- [David] moCa Cleveland is home for contemporary art in Northeast Ohio.

On the next round of Applause, why moCa is making diversity its mission.

Plus we meet the newest members of the PBS Kids lineup, Jelly, Ben and Pogo.

And a music therapist whose voice brings healing to any audience.

All this and more on the next round of Applause.

♪ I've had my dream since I was 13.

♪ ♪ I became a nurse and I know what it means to respect life.

♪ (piano music) - [Announcer] Production of Applause on Ideastream Public Media is made possible by the John P. Murphy Foundation, the Kulas Foundation, the Stroud Family Trust, and by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

(jazz music) - [David] Hello and welcome to another round of Applause, your home for arts and culture in Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Cleveland's Museum of Contemporary Art, also known as moCa, has had a reputation for going against the grain for more than half a century, but a 2020 controversy brought national headlines that shook the museum to its core.

Two years later, moCa Cleveland is rolling out some changes.

As a deadly pandemic and a racial reckoning spread across the country in the spring of 2020, moCa Cleveland faced its own sort of reckoning.

- We had, you know, various things that happened at moCa that were problematic.

- [David] Questions were raised about the museum's past openness to its non-white staff and visitors.

The museum canceled an exhibition depicting police violence against black and brown people, and its longtime director Jill Snyder resigned to make way for cultural change at moCa.

Many museums are facing similar issues here and nationwide.

- Art institutions, it goes without saying, you know, they've had a reputation.

- So it's important for people to feel welcome in coming into these doors.

And how is that?

What do we do?

We make certain that people that are being exhibited in this space are representational of that in the community.

- [David] Criticism of moCa even hung from gallery walls as part of an exhibition by former curatorial fellow LaTanya Autry.

- That critique was part of the concept of the show.

And so to not have shared it would have been to not have offered the curator's full vision.

- [David] Megan Reich took on interim moCa director duties in the wake of Snyder's departure, and she was recently named as full-time Executive Director.

- She's such a quick study, super smart.

She understands what it takes to be a leader.

I mean, she had been doing that and illustrating that so well in the past 18 months.

- [David] Reich actually started at the museum as an intern in 2001 and worked her way up through a variety of positions, culminating in her new appointment.

- There was a fair degree of soul searching, to use a kind of cliched term, but also a lot of very hard, honest conversation among a variety of individuals to understand where we needed to go and how we might approach getting there.

- [David] Antwoine Washington was one of the artists in the exhibition LaTanya Autry curated last year.

He called his installation "And Yeah, About That Seat at the Table."

- LaTanya first believed in the work that I was doing as an artist.

- [Narrator] Washington's piece was installed in an offsite gallery on Cleveland's West Side.

And as it turns out, the work was the victim of a bit of controversy itself.

It explored the struggle of underrepresented artists to have a voice in the mainstream art world.

The work was set in a room painted completely white with illustrations and personal objects from Washington's life hanging on the walls.

The centerpiece was a table with a single seat.

That seat was covered with scattered $100 bills, carrying the message that only those with privilege get to sit down.

- I wanted to tell a story about exactly what's going on, bearing the history of how black folks have been able to, still, through all of these different roadblocks and just different things, we were still able to rise through it all.

Doesn't matter if they don't let you in.

Go build your own damn table.

- [David] Unfortunately, the exhibit was displayed in an apartment space that was occasionally used as an Airbnb.

As the show was about to open, Washington stopped by to check the installation and was shocked by what he saw.

- Literally, it was socks, underwear, clothes, equipment, crumbs, napkins, and just like someone ate at the table and also just threw their stuff all over the place.

- [David] The show was quickly relocated to an East Side gallery where the exhibition finished its run.

When Megan Reich heard about the incident, she reached out to Washington.

- So we began talking about what it might look like to consider a partnership where they could program within our building and then we could collaborate on joint programming and learn from one another about the ways in which we approach making exhibitions, working with the community, supporting youth.

So it was a really organic process.

- [David] And it certainly was a new experience for Washington.

He says he'd only stepped inside the museum a few times.

- Nothing against the people who were curating shows before.

It's just nothing that draw me as a black person to come.

- [David] The museum worked out a one year residency agreement with Washington.

He says it's a coincidence that his Museum of Creative Human Art, or MOCHA, shares a similar sounding acronym with the Contemporary Art Museum where his residency runs until June.

Washington and his partner Michael Russell were given full autonomy of their own space at the museum.

They are curating the gallery with the work of other local artists and providing art education workshops for young people.

In addition to Washington's institutional stay on the second floor, and further residencies offered to individual artists around town, moCa says it's working to diversify the museum's board of directors, including splitting the board presidency among three people.

Development expert Stephen Sokany from greater Cleveland's LGBTQ+ community is one of them.

- And so we're in this very critical time right now.

So how do we develop programs that engage those historically overlooked constituencies to come in and feel welcome?

And that's why I think, you know, with Megan's leadership, with the board's crystal focus on that, I think our best days are ahead of us.

- And right now we're doing a lot of talking about how we can live and work and thrive in what is a new world.

There will never be a going back.

This is all a new world.

- [David] A new world that's looking for more than a seat at the table.

Board co-president Audra T. Jones says for her, there's a lot more to diversity, equity, and inclusion than rearranging furniture.

- Just having a seat at the table doesn't always mean that you have the opportunity to make decisions and to have input into decision making.

I mean, we find that in many areas, not just in the arts.

And so just having a seat at the table doesn't mean you get to pick up the spoon and eat, you know.

Being able to be in a leadership role helps you get to the dessert phase.

(laughs) - [David] Antwoine Washington's Museum of Creative Human Art has just opened a new show at its MOCHA gallery, featuring family life images by photographer Ryan Harris.

Washington says he's grateful for what his residency has given his organization, and he suggests it was likely a two-way street.

- I don't wanna say that they used it, but I mean, hey, in so many words, I think it was a great time to say, hey, this is a way that we can make amends with what happened.

And so I took that as, hey, this is the opportunity for me to take my personal emotions out of it and think about the next generation of creatives and artists in Cleveland that's in high school and junior high school, even my kids, to be able to build a better place moving forward.

- [David] Art education, local art, and local artists deciding what goes on the gallery walls.

These are some of the changes in moCa's new world.

When parents think about the shows their kids watch, they might consider things like, "Is it educational?"

or "Is it fun?"

But many families might also ask, "Do the characters look like my kids?"

Because in many cases they don't.

Ideastream Public Media's Gabriel Kramer met with some local parents who found a new show with characters that their kids easily connect with.

- When I was a kid, I watched the classics, Arthur, Blue's Clues, Mr. Rogers.

But for me, these shows were missing something.

- I've searched land and sea for rocks that look like noses.

These are the very best.

- These look just like our noses.

How do I look, ate Jelly?

- You look wonderful!

- [Gabriel] This is Jelly, Ben & Pogo.

♪ My name is Jelly ♪ ♪ I'm her brother Ben ♪ ♪ I'm Pogo, I'm a sea monster ♪ ♪ And we're all best friends ♪ - [Gabriel] It's a new PBS Kids short series about a sister, a brother, and their sea monster friend.

- Looks good to me.

- [Gabriel] And here's why I wish I had it as a kid.

- The seventh birthday is very important to us Filipinos.

- Jelly and Ben are Filipino, like me, and the show has flashes of Filipino culture.

- Food... - Lumpia, sweet and sour sauce.

- [Gabriel] Tagalog, one of the Filipino languages (speaks Tagalog) And guest appearances from their lola, which is the Tagalog word for grandma.

- Thank you, apó.

- Thank you for everything you do for us, lola.

- It would have been great to grow up with these characters who lived like I did.

And I'm not the only one who feels this way.

- Yeah, you like being Filipino?

- [Gabriel] Tina Enriquez is Emery and Lettie's mother, a pair of siblings like Jelly and Ben.

Tina was born and raised in Ohio, and now she's raising her own family in Ohio where Filipino Americans make up a very small piece of the population, fewer than 20,000 people.

- And that's the greatest thing about this is that it makes them feel more normal.

'Cause let's be honest, we live in Ohio.

My kids are minorities here, but if they can have a chance to look like, "Hey, I'm just like any other kid."

And then it's completely normal when they see like the lola mumbling in Tagalog.

(speaking Tagalog) My kids actually pick up on that and they like pay attention.

They're like, "I know what they're saying."

So yeah, that's why I like it.

It's just to make 'em show that they're not different.

- What do you think of my nose?

- Beautiful!

- We noticed that it was, you know, yeah, they were a Filipino family, and then I was like, "Okay, we're watching all of these."

- [Gabriel] Diane Thompson is Ella Rose and Sebastian's mother, another sister and brother combo.

Diane immediately related to the show when Jelly and Ben visited their lolo, or grandfather, on All Souls' Day.

- What's All Souls' Day again?

- It's a holiday when we remember our loved ones who have died.

In Filipino, it's called Araw ng mga Patáy.

- That just totally struck a chord with me because this All Souls' Day is when I visited my mom in the cemetery as well.

And this is kind of a way to keep my kids in connection with her and with our heritage.

It's literally like right at the perfect time for them growing up right now.

- The positive effect shows like this can have on kids is long term.

Naomi Sigg is a senior associate dean at Case Western Reserve University.

She's a certified educator and facilitator in diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

She's also a Filipino mother.

- It makes you feel as though you matter, you know.

I think that there's this sense of when you're invisible, you have no power and that you don't matter.

And having shows like this will hopefully teach, not just my kids, but other Filipino kids, that every story matters, your story matters.

And you have the ability to have power and influence and be seen and heard and valued in the greater U.S. society.

- Several surveys suggest that the demand for diverse casting in TV and movies is growing.

And it's not just Filipino American kids who would benefit by seeing themselves on screen.

More black and brown characters, more LGBTQ characters, more diversity of every type.

Jelly, Ben, Pogo, and the show's creator, director, and animator, Jalysa Leva, are helping to meet that demand for diversity.

Hey there Jalysa, so tell me, JBP?

Jelly, Ben & Pogo?

How'd this all start?

- The whole reason I made JBP was because I was frustrated that, you know, I was seeing all these pitches crop up and not a single one had like real, authentic diversity in it.

And I'm thinking like, if it just has to be me, like it has to come from someone from one of these communities.

So I'm glad that not only are networks now kind of looking for it, and not just PBS Kids, but even other ones, but creators are stepping up and being heard.

- And you're one of those creators.

That's awesome.

Now tell me what reactions have you been getting regarding the show?

- I was so relieved when, you know, the feedback came in, and people were so positive, because I was really afraid and worried about how everyone would take it.

Because I was essentially trying to be a voice for an entire community, which is never a monolith.

So I wanted to make sure that we were being authentic and genuine and people were really feeling seen.

So I'm glad that, you know, the way people reacted, it felt like we were able to accomplish that.

- Well, obviously, I'm a big fan of the show, so thanks for hanging out.

- Thank you.

- Because it's so rare to see Filipino Americans on TV and in movies, it's so exciting when it finally happens.

I used to watch Blue's Clues as a kid.

Now the show has a Filipino host in Joshua Dela Cruz.

- Joshie!

- Lola!

- It's her, it's my lola!

- Pixar has a short film about a Filipino father and son, called "Float".

And Apple made "Blush", an outer space love story featuring Filipino main characters.

I'm gonna be honest.

I'm jealous of the kids who are growing up watching these shows, though you don't have to be a kid to watch.

♪ My name is Jelly ♪ - [David] You can watch episodes of Jelly, Ben & Pogo on the PBS Kids app.

♪ Jelly, Ben & Pogo ♪ - [David] On the next Applause, remembering a little-known event from the past in Oberlin, Ohio, led by Wilson Bruce Evans, a man of African descent.

That event helped spark the Civil War.

Plus answers to the long-standing rift between the East and West Sides of Cleveland.

And responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, a Columbus artist created a series of paintings that visualize the virus and its effect on the world.

All this and more on the next round of Applause.

Winter brings a lot of hungry birds to backyard feeders, but one setup in Cuyahoga Falls draws a lot of people too, some from hundreds of miles away.

They watch Scott Keller's bird feeders through a 24/7 live camera on YouTube and on his website, BirdWatchingHQ.com.

Ideastream Public Media's Amy Eddings recently paid Keller a visit.

- [Amy] Oh, look, who's that?

- [Scott] Ah, we got a black-capped chickadee right there.

If you look up in that tree, there's a woodpecker, downy woodpecker right up there in that tree.

My name is Scott Keller.

We are in Cuyahoga Falls right now, Ohio, and I have a website called Bird Watching HQ, where we teach people how to feed and attract birds, and really other wildlife, to their backyards.

I'm a biology major.

I've loved the outdoors and animals and nature, so I was kind of looking for something on the side to help keep me occupied.

So I really wanted to do something I was passionate about and it got me excited to write about.

So I decided to set up a bird feeder and start a website about it.

So really most of that first year or two was just me writing about what I was doing, how to attract cardinals or how to attract blue jays, different types of bird seed, what to look for.

So I was writing these articles and not really knowing if was kind of a hobby and it started taking off or now I'm working on the Bird Watching HQ blog full time.

I just left my job about six months ago, which was an insurance agent for almost 10 years.

So it wasn't this.

It wasn't what I was super passionate about.

- Let's do a 360 here.

Introduce us to your backyard.

- Sounds good, yes.

So if you look this way, it looks like there's a marsh back there, there's woods, there's a stream.

But what's cool is we're actually in a very residential neighborhood and that's where every spot is very unique.

You know, you could be in the city and you can get, there's types of birds that like that environment.

If you're out in the country, there's different types of birds.

There's birds I don't get here, 'cause we're still pretty suburban and urban.

What's fun is you don't know what's gonna show up.

So last year we had over 45, I think it was 45 different species of birds were just seen on the cams alone.

I never would've expected that.

It's hard to even know there's 45 different birds around, but, in fact, there's over 100, 200 that are seen every year in Ohio alone.

So setting up a bird feeder kind of draws in all different types of species.

- [Amy] Well, let's go out and see your setup and get your tips on how people can do this for themselves.

- Sure.

Right here is my camera setup.

So what we did here is I have, these are actually, the cameras are network security cameras.

See, these wires go underground through a conduit, all the way wrap around right into our modem.

This pole here, nothing can climb up, right?

That's a, that stove pipe over there with a baffle.

So we call these baffles in the bird feeding world, and they're designed to help critters from climbing up your pole.

So at first I had nothing here, but what was happening, a raccoon started climbing up here.

(dramatic music) And then leap off from there, and it broke that feeder off, 'cause they're so heavy, they'd land and break it.

So I had to stop the raccoons from climbing up here, so.

- I've been watching long enough to know that you, I saw you change out your bird feeders.

So could you please point out what these different feeders are and what birds they're designed to attract?

- When you get into it, you kinda have to adjust through the year.

What's happening, what's going on.

So as you can see, we just got slammed with a foot and a half of snow.

So what happens, especially in winter when the snow hits, there's a type of bird called a European Starling.

Well, the problem is they come in huge flocks and just take over your feeding station.

'Cause they keep all the other birds away.

They're very aggressive.

I kind of went almost my full Starling-proof setup here, so.

- [Amy] It also stops squirrels.

- Yes, a lot of the same stuff that works for starlings works for squirrels too, which is nice.

So yeah, squirrels are also, that's a whole 'nother thing you have to kind of contend with.

I love feeding squirrels on the ground.

They can get up here.

They can easily make the jump.

They can't climb up, but it's kind of funny.

the squirrels will jump from there, especially this landing pad up here on this roof and they come down, but again, I usually try to use food that they don't like as well up here.

So they kind of train 'em that the ground is for the squirrels, up here we just want for the birds.

So on YouTube is where all my live cams are streaming.

So I have two cameras in my backyard, the one at the top and the bottom.

What's neat, I've also partnered with a few other people that have live cameras.

So I have someone in South Africa, another one in Europe, and then someone else from Ohio, so it all streams to the same YouTube channel.

So it's kind of neat, you can go there and see birds from all around the world, you know, in the same place.

At the moment I have about 60,000 subscribers on YouTube.

But the big thing I check every day is how many, it shows you how many people are watching.

So like right now this is probably 7 or 800 people are watching this stream alone.

And it's awesome to see there will be people from Sri Lanka and Russia, all over the United States and just kind of sharing these birds.

You know, living in Ohio your whole life, you start to take a cardinal for granted.

You know, if you think about it, there's a beautiful tropical looking bird that lives right here in Ohio, one of probably the prettiest birds in the world, same with blue jays.

We see the pattern on their back.

And it's helped me appreciate like, wow, we actually have some amazing birds in Ohio.

And there's a live chat section, so people are talking to each other.

And really that's part of that is they're learning about birds.

- You state on your website that you see a larger purpose in encouraging people to do something as simple as setting up a bird feeder.

- Our philosophy on that and my firm belief is if you care, you know, I think when people set up a bird feeder, they're just amazed at the beauty and the number of species and it makes them really start to appreciate and care about what's in their backyard.

Not just about the birds.

It's like this whole ecosystem in your backyard you can do that is just, it's so entertaining to walk out.

Or so again, I think if you care about what's in your backyard, they're also gonna care about protecting other habitat and other local issues that really hits a lot closer to home.

- [David] From the Singing Angels to the School of Rock, to the Bad Boys of Blues, Liz Bullock has always loved to sing.

Today she's combined her vocal talents with a passion for helping others as a certified music therapist.

When Bullock joined me last year with guitarist Gavin Coe, she explained how it all began with her mom.

♪ Walk along the forest path ♪ ♪ Pick up all the flowers ♪ - So my mom is a now retired social worker of 30 years.

And she was the one who told me about music therapy because she worked in a medical setting and I didn't know what it was.

And a lot of people who don't spend a lot of time in hospitals have never seen medical music therapy.

And so as I got older, she said, you know, this would be a really great option 'cause she knew I love working with people.

I love doing outreach and then being able to put the music into it as well.

♪ None of this compares to you ♪ ♪ I just want you to know ♪ ♪ Nobody loves you like I do ♪ ♪ I just want you to know ♪ ♪ None of this compares to being with you ♪ ♪ Oh, with you, oh, you ♪ I was kind of just trying to figure out, you know, when you're an older teenager, like, "What am I gonna do next?

Where am I, am I gonna go to college?

What am I gonna major in if I get there?

And I thought, well, I'll just do social work like my mom.

Like I love working with people.

I wanna keep working with patients.

And she was like, you know, I don't know if you'll be able to live without doing music on a daily basis.

And I was like, that's a good point.

So she mentioned that field, and then I kind of, once I got to Cleveland State and started studying music therapy, doing some clinicals, actually, you know, getting my feet on the ground and working with the community and working with patients, it just changed my life.

♪ None of this compares to you ♪ ♪ I just want you to know ♪ ♪ Nobody loves you like I do ♪ ♪ I just want you to know ♪ ♪ None of this compares to being with you ♪ ♪ Oh, with you, oh, you ♪ (vocalizing) ♪ Well, I just want you to know ♪ ♪ I want you to know ♪ ♪ Know, know, know ♪ ♪ I want you to know ♪ (guitar strumming) (vocalizing) - [David] You can catch Liz Bullock and Gavin Coe at the Brite Winter Festival in Cleveland on Saturday, February 26th.

And that's it for today's round of Applause.

I'm Ideastream Public Media's David C. Barnett.

Thanks for watching and be sure to join us here next week.

(vocalizing) ♪ Want you to know ♪ (vocalizing) (piano music) - [Announcer] Production of Applause on Ideastream Public Media is made possible by the John P. Murphy Foundation, the Kulas Foundation, the Stroud Family Trust, and by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

- [David] Northeast Ohio is known for its vibrant arts scene, and for nearly 25 years, Applause has showcased the region's great music, art and diversity.

Now that won't change, but starting March 4th, the award-winning show debuts new music and a new look created by local artists.

Watch Friday nights at 8:30 on WVIZ and on demand anytime through the PBS app.