- [Announcer] This is a production of WEDU PBS, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota.

- [Announcer] Funding for "WEDU Arts Plus" is provided by Charles Rosenblum, Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, the State of Florida and Division of Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

- [Gabe] In this edition of "WEDU Arts Plus," a painter who tells powerful stories of cultural identity and connection.

- [Sketzii] When I try to tell my stories, I have a really bright color palette, and my color palette is reflective of the homes that you will see on the island.

- [Gabe] Pottery that helps those in need.

- Troy has found something that he really loves to do.

That's hard for anybody, not just a person with Down syndrome, to find their passion in life.

- [Gabe] A museum dedicated to posters.

- [Angelina] You just see an image, and you understand the purpose of the poster right away.

In fact, that's what makes a good, effective poster.

- [Gabe] And creating costumes for film and television.

- The aging of the jacket, the billowing of the pockets, shoes that are run over all silently tell the story.

- It's all coming up next on "WEDU Arts Plus."

(lively jazz music) (lively jazz music ends) Hello, I'm Gabe Ortiz, and this is "WEDU Arts Plus."

What does it mean to belong when you're always on the move?

For a St. Petersburg artist, Sketzii, the answer lies in the vibrant story she paints of the Puerto Rican diaspora.

(birds chirping) - I'm in downtown St. Pete or downtown anywhere else, Tampa, and then I go to PR to go home.

And it's in the country, country and barefoot all the time.

And then this place, the artist residency, feels like that to me.

Like, if I can't go home, I'll come here to work.

(relaxing jazz music) I think being a military brat is what influences the diaspora aspect of my work.

So, I've been able to travel and visit lots of different cities, different places, meet a bunch of different people, but I'm from Hatillo, Puerto Rico.

So, it's this dynamic that I have where I live in the in between at all times.

I have to do, like, a base coat.

I can't leave it white.

It's not my jam.

(brush rustling) That way, too, if, like, the light... Once I do the outlines, like, usually, I do everything that's super matte on here, but if, for any reason, it's transparent or, like, something peeks through a crack, like, you'll see yellow, you'll see another bright color, you know?

I don't ever want it to be white.

Like, if I do white, it has to be intentionally I put white on the canvas, not from the primer.

When I try to tell my stories, I have a really bright color palette.

And my color palette is reflective of the homes that you will see on the island.

And they're actually, like, color matches to, like, homes that are there.

So, that's why I went with that color palette.

It's a very, like, Latino color palette.

It's very much of the culture, but then people interpret it as, like, happy.

They think my colors are happy.

So, a lot of people who walk up to my work and they're like, "Oh, I love your work.

It's so beautiful, so bright.

It just makes me feel happy."

And here I am talking about, like, Hurricane Maria and how distraught I am that I couldn't be there to help out my family.

And, like, I'm crying underneath a flamboyant tree and they're like, "It looks great!

It looks happy!"

(laughs) And so, that's probably the hardest thing to overcome.

The fact that, like, my color palette gives one sense of joy to people, but then what I'm actually talking about isn't just something that's pretty on a canvas.

Like, the metaphors are about really deep stories, you know, things that I've been through, things that other people have been through that come from PR.

And so, that's probably been the hardest thing to overcome, is kind of explain that part of it.

And then as an artist, you don't wanna over-explain anything or you don't wanna feel like you're defending yourself.

So, it's like, "Hey, take this for what it is, and I love that you think that, you know, it's beautiful and it's bright, and that it looks joyous, but like take a second to really look at it.

Take a second to really read it, look at the title, try and put together, you know the pieces."

That's all that I can hope someone sees in it.

That's also why I think it's so important for me to tell the stories.

When someone else connects to it, they get it.

Like, "Wow, I remember what happened during Hurricane Maria."

Like, "I was there, too."

Or, "Oh, I know what it is to go back and forth with a suitcase since I was three years old.

Like, I completely get that."

You know, my work is for the people.

So, whatever somebody interprets is what they interpret, right?

So, I'm not mad at all if, like, what they interpret isn't what I was trying to say.

If their interpretation is something that connects with them, like their soul or their story, I love to hear that, because I have heard things all over the place about my pieces and I go, "Wow, I would've never thought in a million years!"

Like, that's what you got from this.

And I love hearing those interpretations, because then it makes me think, "Oh!"

Like, I can think outside the box now.

Like, it doesn't have to be just what I wanted to portray in my work.

(birds chirping) (chicken clucking) Being out here and being, like, disconnected from city life, and noises especially, helps a lot to concentrate.

It makes me wanna, like, not at my phone, you know.

A lot of it is, like, looking at your phone and scrolling, and, like, a lot of my daytime stuff is networking and, like, doing meetings, and trying to figure out how to make the world a better place, and all of these things.

And when I come out here, it's just me.

Like, it's me, is by myself, is me and the animals, which I love animals.

I think I like animals better than I like people.

(laughs) Som I guess that's another way that influences me being out here, like, the animals end up in my art.

I find my community, especially since I've been a professional artist for the past five or six years, through social media, through Instagram specifically.

And that is how I talk to people.

That's how I talk to my community.

I also love going to different types of networking events.

I work with multiple nonprofits to talk to other artists, other people that are in the community, community leaders.

And it's very much a part of my work now that I've been involved in several nonprofits, I've been able to do community type of projects, and it started my paint and sit classes, and it started my community murals.

So, it's something now that I didn't even think I'd be getting into when I first started as a professional artist.

And it's developed over time and it's actually, like, my number one favorite thing to do with art, is to, like, have people involved with my pieces.

(birds chirping) I'm all about sharing information and resources.

Like, one, yeah, it feels good to do it for the community, but two, like, when I see someone else, they have this potential and they're just kind of, like, lost in the sauce and they don't know exactly where to go with it.

And I'm like, "I was you.

I was you a couple years ago.

Let me tell you about this, this, and this.

You need to sign up here, you need to fill out these forms, you need to meet these people at these places."

It's cool to really watch someone grow.

I think it's really good to surround yourself with a community of people, whether it's friends, whether it's families, whether it's coworkers, or a network of a community or something to have people around you who, like, recognize what your talents are and just keep telling you that same message over and over again, because it's a mind thing at the end of the day.

We are our own worst enemy.

So, for anybody that feels lost in the sauce or has the imposter syndrome, we all do.

None of us know what we are doing ever.

You just have to, like, take the risk, go with it, see what works out, and be okay with some things just not working out the way you want it to.

It was meant for you.

I truly believe in what's meant for you is meant for you.

So, you should just go for it and not worry about what anybody else has to say.

- To stay updated on her upcoming projects, visit sketzii.com and instagram.com/sketzii.

With each piece of pottery made and sold, artist, Troy Drake, gives to those in need.

In this segment, head to Nevada to meet the artist and learn how he inspires others.

- Do you like this color?

- Hm.

Mm-hmm.

- It's perfect with the bird, the hummingbird.

- Mm.

Mm-hmm.

- Do not break it.

- I won't break it.

This one doesn't have a bird.

You're afraid I'm gonna drop it, aren't you?

(chuckles) How pretty that is.

Troy, you did a really good job on these.

Troy Made It, we started for our son, Troy, who makes pottery, and we came up with a name, because he would make pottery and people would say, "Who made that?"

And we would say, "Troy made it."

And so, we were trying to think of a name for his company and we just kept thinking, "Troy made it."

And that's kind of how we ended up with this name.

Troy was born with Down syndrome, and he's always loved to draw and he just has a sense of space.

He can see something and he can just draw it.

I can't do that.

He'll draw for hours in a day.

So, he's always loved art.

And then from there, it just kind of progressed into pottery.

My husband and I, we just sold our company and so, we were newly retired and we'd always wanted to do ceramics.

So, there was a new pottery studio in Carson City called Ogres-Holm's Pottery.

So we called them and signed up for a wheel throwing class and then asked if we could bring Troy with us.

And they said, "Absolutely."

So, we brought him and they said, "Well, why doesn't he do hand building while you're throwing?

He can take the class as well."

So, Troy took a class, he really liked it.

And then that Christmas, we decided to make some ornaments, Troy and I, for family and friends, and we had extra.

So I thought, "I'll just put these on Facebook and see if anybody wants to buy 'em and we'll donate the money."

And so, they sold out in 20 minutes and then everybody was asking for more ornaments, so we made more.

And then they all started asking to buy his pottery.

Holly, my daughter's girlfriend said, "I wanna start an Instagram account for Troy."

And I was like, "No, I don't wanna do that.

I don't want him out there.

I don't want anyone saying mean things about him.

I don't wanna do it."

And so, she convinced me that by putting him out there, you're showing other families the capabilities of people with Down syndrome, that they can do a lot of different things in this world.

So then I was like, "Okay."

But I really didn't expect it to do much.

And then it just snowballed from there.

(bright music) - First, he gets a bag of clay, then he cuts the bag of clay, and then we have a slab roller, and he rolls the chunk of clay out in a slab.

And then he has forms or he has real leaves that he gets out in our yard.

He has slump molds.

It all depends on what he's gonna make.

And then he cuts out whatever he's gonna make, and then he puts it on the form.

He has it dry.

And then we put it in the kiln to bisque fire.

Then we take it out, he glazes it, and then it goes back in the kiln, and then it's ready to go.

- And he just can't keep up with the demand of (chuckles) people wanting his pottery.

We wish we could, but he's only one guy.

(laughs) 100% of Troy's pottery, the profits from Troy's pottery are donated.

And this year, we donated $18,000.

In total, he's donated almost $30,000 to different nonprofits.

That makes me proud.

- When Troy posts a new video and we get comments from people on how much they appreciate his videos, they just say the nicest things about how good he is, and how proud they are, and how awesome his work is, and how inspirational he is.

And so, we read all of these comments to him, "Wow, looks so great."

I hope by people seeing him doing what he's doing, that they're seeing that people with Down syndrome have value, that they can contribute to society, and that his life has meaning.

- Discover more at instagram.com/troymadeit.

Opened in 2019, Poster House is the first poster museum in the United States.

Through exhibitions and events, they explore the history, art, and global impact of the medium.

Visit New York City to take a closer look at their permanent collection.

- Hi, I'm Angelina Lippert, the chief curator of Poster House, the first museum in the United States dedicated to the art and history of the poster.

A poster is a public-facing notice meant to persuade that marries word and image.

This phenomenon really began in the late 1860s when Jules Cheret, the father of the poster, perfected the already existing color lithographic process so that posters could be made cheaply and quickly using the full spectrum of the rainbow.

Prior to this time, posters were primarily text-based, so they were broad sides, and that required that you had to be literate in order to understand them.

Posters do away with that.

You just see an image and you understand the purpose of the poster right away.

In fact, that's what makes a good effective poster.

If a poster doesn't communicate its purpose to you in less than a second, it's failed.

Poster House typically has two or three exhibitions on view at any time in addition to our permanent poster history timeline, which you can see behind me.

The beginning of this timeline starts with the father of the poster, Jules Cheret.

So, because the earliest posters are done via stone lithography, every single color making up that poster would have to be printed separately.

And by combining those colors, that's how you get the full rainbow effect in any given poster.

And that's what Jules Cheret invented.

And what makes this poster incredibly special is it's actually a progressive proof.

A progressive proof is really, really rare, because a printer would typically only make one.

And it was a way for a printer to determine if all the different colors separated out line up, and if it prints cleanly.

Cheret originally designed this for a department store.

However, it rejected it.

We don't know why, 'cause it's a beautiful image.

The next stop on the poster history timeline focuses on Leonetto Cappiello, the father of modern advertising.

One of the things you'll notice in this poster is that the background is a flat, saturated black.

He was the first poster designer to really offset a central image with a sharp, flat saturated background.

He puts a woman in a green dress on a red horse, but what does that have to do with chocolate?

This poster is for Chocolat Klaus, and that was the entire point.

This is the first time we see a mascot born in advertising.

In fact, people were so captivated by this beautiful image that they would go to their local store and instead of asking for the chocolate by name, they would instead state, "Uh, you know, (finger snaps) can you give me the, you know, the lady on the red horse?"

And that's how that brand became memorable and known throughout Paris.

The next step on our timeline is Marcello Nizzoli's poster for Campari.

Campari has one of the richest histories in posters.

They've created literally hundreds of posters.

All are standout.

This is very interesting, because it's Italian art deco.

Italian art deco in advertising combined a lot of different styles.

So you'll get elements of futurism, of cubism.

And also, the Italians love to play with shadow and really deep, rich colors in their posters.

So you'll get a lot of that in this design.

This is one of my favorite posters in the collection.

It's by the Stenberg Brothers.

It's for the film "The Last Flight" Poster design in Russia at this time under Lenin was a hot bit of creativity.

These designers rarely saw imported films before creating the posters for them.

They would just get the title or maybe a film still.

Very minimal information.

I also often have to tell people that this is not photo montage.

The ability to insert a large photograph into posters was not really available at this time.

Instead, what the Stenbergs would do is project a film still onto the wall of their studio and then trace over that figure.

And also, this style of art would be made completely illegal under Stalin.

So, it's a really short, beautiful, and important period in poster history.

After that, we look at the mid-century posters of Switzerland and the international typographic style.

These posters are amazing, because you get an array of printing techniques all in one poster.

After that, we focus on psychedelic posters, where we have nine amazing examples of the most important psychedelic poster artists from 1966 to 1970.

An incredibly short explosive period in poster design.

All these posters advertised the main venues for psychedelic music at that time.

So, The Fillmore, the Winterland, the Avalon, as well as a ton of bands that you will absolutely know like Big Brother & the Holding Company.

After that, we focus on Paula Scher and her remarkable contributions to the public theater in what is now almost 30 years of advertising for one single institution.

She helped redefine how theatrical advertising was done in New York, making it as vibrant and explosive as the theater itself.

For the letter press process, we focus on Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. A favorite designer of mine.

He combines a layering technique that makes his posters completely unique.

He's a contemporary letter press printer working in Detroit, which means he's making his living making posters today, which is amazing.

Poster House is still collecting important posters made today.. We actively collect posters from all around the world, from all major and minor ad agencies.

So, please stop by and see them.

- Plan your visit at posterhouse.org.

Head to the New Bedford Art Museum in Massachusetts to see a retrospective of Academy Award-winning costume designer, Ruth E. Carter.

Through design, she has helped tell stories for both film and television.

- This is one of Oprah Winfrey's ensembles from the film "Selma" by director Ava DuVernay.

One of countless costumes Ruth Carter has designed over her 30 plus year career.

- We had Oprah's character, who was Annie Lee Cooper, who had a scene where she was gonna attempt to register to vote.

- You worked for Mr. Dunn down at the rest home, ain't that right?

- [Ruth] Annie Lee Cooper was a domestic.

- Yes So, I first gave Oprah kind of her uniform and then Ava said, you know, "No, I feel like this is a special occasion for her.

Let's have her dress up in her Sunday best for this."

- [Interviewer] And why would she have had a brooch?

- Well, you know, I remember brooches and earrings when I was a little girl in church.

So, that's a little bit of, you know, my heart in the costume design.

- [Narrator] At the New Bedford Art Museum, this is a collection of costumes Carter has personally kept over the years, from her work on the "Roots" reboot to a polyester panoply from the comedy "Dolemite is My Name," to Spike Lee's groundbreaking "Do the Right Thing."

- Always do the right thing.

- [Interviewer] How overtly political was your work in "Do the Right Thing"?

- We all knew that we were doing a protest film.

This was about one hot day in New York City, and the colors in "Do the Right Thing" are very saturated, almost in a surrealistic form that at night, you could see these colors almost Ignite.

- [Narrator] Carter's career began in Springfield, Massachusetts, where she interned in a college costume shop after a brief spell as an actress, - I actually could feel how important my wardrobe was to my performance.

- [Narrator] Her job, she says, is literally in the details, the little things she does in color, fabric, and accessories to manifest a mood.

- The aging of the jacket, the billowing of the pockets, shoes that are run over all silently tell the story.

- She's, like, unmatched in the field and just a really, really special, thoughtful person.

- [Narrator] Jamie Uretsky is the museum's curator, who spent two years sifting through Carter's costumes, sketches, and mood boards.

But her chief inspiration was the designer's Oscar acceptance speech in 2019 for her work on "Black Panther," making her the first black person to win an Academy Award for costume design.

(crowd cheers) - I think that her as, like, a powerful Black woman who is just, like, had her hand in, you know, like, over 40 films that are in imperative to understanding American history and the Black experience, she makes the experiences of these people feel real.

- [Narrator] When she first started out in Hollywood, Carter says there was a limit to how Black people were portrayed on camera - Every time a Black person was cast or they were a gang banger, or they had their hat turned backwards, or they had a big, gold chain.

And there were so many more stories in the community that weren't being seen.

- [Narrator] Carter is now a world away from that time in the world of Wakanda, the fictional setting of "Black Panther."

Her looks came from deep research into African tribes and influences.

And after the film's blockbuster success, Carter's designs on Wakandan culture melded into our own.

- I hate to tell you, but you can't get to Wakanda.

It's totally made up.

(laughs) But it's kind of an aspirational place.

We want to create that place that you wanna go to, because it looks like, you know, the perfect place to experience culture that has not been appropriated or has not been spoiled by, you know, colonization.

- [Narrator] Spend some time with Carter and you quickly realize she may be most proud of how much research she's done.

Tracing the path of indigo from Sierra Leone through generations of Africans as she illustrated in "Roots," noting how tight Martin Luther King Jr. kept his collar, or sitting down at the Massachusetts Department of Correction to read the letters of Malcolm X.

- Learning was very important to him and growth was very important to him.

When I look at Malcolm X, I can see my intent.

The color palette is very vibrant when he's a young dancer in the dance halls.

It kind of washes itself away with the denim in the prison.

And then when he comes out, it's almost like a black and white film.

- [Narrator] A fitting, if not poetic, description from a woman who has always been able to dress the part.

- Find out more@newbedfordart.org.

And that wraps it up for this episode of "WEDU Arts Plus."

To view more, visit wedu.org/artsplus, or follow us on social.

I'm Gabe Ortiz.

Thanks for watching.

(upbeat outro music) (upbeat outro music continues) (upbeat outro music fades) - [Announcer] Funding for "WEDU Arts Plus" is provided by Charles Rosenblum, Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, the State of Florida and Division of Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

(uplifting music)