THE INNER SANCTUM OF NEW ORLEANS' MOST GORGEOUS COURTYARDS.

I JUST WAS SO ENAMORED WITH THE FRENCH QUARTER.

I GREW UP GOING TO THE FRENCH QUARTER AS A CHILD, AS A YOUNG PERSON AND I SAW THE ARCHITECTURE AND I LOVED THE WHOLE AMBIANCE OF IT.

AND ART PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THE UNDERREPRESENTED IF YOU DON'T FIT INTO THAT SUBJECT OR THEME, YOU HAVE ASSIMILATE OR CHALLENGE THAT SYSTEM.

MUSIC STUDENTS TAKING ON THE WORK OF ONE OF AMERICA'S GREAT COMPOSERS.

♪ DON'T CRY FOR ME, ARGENTINA ♪ AND REFLECTIONS OF THE INFINITE.

SHE WAS ABLE TO FIND THE MIRRORS AS A DEVICE TO ACTIVATE HER VISION.

THOSE STORIES, UP NEXT ON "ART ROCKS."

CAPTIONING PERFORMED BY LNS CAPTIONING WWW.LNSCAPTIONING.COM "ART ROCKS" IS MADE POSSIBLE FOR THE FOUNDATION OF EXCELLENCE IN LOUISIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING AND BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

HELLO, THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR "ART ROCKS," WITH ME, JAMES FOX-SMITH, PUBLISHER OF "COUNTRY ROADS" MAGAZINE.

TODAY WE'RE WITH A BATON ROUGE PAINTER WHO HAS DABBLED IN ART ALL OF HER LIFE.

BUT WHEN KATHERINE RUTLEDGE STARTED TO TAKE PAINTING SERIOUSLY, IT WAS THE COURTYARDS OF NEW ORLEANS THAT REALLY CAUGHT HER ATTENTION.

LIFE'S TWISTS AND TURNS BROUGHT KATHERINE BACK TO BATON ROUGE.

THE STARTING POINT FOR TRAVELS THAT CAPTURE LOUISIANA'S WATER COURSES AND, OF COURSE, THE BIRDS THAT CALL THEM HOME.

UH I WAS JUST SO ENAMORED WITH THE FRENCH QUARTER BECAUSE I GREW UP GOING TO THE FRENCH QUARTER AS A CHILD AND AS A YOUNG PERSON AND I SAW THE ARCHITECTURE AND I JUST LOVED THE WHOLE AMBIANCE OF IT.

AND I WAS ABLE TO CAPTURE THAT IN PAINTS AND IT MADE ME VERY HAPPY.

THESE ARE HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS BY EUGENE DELACROIX THAT MY DAD HAD IN HIS LIVING ROOM FOREVER AND I JUST DIDN'T REMEMBER.

THAT IS THE BROULATOUR COURTYARD THAT I PAINTED MANY, MANY TIMES.

AND THAT'S HOW IT LOOKED IN 1930 I LOVED IT.

I JUST PICTURED IT AND WANTED TO BE THERE.

I PAINTED THE FOUNTAIN ONE BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST LOVELY, THE EXOTIC PLANTS YOU FIND IN THE FRENCH QUARTER.

I LOVE PAINTING THE AK TECH CHUR, SO THAT HAS THE AK TECH CHUR, PLANTS, WATER AND THE SUN.

THAT IS THE MARSHAND PATIO.

YOU SEE SO MANY ARCHES BECAUSE IT'S SPANISH DESIGN.

MANY OF THEM ARE THROUGH THE SPANISH ERA.

I COLLECT OLD BOOKS OF FRENCH QUARTER ARCHITECTURE AND THE PICTURES MAY HAVE BEEN FROM THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.

AND I DON'T USE CURRENT PHOTOGRAPHS.

I USE THE OLD ONES.

AND THE PARTICULAR SPIRAL STAIRCASE WAS UNIQUE FOR THAT ONE.

I HAD A CLIENT WHO WANTED THAT, BUT SHE LIVED THERE WHEN SHE WAS RENTING.

SHE RENTED THE APARTMENT BEHIND THAT GREEN DOOR SO SHE WANTED ME TO PUT THE NUMBER OF THE ARGUMENT ON IT AND I SAID, SURE, THAT REALLY PERSONALIZES IT.

SO YOU WOULD THINK THERE WOULD BE WINE BOTTLES AND OYSTERS AND A LAMP AND A LITTLE GREENERY AND SLATE, SO I'VE LEARNED TO KNOW WHAT IS IN THESE OLD PLACES.

EVERY ARTIST IS DIFFERENT IN HOW THEY PULL TOGETHER A PAINTING.

I GET A FEEL FOR IT.

I HAVE TO START WITH THE ARK DECK CHUR, THE UNDERPINNING.

THAT IS NUMBER ONE.

AND THEN I START GOING IN WITH THE LIGHTS AND DARK AND START WORKING TOWARD A FEELING OF IT AND THAT IS WHAT I HAVE DONE WITH THESE.

I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED THE MARSHMENT LAND OF LOUISIANA.

I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED THE GULF, THE MISSISSIPPI SOUND, THE RIGOLETS AND WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, MY FATHER WOULD TAKE US MOST WEEKENDS OUT AND EXPLORE THE WATER.

AND ALL THOSE MEMORIES STAYED WITH ME AND I CALL UPON THEM WHEN I'M DOING THOSE, I CALL UPON THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE SUN HITTING THE WATER AND THE MARSHES.

IT'S JUST VERY CLOSE TO ME AND THAT'S WHAT I STARTED DOING.

I REALLY THOUGHT I COULD DO THESE LANDSCAPES, THESE VAST FIELDS, WITH OLD ANCESTRY OAKS I LOVED.

SO I STARTED DOING THAT.

I STARTED DOING WATER SCENES.

WHAT I'VE HAD TO DO IS STUDY THE BIRDS AND MOTION AND DO A LOT OF PEN SKETCHES OF THEM AND SEE HOW THE AIR GETS UNDER THEIR WINGS AND WHAT THEY DO.

AND I HAVE A LOT OF DRAFTS OF THAT SO WHEN I GO TO PAINT SOMETHING IN A MARSH, I'LL GO, THIS BIRD NEEDS TO BE THIS OR THAT.

YOU CAN SEE THE ESCALATION, THE BIRDS, ONE, TWO, THREE, ONE IN FULL FLIGHT, AND I MAY ADD ONE IN THE SKY THAT YOU CAN BARELY SEE AND SO THAT'S WHAT I DO.

WHEN YOU'RE PAINTING A VISTA, IT'S A WIDE RANGE, BUT EVENTUALLY THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME LITTLE CENTER OF INTEREST.

AND AS I LEARNED ABOUT THE GOLDEN SECTION IN A PAINTING, THERE'S A MATHEMATICAL FORMULA FOR YOUR PUTTING EXACTLY WHERE IT SHOULD BE AND I KNOW I WAS TRAINED TO DO THAT.

SIX YEARS AGO IS WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH MULTIPLE MYELOMA AND MY DOCTOR IN NEW ORLEANS SAID, OH, THIS IS FROM THE SOLVENTS FROM THE OIL PAINTS AND, OF COURSE, THIS WAS DEVASTATING BECAUSE I COULDN'T PAINT.

I MEAN, I WASN'T GOING TO TO BE ABLE TO PAINT AGAIN.

I GAVE ALL MY OIL PAINTS AWAY.

SLOWLY BUT SURELY I STARTED PAINTING LITTLE LANDSCAPES AND I ENJOYED IT AND I GOT PROFICIENT IN ACRYLIC.

I COULD MOVE AROUND LIKE I DID WITH THE OIL AND BECAUSE I REALLY DIDN'T LIKE ACRYLICS, BUT IT WORKED.

IT HAS WORKED SINCE AND I'M DOING THAT AND THAT IS WHAT I'M DOING TODAY.

MY CURRENT OSCHNER DOCTOR GOES, I DON'T THINK MULTIPLE MYELOMA IS FROM THE SOLVENTS IN PAINTING.

WE BELIEVE YOU NEED TO GO AHEAD AND WORK.

YOU NEED TO DO WHAT YOU ENJOY.

THE STAFF OF THE HEMATOLOGY, ONCOLOGY CLINIC HERE IN BATON ROUGE HAS BEEN SO KIND TO ME.

IT IS LIKE THEY HAVE ACCEPTED ME AS FAMILY.

I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR THEM.

SO I DID A THREE PART PAINTING CALLED TRIPTYCH OF A MARSH WITH EGRETS.

I WALKED IN AND THERE IT WAS IN THE RECEPTION ROOM AND I WENT, AHH, AMAZING.

SO WEEKS WENT BY, I RECOGNIZED THAT EVERYTHING ELSE WAS JUST BLANK AND I SAID THEY NEED PAINTINGS AND WE WERE UNDER QUARANTINE SO I SAID, I'M GOING TO DO PAINTINGS FOR THEM.

AND I DID.

I DID ONE AFTER ANOTHER AND IT MADE ME HAPPY.

THEY WERE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SET OF PAINTINGS.

IT IS A BEAUTIFUL BLUE BACKGROUND WE HUNG THE PAINTINGS ON.

WE GOT BEAUTIFUL COMMENTS FROM PATIENTS AND VISITORS.

A BEAUTIFUL LOUISIANA SCENERY.

OUR PATIENTS COME FIRST.

WE TRY TO HAVE BRIGHT AREAS TO LOOK AT, TO HAVE INSPIRATIONAL PAINTINGS AROUND.

FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END I HAVE HAD PATIENTS COMMENT, THAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PAINTING.

WE HAVE HAD COMMENTS FROM PATIENTS ON THE TRANQUILITITY IT BRINGS THEM.

I HAVE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE GALLERIES WHO HAVE PROMINENT CITIZENS WHO WANT TO BUY MY WORK.

I HAVE ALSO FELT VERY STRONG AND DONATING ARTWORK AND THAT GIVES ME GREAT JOY TO KNOW I CAN DONATE ARTWORK TO DIFFERENT PLACES.

READY FOR A CHANGE OF PERSPECTIVE?

ACCOMPLISHED ARTISTS ARE SHOWCASING WORK IN COMMUNITIES NEARBY AND EVERYWHERE ONLINE.

SO HERE'S OUR PICKS FOR UPCOMING EXHIBITS AT MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES IN YOUR PART OF THE WORLD.

FOR MORE ABOUT THESE AND MANY MORE EVENTS IN THE ARTS, VISIT LPB.ORG/ARTROCKS.

THERE YOU'LL FIND LINKS TO EVERY EPISODE OF THIS PROGRAM.

SO, TO SEE, OR SHARE, ANY SEGMENT AGAIN, VISIT LPB.ORG/ARTROCKS.

MANY AFRICAN-AMERICANS HAVE STAYED AWAY FROM MUSEUMS OVER TIME, BELIEVING THAT THE CONTENTS OF THESE INSTITUTIONS WEREN'T OFFERING A FAITHFUL, HONEST, OR ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF BLACK HISTORY, BUT THAT'S BEGINNING TO CHANGE.

ARTIST DAVID BUTLER IS ONE OF MANY ARTISTS WORKING TO FILL THE VOID OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY'S REPRESENTATION IN THE ARTS.

WE VISIT HIM INSIDE THE BLOCKFORT ART STUDIOS IN DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, OHIO.

I'VE ALWAYS PAINTED.

I'VE ALWAYS DRAWN.

I'VE ALWAYS TOLD STORIES, BUT I'VE GOTTEN INTO NARRATIVE PAINTING AND PORTRAITURE, MORE SO IN THE LAST SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS.

I KIND OF MADE IT MY MISSION TO TRY AND BRING NARRATIVES OF PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE ME, MORE INTO MY WORK.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH ADVOCATING FOR MORE OF YOUR STORIES BEING TOLD?

LIKE THAT'S ALWAYS THE WEIRD THING, PEOPLE WOULD BE LIKE, WHAT'S THE WRONG I'M DOING BY SAYING I WANT TO SEE MORE BLACK PEOPLE ON MY TV SCREEN?

I WANT TO SEE MORE PEOPLE ON PAINTINGS, I WANT TO SEE MORE BLACK PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.

IN EVERYTHING.

BECAUSE I EXIST IN A WORLD WHERE I SEE BLACK PEOPLE EVERY DAY AND, LIKE, YOU DO, TOO.

BEING BLACK IS, LIKE, ONLY PART OF THE EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU'RE GETTING TO KNOW ME LIKE, YOU KNOW, MY BLACKNESS IS JUST, LIKE, THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE.

I KNOW WHO I AM.

I KNOW THAT I'M, LIKE, AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN, HETEROSEXUAL, CIS GENDERED MALE WHO EXISTS IN A WORLD THAT HAS SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED IDEALS.

SO WHY NOT PLACE THOSE IDEALS AND CHALLENGE THOSE IDEALS IN MY WORK?

WE USUALLY ARE ALWAYS PITTING OURSELVES UP AGAINST A WHITE STANDARD THAT WAS NEVER BUILT FOR US TO EXIST IN.

THAT TRAIL HAS ALREADY BEEN LAID FOR WHITE MALES TO WALK THROUGH FAIRLY EASILY.

AND IF YOU DON'T FIT INTO THAT SUBJECT OR THAT THEME, YOU HAVE TO EITHER ASSIMILATE TO THAT OR YOU HAVE TO CHALLENGE THAT SYSTEM.

I WAS READING THIS BOOK, TALKING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE BLACK IMAGE THROUGH CARTOONS AND, KIND OF, MADE ME INVESTIGATE, LIKE, OTHER IDENTITIES.

LIKE KIND OF HOW WE PERCEIVED PEOPLE OF COLOR THROUGHOUT OUR ENTIRE LIVES THROUGH THE LENS OF CARTOONS, COMIC BOOK STRIPS, AND IT'S KIND OF BUILT THESE STEREOTYPES OF THESE FUN IMAGES OR PLAYFUL AGES.

-- PLAYFUL IMAGES.

BUT I ALSO LATCHED ON TO THE SYMBOL OF THE COLORING BOOK.

NOW, HOW IN OUR MILLENIAL AGE, ADULT COLORING BOOKS ARE A THING.

AND SO BECAUSE WE ARE INTRODUCED TO COLOR IN GENERAL THROUGH COLORING BOOK AS A CHILD, BUT NOW COLOR IS BEING EXPRESSED TO US AS ADULTS AS THIS THING TO BUILD YOUR BRAIN.

YOU CAN BUILD THROUGH LEARNING HOW TO COLOR.

BUT IN OUR SOCIETY NOW, COLOR IS AN ISSUE STILL.

AND NOBODY WANTS TO BUILD THEIR BRAIN TO UNDERSTAND COLOR ON A SOCIAL CONTEXT.

SO, BY ME PLACING COLOR, PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THESE COLORING BOOK PAGES WITH THESE IMAGES THAT ARE STEREOTYPICAL IMAGES, RIGHT?

SO I PLACE THE STEREOTYPICAL IMAGES IN THERE WITH THEM AND IT KIND OF BUILDS THIS WORLD THAT THEY EXIST IN.

THIS WORLD THAT DOESN'T EXIST.

IT'S A WORLD WHERE WE'RE UNDERSTANDING COLOR AS ADULTS, YOU KNOW, IN THE LITERAL SENSE, BUT NOT UNDERSTANDING THE PEOPLE OF COLOR TODAY.

SO MY ROLE AS AN ARTIST IS TAKING YOU INTO THAT WORLD.

IT'S LIKE MY GRAND HALL OF OPPRESSION BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO FEEL THE WAY I DO.

BEING OF COLOR IN THIS WORLD IS, LIKE, A GIFT AND A CURSE BECAUSE YOU LOVE YOURSELF, YOU LOVE YOUR IDENTITY, BUT THE WORLD DOESN'T NECESSARILY LOVE YOU BACK.

FROM THE VISUAL TO THE PERFORMING ARTS, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND'S YOUNG AND TALENTED ARE TACKLING RENOWNED AND BELOVED SONGS PENNED BY FAMED BROADWAY MUSICAL LYRICIST, TIM RICE, THE CONCERT THAT FOLLOWED WAS THE CULMINATION OF THEIR TRAINING TO BECOME PART OF THE "YOUNG ARTISTS OF AMERICA."

LET'S WATCH.

♪ DON'T CRY FOR ME, ARGENTINA ♪ I'M EMILY REED.

I'M BORN AND RAISED FROM BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, AND I GO TO BALTIMORE SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS IN THE ACTING DEPARTMENT.

YOUNG ARTISTS OF AMERICA IS A TRAINING PROGRAM.

IT'S SORT OF SPLIT INTO TWO SIDES.

THERE'S THE VOCAL PROGRAM AND THEN THERE'S THE ORCHESTRAL PROGRAM.

I'M A VOCALIST HERE, BUT BASICALLY WE PUT ON THESE HUGE, AWESOME PRODUCTIONS.

♪ TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS AT THE TOP ♪ NOTE NOW DO YOU THINK BESIDE YOURSELF FOR THE PICK OF THE CROP ♪ WE HAVE A BUNCH OF SINGERS AND THEN A HUGE ORCHESTRA.

IT'S AWESOME.

THEY JUST ADDED THIS PROGRAM, YA JUNIOR, WHICH IS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS.

THEY ARE PART OF OUR PRODUCTIONS AND THEN THERE'S THE HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM.

SONGS OF TIM RICE, IT'S A REALLY WIDE RANGE OF A LOT OF DIFFERENT STYLES OF MUSIC AND THE REALLY COOL THING ABOUT THE SHOW IS THAT IT STARTS IN THIS ONE PLACE FROM A LOT OF TIM RICE'S SONGS WHEN HE WAS REALLY YOUNG.

[ MUSIC ] TIME RICE HAS DONE EVITA.

EVERYONE KNOWS THE LION KING.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.

IT'S BASICALLY JUST ALL THESE HUGE SHOWS THAT EVERYONE KNOWS.

THE YOUNG ARTISTS OF AMERICA WHO ARE THE SAME AGE AS ANDREW LLOYD WEBER AND I WERE WHEN WE STARTED OUT WRITING SONGS AND MUSICALS 50 YEARS AGO.

IT'S LIKE A LITTLE COMMUNITY.

THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT YA.

TIME FLIES, DOESN'T SEEM A MINUTE THE TIRLEON SPA HAD THE CHESS BOYS IN IT.

ALL CHANGE DON'T YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU PLAY AT THIS LEVEL THERE'S NO ORDINARY VENUE.

PEOPLE FILTER OUT AND PEOPLE GRADUATE AND STUFF.

IT'S A SUPER TIGHT KNIT COMMUNITY, PARTLY BECAUSE WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME TOGETHER.

WE'RE AT REHEARSAL.

FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE'VE BEEN AT REHEARSAL EVERY NIGHT.

YOU JUST BOND WITH THEM.

YEAH.

ON THIS PROGRAM, WE HAVE ABOUT 150 STUDENTS INVOLVED FROM OVER 50 SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE DC, MARYLAND, AND VIRGINIA METRO AREA.

BECAUSE OF THIS PROGRAM BEING WHAT IT IS, IT'S A ONE OF A KIND PROGRAM THAT IS AROUND MANY PLACES.

I KNOW ON BOTH THE ORCHESTRAL AND THE CHORAL SIDE, WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT DRIVE BETWEEN AN HOUR AND TWO HOURS AWAY TO COME AND BE PART OF THIS.

IT'S A BIT OF AN ALL-STAR TEAM.

♪ WHAT I'VE GIVE TO RETURN ♪ ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE PROUDEST OF OUT IN YOUNG ARTISTS OF AMERICA AND THAT HAS BEEN A PART OF THE ORGANIZATION SINCE WE STARTED IS OUR MENTORING PROGRAM.

STEPHEN SCHWARTZ HAS COME, KRISTIN CHENOWETH HAS MENTORED OUR STUDENTS.

WE'VE HAD THE LIKES OF ANDREW LIPPA, JEANINE TESORI.

ALL FOLKS THAT REALLY BELIEVE IN THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION AND SEE THAT IT'S NOT JUST ANOTHER HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL OR ORCHESTRA.

♪ YOU MUST LOVE ME ♪ ♪ YOU MUST LOVE ME ♪ BECAUSE THE ORCHESTRA'S SO BIG, WE DO HAVE SOME MUSICIANS THAT ARE NOT QUITE THE LEVEL OF THE LEAD PLAYERS, BUT THE WHOLE PURPOSE IS THAT THE LEAD PLAYERS LEAD AND THE WEAKER PLAYERS RISE UP TO THAT LEVEL.

THANK YOU.

TIM, DO YOU KNOW IF ON SUNDAY -- HUGH WOOLDRIDGE IS OUR DIRECTOR.

HE DEFINITELY PUSHES US.

I THINK ONE THING THAT I'VE LEARNED FROM IT IS I DO ACTING AT SCHOOL AND THEN I DO VOICE HERE, BUT CONNECTING THE TWO IS HARD.

IT'S NOT EASY.

NOT EVERYONE CAN DO IT.

I REMEMBER ONE OF THE FIRST REHEARSALS THAT I DID WHERE I WAS REHEARSING "DON'T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA" I CAME IN AND HE SAID, HOLD ON.

HOLD ON.

WHO IS THIS?

WHO ARE YOU?

I WAS LIKE, I HAD SOME ANSWERS, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE, I DIDN'T HAVE, I DIDN'T KNOW EVERYTHING THERE WAS TO KNOW ABOUT EVA PERON.

HE SAID, GO, I MEAN, RESEARCH IT.

BECAUSE YOU NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING.

♪ DON'T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA ♪ ♪ THE TRUTH IS I NEVER LEFT YOU ♪ ♪ ALL THROUGH MY WILD DAYS, MY MAD EXISTENCE, I KEPT MY PROMISE ♪ ♪ DON'T KEEP YOUR DISTANCE ♪ ♪ DO YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT ♪ WHEN YOU'RE AROUND SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE SO GOOD AT WHAT THEY'RE DOING, THERE'S LIKE THIS ENERGY.

AND LIKE, I SAW IT AND I WAS LIKE, I WANT TO BE A PART OF THAT.

♪ BELIEVE THE VERY BEST ♪ SINCE THE 1950s, THE WORK OF FAMED JAPANESE ARTIST, YAYOI KUSAMA HAS EXPANDED REPETITIOUS DESIGN TO AN EXPERIENCE OF THE INFINITE, THE NEVER ENDING.

HER EXHIBIT "INFINITY" TRAVELED THROUGHOUT NORTHERN OHIO, OFFERING MUSEUM GOERS THE CHANCE TO LET GO OF THE HERE AND NOUN AND PARTICIPATE IN KUSAMA'S VISION OF THE INFINITE.

TAKE A LOOK.

WELCOME TO INFINITY AS IMAGINED BY JAPANESE ARTIST YAYOI KUSAMA.

REFLECTIONS OF DOTS, COLORS AND LIGHT BEND REALITY IN THIS UNIQUE MUSEUM EXPERIENCE.

I WOULD LOVE FOR PEOPLE TO JUST STEP BACK AND NOT TAKE PHOTOS AND TRY TO JUST EXPERIENCE THE ROOM AS IS.

WHILE PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA HAVE RECENTLY PROPELLED THE ART IST'S POPULARITY, SHE HAS SPENT A LIFE TIME CREATING AND STILL WORKING AT 89.

THIS EMBODIES HER WORK.

SHE HAS BEEN THE FOREFRONT OF CREATION SINCE SHE STARTED, 1950s UNTIL NOW.

THAT MAKES HER A UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL ARTIST.

BASICALLY DEVELOPING A PRACTICE THAT INCLUDES, PERFORMANCE, PAINTING, DRAWING, SCULPTURE INSTALLATION AND REALLY EVERYTHING.

FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE, KUSAMA WAS DETERMINED TO CREATE, EVEN WHEN THAT PUT HER AT ODDS WITH OTHERS.

IN JAPAN, SHE WAS BORN IN THE LATE'20s.

THE EXPECTATION SHE WOULD GET MARRIED AND HAVE KIDS.

NOT JUST GET MARRIED, BUT HAVE AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE, WHICH IS NOT SOMETHING SHE WANTED TO DO.

SHE MADE HER WAY TO THE UNITED STATES TO PURSUE HER ART CAREER.

BUT THAT CAME WITH DIFFERENT CHALLENGES.

IN NEW YORK IT WAS A MAN'S WORLD.

AND IT WASN'T EASY FOR HER TO COME THERE.

SHE DIDN'T HAVE FRIENDS THERE.

SHE DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH VERY FLUENTLY AND SO TO TRY TO BREAK INTO THE ART WORLD, IT WAS A BIG DEAL.

THROUGHOUT HER LIFE, KUSAMA HAS ALSO STRUGGLED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS.

SHE HAS, I THINK, USED HER ART AS A FORM OF HEALING.

HER PRACTICE, I THINK AS A LIFESTYLE.

THE ABILITY TO HAVE THE WORK IS SOMETHING THAT HAS ALLOWED HER TO SURVIVE.

IN THE EARLY 1960s, SHE BROUGHT HER REPETITIVE STYLE TO A NEW MEDIUM, TAPPING HER LIFE EXPERIENCE FROM WORLD WAR II.

DURING THE WAR SHE WAS WORKING AT A PARACHUTE FACTORY SEWING MILITARY UNIFORMS.

THAT IS HOW SHE DEVELOPED THE TECHNIQUE TO SEW HER SOFT SCULPTURES.

THEY APPEAR IN HER FIRST INFINITY MIRROR ROOM WHICH SHE DEVELOPED IN 1965.

SHE BEGAN TO HAVE HALLUCINATIONS AND HER WORK WAS CATCHING UP WITH THOSE VISIONS SHE WAS HAVING.

YOU WILL SEE ONE MOTIF EXPONENTIALLY, THE INFINITY PAINTING, THE PHALLIC TUBAL SCULPTURES.

THE INFINITY ROOMS CAME ABOUT WITH HER PHYSICAL CAPACITY TO CREATE REPETITION OF THESE OBJECTS DID NOT KEEP UP WITH HER DESIRE, SO SHE WAS ABLE TO FIND THE MIRRORS AS A DEVICE TO ACTIVATE HER VISION.

THE MIRROR ROOMS HAVE CAPTURED MANY PEOPLE'S ATTENTION, PARTICULARLY WITH THIS TRAVELING EXHIBIT.

THOSE WHO VISIT, RESERVE TIMED TICKETS AND THE TIME INSIDE THE MIRROR ROOM IS LIMITED TO ABOUT 30 SECONDS.

INSIDE THE LAST ONE, CALLED THE OBLITERATION ROOM, VISITORS BECOME ARTISTS AS WELL.

THE ROOM IS WHITE AND EVERY VISITOR IS GIVEN STICKERS AND INVITED TO LEAVE THE STICKERS IN THE ROOM.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE EXHIBIT, THE DOTS WILL COVER THE ENTIRE ROOM.

IT IS ANOTHER WAY TO CONNECT WITH KUSAMA'S VISION.

I KNOW SHE IS VERY HAPPY TO HAVE ALL THESE ADORING FANS.

IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE LEAN TIMES FOR HER WHERE SHE WORKED SO HARD AND WASN'T GETTING THE APPRECIATION OR RESPECT SHE DESERVED.

IT WASN'T A PERIOD OF YEARS.

IT WAS A PERIOD OF DECADES.

NOW TO HAVE ALL OF THIS ATTENTION AND GET THE GLORY SHE DESERVED, I THINK IT IS FANTASTIC.

AND THAT IS THAT FOR THIS EDITION OF "ART ROCKS."

REMEMBER, YOU'LL FIND EPISODES OF THE SHOW ARCHIVED AT LPB.ORG/ARTROCKS.

AND IF YOU'RE KEEN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LOUISIANA'S MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE AND PLACES, "COUNTRY ROADS" MAGAZINE MAKES A GREAT RESOURCE FOR FINDING OUT WHAT'S GOING ON, OUT AND ABOUT IN THE BAYOU STATE.

UNTIL NEXT WEEK, I'M JAMES FOX-SMITH.

AND THANK YOU FOR WATCHING.

"ART ROCKS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOUNDATION IN EXCELLENCE IN LOUISIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING AND BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU.