WLIW Arts Beat
WLIW Arts Beat - November 2, 2020
In this edition of WLIW Arts Beat, a singular type of pottery made in prehistoric times; the power of music therapy to help the human mind and spirit; an artist who builds magical, miniature worlds; sculpting natural materials into an array of animals.
TRANSCRIPT
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>> In this edition of
"WLIW Arts Beat"...
Pottery from ancient times.
>> It's very well made, very
well decorated.
And, so, from an artistic
standpoint, they're artistically
and aesthetically very pleasing.
♪♪
>> ...the value of music
therapy...
>> Music gives us a chance to
express our feelings differently
and connect with other people
around our feelings differently.
♪♪
>> ...An artist who sees the
world in miniature....
>> I work with repurposing old
clocks, cameras, radios,
and TVs.
I would say over the last
10 years, I have probably built
close to about, maybe, 3,000
pieces, all different shapes and
sizes.
>> ...Sculpting animals out of
wood...
>> I definitely give a lot of
human characteristics to my
pieces.
People can relate to it -- like
a smile, wide eyes, or
screaming.
Inspiration?
It just -- it's all around me.
>> It's all ahead on this
edition of "WLIW Arts Beat."
Funding for "WLIW Arts Beat" is
made possible by viewers like
you.
Thank you.
Welcome to "WLIW Arts Beat."
I'm Diane Masciale.
In this segment, we travel to
Tampa Bay, Florida, to learn
more about a singular type of
pottery made in prehistoric
times.
Through this art, we are able to
gain an understanding of a past
culture.
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>> The Weedon Island Preserve is
a little over 3,000 acres.
There's hiking trails, there's
canoe and kayak trails, there's
the Weedon Island Cultural and
Natural History Center which has
a small museum and has the
Weedon Island canoe display --
junior archaeology camp for
kids.
And so there's a variety of
activities out here that the
public can participate in.
The Weedon Island pottery is
probably -- and this is the
opinions of a variety of people
besides me, professional
archaeologists - probably some
of the most well made and
distinctive pottery in the
southeastern United States.
It's very well made, very well
decorated.
And, so, from an artistic
standpoint, they're artistically
and aesthetically very pleasing.
Archaeologically, they were
found at Weedon Island, anyway,
in a burial mound that was
excavated by the Smithsonian
back in the 1920s.
And they kind of formed the
basis for what's now called the
Weedon Island Culture.
And it's been -- that kind of
pottery has been found all over
Florida and the lower southeast,
as far west as, uh, I think in
Arkansas and into Georgia and
Alabama.
♪♪
>> We all kind of recognize
Weedon Island pottery when we
see it because it is so
distinctive in terms of the
neatness of the application, the
elaborateness of the designs.
It really stands out among other
pottery traditions.
There are a lot of naturalistic
sort of elements that are
represented in the pottery, some
of them are purely abstract.
But the ones that we can kind
of, like, get our -- wrap our
heads around a little bit
better, there seem to be a lot
of representations of animals,
especially birds, not only in
the form of some of these pots
but also in some of the designs.
Not as much in this one, but
there are, sort of, incised and
punctated designs that look like
birds' wings or birds' heads or
representations of the wind,
maybe from the flutter of birds'
wings.
And other animals are
represented, too, not
exclusively birds.
But birds seem to be one of the
more commonly represented.
And then some of them probably
represent sort of more
cosmological themes, like the
movement of the Sun, the
movement of the Moon, the
movement of stars, perhaps.
Weedon Island is one of the most
distinctive pottery types,
certainly in
eastern North America, just
because of the incised and
punctated designs on pots like
this, the unusual vessel forms.
You know, we see certain
elements of this pottery that
show up elsewhere on different
types in different places.
But Weedon Island was
recognized, like, a hundred
years ago as a really
distinctive type of pottery,
even before they had the name
"Weedon Island."
>> So pottery has evolved, most
recently, in probably the past
50 years.
There's different ways to make
things out of clay.
The wheel's most commonly known,
but people still do
pinch pottery.
You just take a ball of clay and
kind of pinch it with your
hands.
Or people will make coils out of
clay.
So they'll roll them out and
kind of stack them and build it,
so pottery is more than just a
functional vessel.
It can, like, get across ideas.
It's something that, you know,
it's easiest to get art into a
home for something accessible
and that you'll use.
I think pottery is something
that is important for the
St. Petersburg community.
Just through, like, second
Saturday events, we get
probably, like, 100 to 200
people coming through every
second Saturday, um, to look at
the new shows we have up.
We showcase artists from around
the country and around the
world.
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>> One of the things that I
think artists today could take
from looking at Weedon Island
pottery is just, uh, you know,
uh, uh, understanding that
connection that people have with
the natural world and drawing
inspiration from that.
I think a lot of artists do
that, but thinking about that
from the perspective of
Native Americans and the
connections to the landscapes
and all the beings in the
landscapes I think is something
that artists could draw
inspiration from.
♪♪
>> To discover more,
visit weedonislandspreserve.org
and moreanartscenter.org.
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And now the artist's quote of
the week.
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Up next, we sit in on a music
therapy session and find out how
this universal language helps
the human mind and spirit.
Take a listen.
>> 8 to 10 years ago, the mix of
alcoholism versus some form of
drug addiction was almost half
and half.
The alcoholism factor has
dwindled to almost 5%, and
nearly everyone else is involved
in heroin.
There seems to be a highway that
runs through Cincinnati and
Dayton where a lot of this stuff
shows up.
And it's very cheap and easy to
get hold of.
The movement from recreational
drug use to addiction seems to
be more people coming off of
opioids for some kind of pain
management that has led to their
addiction.
Music therapy provides, in that
context, a different way of
approaching individuals'
awareness of their issues and of
their current coping skills and
how those might change, how
they might use creative arts or
more creative outlets as a means
of getting in touch with
themselves, their emotions so
that they can move forward.
Music therapy training includes
a lot of training in psychology
as well as how music affect
human beings, or how music helps
human beings get in touch with
their emotional lives.
>> Sometimes I sit in the music
therapy sessions and participate
in them.
And I get to listen to the
dialogue that's going on.
And what is said really does
translate into their individual
counseling.
Sometimes it translates into
group in terms of themes that we
cover.
When they first get there,
they're kind of in survival
mode.
But the idea of being held by a
community is communicated very
effectively, and they feel that.
>> Music therapy provides an
avenue for them to use their
creativity and use their inner
resources towards emotional
expression and learning how to
handle them, which part of
addiction is hiding or burying
emotions that are difficult or
challenging.
>> Counseling -- it's all in the
head.
Music gives us a chance to
express our feelings differently
and connect with other people
around our feelings differently.
>> In music therapy, we think of
four primary methods.
So one is to use song material
and to sing.
Another way is to use
improvisation.
We also use composition.
And, so, in groups, we might
compose songs together or we
might take a song that everyone
knows and tear it apart and
re-compose the lyrics to that so
that it says what they want it
to say.
>> I was actively addicted from
the age of 14 till about 39.
I'm probably in the first
generation of people to not
have, like, a generic
alcoholism.
I was polysubstance, mostly
opioids and alcohol.
People are more adept at
processing their feelings than
those in the past have been.
And I attribute that to the
music therapy, because it gives
them another channel to work
with their feelings.
They work better together,
because for that hour, what
they're doing is they're kind of
linking up, and they're becoming
a community at a different
level.
And so once that part is over,
it resonates out through of
their week and their daily life
together.
>> We are so readily exposed to
song material.
Everywhere we go, as Americans,
we are bombarded with music.
Depending on where they use,
there's typically some kind of
music happening.
That can very easily be
triggering for craving feelings.
So as we listen then, we talk
about the energies that that
song brings.
It's not just about the lyrics.
It's about the energy of the
music that supports the lyrics
that might triggering or that
they might find really soothing.
So we talk about those
process -- how to focus on
engaging with music that's
healthier for me than the music
that triggers my craving
feelings.
Any time you're involved in a
creative process or with a
creative medium, you're getting
in touch with the aesthetic.
And I think all human beings
need that.
When I am in an addictive
process, my focus is so on self
and getting my fix, getting that
addiction need filled.
I lose track of everything
around me and those around me.
And those relationships all have
aesthetic properties --
my relationship to the world, my
relationship to you, to my
family.
To lose touch with the aesthetic
to the beautiful aspects of life
is serious stuff.
So to reclaim that through a
creative medium like music or
art therapy really, I think,
enhances any kind of treatment
process.
[ Music plays ]
♪♪
>> Now here's a look at
this month's fun fact.
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Colorado-based artist
Scott Hildebrandt,
a.k.a. "Mr. Christmas," builds
magical miniature worlds.
In repurposing vintage and
antique items, he creates
playful special scenes on a very
small scale.
Take a look.
♪♪
>> The way people react to my
art is different and fun and
priceless all at the same time.
When they see that the pieces
light up, and then it's fun to
see their faces light up, and I
see their imagination light up.
And it's really kind of a fun
thing to sit back and watch.
It's really such a humbling
experience to hear people tell
me about how it moves them and
the feeling that it invokes in
them.
There's nothing in the world
like it.
It feels wonderful.
♪♪
My name is Scott Hildebrandt,
and I'm a miniature artist,
and I work with repurposing old
clocks, cameras, radios,
and TVs.
I would say over the last
10 years, I have built close to
about, maybe, 3,000 pieces, all
different shapes and sizes.
Nothing is really off limits.
And this is actually airplane
salvage.
So this is an old wheel cover
from an old landing gear,
an old Cessna 182.
The love of miniatures probably
started when I was close to
6 or 7.
My grandfather used to put up
his old train set from when he
was a boy.
And I just remember being in awe
of how beautiful it was and how
it ran and all the little
miniatures that went with it.
And I was just fascinated with
it.
And as I got older, I would
build models.
And I loved the scale of trying
to re-create these scenes in
miniature format.
Like, this is an old hard-back
case, and there's a little
switch on the bottom.
It makes them portable so you
can put them somewhere.
But you can open it up and have
a nice little display.
>> Oh, my -- yeah.
>> "Mr. Christmas" is a term or
a name that was given to me
probably about 10 years ago when
I first started doing this.
>> It's very creative, what
you've done.
>> Thank you.
I appreciate that.
>> Beautiful work.
>> I focused on vintage
Christmas pieces.
And my first piece that I ever
made, actually, was a little
Christmas village that was
under glass.
People took interest in that
style of art, and so I just sort
of absorbed the name
"Mr. Christmas."
I would describe the personality
of my work as more whimsical.
I think miniatures, in general,
reminds adults of that same
imagination that sometimes you
repress and put away.
And it brings you back to a
really good place in your life
that you remember when you were
younger.
And it's almost like a safe
place, and it creates these warm
memories that people love.
I go to a lot of estate sales
and flea markets, garage sales.
A real interesting weekend for
me is thrifting.
[ Laughs ]
A fun weekend like that will
turn into fun weeks of finding
these pieces and then getting a
chance to build into them.
This poor clock stopped working.
The motor burned out.
So I'm going to repurpose the
face.
I never put people inside of my
art work.
I feel like the scene itself
creates a wonder or mystery, and
I want the focus to be on the
quaintness of the scene itself
and that you can imagine
yourself, maybe, there.
The thing that really inspires
me to continue with my art is
the ability to create something
that connects people together,
and that's also a very endearing
challenge to me to be able to
create something that I could
imagine.
There's nothing more satisfying
than to be able to complete
something that you've thought
about.
It's just such a form of
accomplishment, and it's so
satisfying that it kind of makes
me feel complete as an artist.
>> Do you title all your pieces?
>> I try to.
>> What would you call it?
>> Um...[Clicks tongue]
"A Clear Sunset."
[ Laughs ]
I can't imagine not doing it.
It's part of my life and it's
really part of who I am.
♪♪
>> To see more of Hildebrandt's
work, check out his website,
clevermisterchristmas.com.
And here's a look at this week's
art history.
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In Norfolk, Virginia, artist
Spencer Tinkham sculpts wood
with an appreciation for
biodiversity and the
environment.
He carves natural materials into
an array of animals.
Here's the story.
♪♪
>> Look at that.
That is sweet.
I like that a lot.
♪♪
My name is Spencer Tinkham.
I'm 25 years old.
I'm a professional wood
sculptor.
>> ♪ We're just getting
started ♪
>> I first started wood carving
when I was about 8 years old.
I just started carving with a
little pocket knife.
Sitting on the back porch,
I started to carve the birds and
fish that I saw around me.
♪♪
I'm the artist behind
Tinkham Decoys and Folk Art.
♪♪
Folk art's kind of hard to
describe.
It's kind of like an art that's
not really modern art.
It's a little bit more
primitive.
It has kind of more of an aged
finish on it.
And I think that goes perfectly
with these aged woods that I'm
starting out with.
I'm self-taught.
I learned through trial and
error.
It's a really unforgiving
medium.
All the failures made me want to
figure out how to make them into
a complete piece the first time.
I started out mainly focusing on
duck decoys.
But I've shifted a lot more
towards folk art, sculptures,
different birds -- owls.
I do little bit of everything.
Fish are pretty fun.
>> ♪ Here's the situation
>> I definitely give a lot of
human characteristics to my
pieces.
People can relate to it -- like
a smile, wide eyes, or
screaming.
Inspiration?
It just -- it's all around me
whenever I'm outside.
I guess my natural habitat.
[ Laughs ]
This is actually an extinct
bird.
This is a passenger pigeon,
inspired, ironically, from an
old poster that sold
shotgun shells.
This is multiple pieces.
The wings are actually old sheet
metal from the side of a chicken
coop.
Not entirely out of wood, but I
use some metals.
And this is lead --
little weights that are used to
balance tires.
And so you melt it to make feet.
I then paint over it and seal it
so that it's not a hazard.
♪♪
My little pile out here.
I got some copper.
Such a cool natural color.
I'm always looking for materials
in the river, the marshes.
It's part of the hunt.
It's almost like finding
treasure.
Then I get ideas and
inspirations.
And then once I get to work,
I don't want to stop.
♪♪
All wood can be carved.
If it has a good surface, has a
good shape, I just go with it.
[ Saw blade whirring ]
To me, it's right there.
It's right there on the surface.
♪♪
Little sketches, trying to work
out the ideas.
The biggest knife I could
possibly use, and then work down
from there.
♪♪
The more I can study art, the
easier it is to come up with a
way to tie my materials
together.
♪♪
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This is the beginning.
This is where it all started --
Right here.
This was given to me by my
grandfather on my dad's side
when I was 8 years old.
Kind of like the wand in
"Harry Potter," you know, this
is what you're given, and every
error's a learning process.
Find a way to get better.
If I had never got this, I
would have probably never really
realized that passion or that
freedom, and a lot of people
don't find it at all.
He passed away from cancer, so
this is something that I did to
heal.
And he only saw the very first
piece that I made.
He said keep it up and keep
working harder and make the next
one better.
And I'm just so thankful for
breaking the rules and giving a
young kid a knife and not
freaking out when I had to put a
band-aid on a finger.
So my grandfather kind of
planted the seed, and my family
kind of helped me grow.
♪♪
I always treated this as a side
job.
My wife encouraged me to pursue
this as a full-time career.
She's a nurse, so if I ever cut
off a finger, she knows what to
do and where to take me.
[ Laughs ]
I'm really fortunate to have a
family that is passionate about
my work.
>> We knew nothing about carving
or anything when we first
started.
Instead of going and sitting at
the baseball games, we went to
the shows and traveled around.
The answer's always no unless
you try, and he tried.
>> Is there anything else I
can do for you?
>> No.
For my grandfather, tool safety,
shop safety, he's always looking
for something new to help my
process.
>> Brass bristle wire brushes
for you to use.
And your...
He oftentimes has the image of
the creation in his mind and
then translates it to a
working, beautiful piece of art.
And I think that's a gift.
♪♪
>> So this is piece is title
"The early bird gets the worm...
The early worm gets eaten."
The woodpecker is made out of
cedar that came from a
New York City Parkway pole.
The eyes are made out of beads
that I found in a dumpster.
The worm is threaded rod.
I thought, you know, the knot
would be really cool to showcase
the baby birds coming out of it.
That's kind of how that piece
developed.
♪♪
I really want my work to be
talked about, not just for what
it is but from what it came
from.
There's just so much freedom and
beauty outside, and I really
hope that people stop to see it
and make efforts to keep the
environment clean so that it can
continue to be healthy and spend
time to understand what's around
them
>> View more of
Tinkham's creations at
spencertinkhamart.com.
That wraps it up for this
edition of "WLIW Arts Beat."
We'd like to hear what you think
so like us on Facebook, join the
conversation on Twitter,
and visit our Web page for
features and to watch episodes
of the show.
We hope to see you next time.
I'm Diane Masciale.
Thank you for watching
"WLIW Arts Beat."
♪♪
Funding for "WLIW Arts Beat" was
made possible by viewers like
you.
Thank you.
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