion
of soul?
Does it exist?
I have painted people that were
anonymous.
There were people that I knew or
old photos that I would find at
thrift stores or garage sales.
I typically stayed clear of what
I call the pre-ordained holy
people of history.
That would be, you know,
political, religious or pop
culture figures, but now more
recently I am starting to paint,
I guess, infamous people, and
the people that I'm picking,
they are names but a lot of
people wouldn't recognize them,
necessarily.
For instance, I have done sir
han, sir han, which a lot of
people know who it is, but
wouldn't recognize his face.
Marketing is vital, and it
really comes down to the
individual artist who, to take
the reins to market themselves
in any way that they can.
I started the Rogue Buddha
gallery in December of 1999
particularly because I couldn't
get an art show for myself.
I had tried to show my artwork
to a few different galleries,
and I showed up with, with a
stack of Polaroids that I had
taken of my, my artwork leaning
against my 1974, w. Beatle,
which was bright green, and that
was in the shop on a sunny day
with a Polaroid, and I cold
called showed up at these
galleries and got laughed out of
all of them.
This was all because I had no
idea how to approach marketing
my own artwork or being a
professional artist.
That really gave me the impetus
to start looking for a space
where I could do something
professionally and on a more
legitimate level.
Typically what we exhibit at the
Rogue Buddha is figurative work,
although there are some
exceptions to that.
And also, typically painting,
although there is exceptions to
that.
Owning the Rogue Buddha gallery
has changed my work in terms of
I became more curious about the
figure, as a result, and, of, of
seeing how people interact with
artwork, and in the gallery and,
and it's also pushed me to
strive for more equality.
I'm currently applying gold
belief to the halo, a portrait
I'm doing from the woman who,
who attempted to, to assassinate
gerald ford in 1975.
I tend to think that there is a
bit of, more of a back story
than we know about, involved
with their situations.
So, I kind of want to explore
that.
Both personally for myself and
also for others.
So, hopefully, other people
don't just take for granted what
they read or see on the news.
I really don't like the idea of
being stagnant, and painting one
thing.
Even though I'm kind of known
for painting women with long
necks.
I will still paint women with
long next but I'm curious as to
how it's going to transform over
time so that hopefully, five
years from now, they will be
completely different than what
I'm doing now.
Because it will mean that I have
grown, and I think that artwork
should grow as the painter
grows.
>> To learn more about harper's
work visit roguebuddha.com.
>>> Guitarist Alex de Grassi has
been composing music for over 30
years.
Today, he is applying his
musical expertise to the art of
silent film-making.
Here's a look at his
contemporary take on this genre.
>> I don't like to think of
music for silent film as a lost
art form as much as it is a
rediscovered art form.
Consider for a moment back
before we had sound on film.
A lot of times back then, the
music was pretty incidental.
There wasn't necessarily a whole
lot of work that went into
really trying to fit the music
to the film.
We have a very different
perspective today on how to
score music for film than back
then.
The guitar is an ideal
instrument for doing it because
the guitar is capable of so many
different sounds and textures,
and there is just so many ways
to play it.
One of the things that you are
doing with sound with a film is
you don't have to carry the
whole load yourself.
You are just trying to
underscore a frame, highlight,
you know, get the colored
pencils out and kind of, you
know, bringing things to
people's attention.
What a lot of the accuse, they
may be very simple, but if I can
scratch the string or do
something percussive that I
would not normally do in a
concert, or in writing music,
then I'm just creating a sound.
I'm just creating a texture, and
it's a color.
It's a color or a texture that
can be super expressive.
The whole idea of scoring music
for film is really to underscore
the action and kind of help to
bring the film to life.
The music is just helping to
bring the story to life.
I was born in Japan.
I lived there for -- my family
was there for seven years.
I only was there for two years
as an infant.
But, my parents split up when I
was young, and my father moved
back and lived most of his life
in Japan.
So, I feel somewhere akinship,
you know, with that whole --
plus the story because it's
about, in part, about a son, you
know, coming of age, who never
knew his father, which was also
pretty much my story.
The way I scored the film, I
have themes, and there are a few
scenes in which the music is
prefixed, but most of them are
themes which I can improvise on,
so I get to play with it.
It's different every time.
When I introduce each theme for
the first time, it's pretty
distinct from anything else in
the film.
As the characters interact, and
the story progresses, I begin to
mix the themes a little bit.
Think art is important because
it, it forces people to see
things in a new way.
In a new perspective.
As a musician, and an artist
playing along with the film, is
to also maybe bring out some
aspects, some elements of the
film that might not be so
obvious to people who watched it
without music or with a
different kind of music.
So, I am trying to frame this
film in my own way, my own
experience, my way of seeing
things.
>>> For more information, visit
degrassi.com.
>>> Colorado artist Susan Dailey
represents the spirit of
community in her paintings.
Her public art includes museum
backdrops and outdoor displays
that often incorporate local
history.
In this segment, Rob Stewart
gives us a look at her murals.
>> Welcome to berthoud,
Colorado.
It has been nick-named the
garden spot of Colorado.
And if you head for the center
of the rural farming community,
you will find a beacon shining
bright.
It's called berthoud's roots.
And an expansive 55-foot mural
painted on the historic grain
elevator downtown.
This artwork on its giant
concrete canvas is not only a
tribute to the town's
agricultural roots, but to its
modern spirit of community, as
well.
>> What were you trying to
capture?
>> I think that we wanted a
family unit that works together,
and an agricultural family sort
of taking a break in the fields,
maybe from harvest or mom
bringing lunch, kind of a feel
like we're taking a few moments
away from the hard work of
farming to enjoy our family.
>> Colorado artist Susan Dailey
worked with muralist Eleanor
Yates to conceive and execute
this collaborative creation in
>> I feel like it transcends
time.
>> My fond memories of a
childhood are on my
grandparent's farm, I already
kind of loved the agricultural
scene.
It just feels like a tribute to
those roots.
>> Roots that run deep for Susan
Dailey.
Her earliest childhood memories
are those happy times spent on
her grandparents' farm.
She's been painting agricultural
images ever since.
For Susan it's her way of
connecting to her past.
>> I always was fascinated by
the farm.
And I think it's funny because I
think my mother grew up on the
farm, and she was sort of, I'm
getting away from the farm, and
here her daughter wanted to go
back to the farm all the time
>> But painting isn't Susan's
only creative outlet.
Music is another.
>> Both my husband and I are
musicians.
And she just always was
interested in drawing.
And seemed to follow that line
more than the music.
Although, she enjoyed the music,
too.
But, I think art got more
devotion.
>> That devotion to making an
impact is on display in the
nearby town of dun, Colorado
where another grain bin mural on
a family farm has transformed
this rural landscape.
>> It's a wonderfully personal
statement for a family.
And I just love it.
Every, every image means
something, and it says something
about the land, and --
>> What does it say?
What does it say to you?
>> I think that it's about the
heart, this one.
>> The heart.
>> This sort of about family and
hard working family, and
celebrating family heritage.
Of one family, in particular,
but, also, of the land where
they live.
>> Looking at your beautiful
mural, I can't help but think of
the song you were singing, the
sunny side of life.
>> Well, I think the golden
wheat field sort of reflects the
sunny side, but also, just
positive, good feelings, I guess
that's what I hope to portray in
my murals, that the people that
look at it, feel good, and maybe
on a deeper level, than they
realized, that it's bringing joy
or meaning or just reflection
into themselves.
>> The sunny side of life.
>> Yes.
there is a sunny side of
life
>>> To learn more, visit
susankdailey.com.
For more arts and culture, visit
azpbs.org/artbeat.
Where you will find featured
videos and information on the
Arizona arts scene.
Funding for Artbeat Nation was
made possible by contributions
to eight, from viewers like you.
Thank you.
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