>>> PRODUCTION OF "BROAD & HIGH" IS FUNDED BY -- >> FROM THESE CONTRIBUTES SPONSORS, AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.

>> THIS TIME ON "BROAD & HIGH," MEET A FORMER PROFESSIONAL BALLET DANCER WHO CREATES SCULPTURES THAT EMULATE MOVEMENT.

A COLUMBUS DESIGNER THAT FUSES AFRICAN AND ASIAN ESTHETICS INTO HER FASHION.

AND ABSTRACT PAINTER PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF HIS MEDIUM.

AND LISTEN TO A MUSICIAN WHOSE CREATIONS ARE BOTH RHYTHMIC AND LYRICAL.

THIS AND MORE RIGHT NOW ON "BROAD & HIGH."

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

>>> WELCOME TO "BROAD & HIGH."

I'M YOUR HOST, KATE QUICKEL.

NEW YORK STATE NATIVE GABRIEL SMITH STARTED HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER AS A BALLET DANCER, WHICH LANDED HIM HERE IN COLUMBUS.

GABE IS ALSO AN AWARD WINNING CHOREOGRAPHER AND COMPOSER.

IF THAT'S NOT ENOUGH OF AN IMPRESSIVE RESUME, HE'S MOVED INTO THE WORLD OF FINE ART.

WE MET UP WITH HIM IN HIS STUDIO AND TALKED ABOUT HIS JOURNEY.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

>> I GREW UP IN UPSTATE NEW YORK, AND I STARTED DANCING WHEN I WAS 12.

I WAS ALWAYS LIKE A KID THAT NEEDED TO DO -- I NEEDED TO BE PHYSICAL.

I NEEDED TO USE MY MIND.

I WAS EVER GOOD WITH BOREDOM EVER.

LIKE IF I'M BORED, IT'S JUST NOT GOOD FOR ME.

BUT THEN ALSO LIKE THE PHYSICALITY OF BALLET, THE SPORT ASPECT OF BALLET.

IT'S UNDERRATED, ESPECIALLY LIKE IN THE STATES, COMPARED TO LIKE EUROPE.

IT'S INCREDIBLE, BECAUSE YOU GET TO USE YOUR MIND, YOU GET TO USE PHYSICALITY.

AND IT'S LIKE THE HARDEST THING PHYSICALLY COMPARED TO ANYTHING I DID WITH BASEBALL AND SOCCER, ANY SPORT THAT I DID, IT DID NOT COMPARE TO WHAT I COULD DO WITH BALLET.

BECAUSE I COULD WORK ON IT EVERY DAY, AND I COULD DIVE INTO IT AS DEEP AS I WANTED TO.

PLUS, IT WAS A WAY FOR ME TO, UMM, EXPRESS MYSELF THAT I NEVER HAD BEFORE.

AND I JUST CAUGHT THE BUG, AND IT JUST LIKE KIND OF -- IT TOOK ME ON THIS RIDE.

ROLLER COASTER OF A CAREER, LIKE THE BALLET FOR ANYBODY WHO IS IN THE BALLET WORLD, SIT LIKE A ROLLER COASTER.

AND THAT'S JUST INEVITABLE.

YOU'RE WITH A GROUP OF ARTISTS.

SO THE DYNAMICS OF IT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN HAVE YOUR HIGHS AND HIGHS AND LOWS AND LOWS WITH INJURIES AND THINGS.

BUT YEAH, IT WAS AWESOME.

I DANCED HERE AT BALLET MET FOR 12 SEASONS WITH GERARD AND EDWARD TOOK OVER.

AND THEN I RETIRED IN 2020.

NOW THAT I'M KIND OF OUTSIDE COMPANY LIFE, I KIND OF HAVE FREEDOM WHERE I CAN DO ANYTHING I WANT.

I CAN PUT TOGETHER ANYTHING, LIKE, YEAH, THE SKY IS THE LIMIT.

BUT THEN THAT PUTS MORE PRESSURE ON ME, BECAUSE I HAVE TO TAKE THIS BUBBLE OF THOUGHT THAT I HAVE.

I THINK IT'S POSSIBLE TO -- IT'S SLOWLY BEEN OVER THE LAST LIKE FOUR, FIVE YEARS WHERE IT'S STARTED TO, LIKE, MORPH INTO SOMETHING THAT CAN BE PHYSICAL.

I'M A FIFTH GENERATION HARDWARE STORE.

MY FATHER BEING A WOODWORKER, HE'LL SAY HE'S NOT AN ARTIST, BUT HE IS AN ARTIST.

AND MY MOM IS AN ARTIST.

ART IS VERY IMPORTANT IN MY HOUSEHOLD.

I AM KIND OF THEM TOGETHER.

I GREW UP WITH SAWS, I GREW UP WITH ALL THESE TOOLS.

I GREW UP, GO OUT IN THE WOODS AND BUILD A TREEHOUSE.

SO I ALWAYS KNEW HOW TO USE MY HANDS AND TOOLS.

AND LIKE SLOWLY BUT SURELY I WOULD ACQUIRE MY OWN TOOLS.

I REMEMBER I BOUGHT MY FIRST BAND SAW FOR $50.

THE FIRST PIECE I EVER HEAD, I HAD ALL THESE FOR MY HOUSE.

AND I DIDN'T WANT TO PAY $3,000 FOR A TABLE WHEN I COULD MAKE IT FOR NOTHING.

SO THEN I HAD ALL THE EXTRA SCRAPS, AND I BOUGHT THIS SAW, AND I WAS LIKE, COOL, I CAN DO THESE TINY CUTS THAT I COULDN'T SAFELY DO ON THE TABLE SAW BECAUSE I WANTED TO KEEP MY FINGERS.

AND THEN I JUST MADE A CIRCLE, AND I JUST HAD A RELIEF AND I WOULD PUT IT ON MY WALL.

AND THEN AT THAT TIME, BALLET MET WERE ASKING TO DONATE, YOU COULD HAVE A DINNER WITH A DANCER.

THEY ASKED ME, I SAID I'M MAKE THING ART.

AND I DONATED IT AND THAT'S HOW I STARTED.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

SO THAT'S WHAT I'M DOING NOW.

I DO IT EVERY DAY.

I CREATE PIECES.

BASICALLY STARTING A NEW CAREER FROM THE GROUND UP.

I HAVE PIECES WHICH IS A THING THAT I LIKE TO DO THE MOST.

WHAT I'M WORKING ON NOW IS WHERE I HAVE A PIECE OF ART THAT EMOTES SOME KIND OF FEELING THAT I WOULD THEN COMPOSE MUSIC FOR.

AND THEN I WOULD CHOREOGRAPH LIKE A LITTLE SHORT BALLET.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

I LIKE THE PRESSURE OF, LIKE, PUTTING A TIMELINE ON SOMETHING SO THAT I HAVE TO DO IT.

BECAUSE I FEEL IF I DON'T, THEN I'LL BE LIKE, I WANT TO DO THIS OR THIS.

AGAIN, I DON'T LIKE BEING BORED AND I DO A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS IN THE ART WORLD.

THEY ALL INSPIRE EACH OTHER.

SO I HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER, BECAUSE THEN I CAN CREATE SOMETHING THAT'S SUPER UNIQUE TO ME.

IT'S ALWAYS LIKE, I COMPOSE, BUT I DANCE, BUT I CREATE ART.

I WAS ALWAYS LIKE, I WOULD HAVE TO TALK TO PEOPLE SEPARATELY ABOUT EVERYTHING I DID.

AND THEY WOULD BE LIKE, OH, YOU COMPOSE.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, SO IT WAS ALWAYS LIKE -- I WOULD GO, THIS IS MY COMPOSING MIND, THIS IS MY DANCER MIND, THIS IS MY -- BUT THEY'RE ALL LINKED TO ME, ALL THE MOVEMENT.

FOR ME, CREATING THE ART NOW ESPECIALLY, AND BEFORE, IT'S LIKE THIS STATE OF FLOW THAT I FIND.

DANCERS ARE SO FORTUNATE AND SO LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO GO INTO A STUDIO AND HAVE INTERACTIONS, THESE POWERFUL, HUMAN INTERACTIONS WITH PEOPLE.

AND FINDING THE STATE OF FLOW.

WHEN I WAS A DANCER CREATING THE ART WAS SOMETHING I DIDN'T HAVE TO MOVE, SO I COULD BE LIKE A LITTLE SORE AND I COULD JUST SIT AT THE TABLE AND IT'S A VERY SLOW PROCESS, GLUING ONE PIECE AT A TIME.

SO I THINK IT WAS A FORM OF ME GETTING AWAY FROM THE BALLET WORLD.

THE BALLET WORLD WAS SUPER DRAMATIC THAT DAY, SO IT WAS ALWAYS A WAY FOR ME TO GET AWAY BUT TO STILL BE CREATIVE AND TO STILL FEEL LIKE I HAD MY VOICE, AND I COULD FIND A STATE OF FLOW.

AND THEN ONCE YOU'RE DONE, YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHOW FOR IT.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

I REALLY ENJOY TAPPING INTO THE MACHINE THAT IS THE HUMAN MIND, INSTEAD OF EVERYBODY IS ON A COMPUTER AND EVERYBODY IS FILTERING THROUGH WHAT THE COMPUTER CAN DO FOR ME.

BUT TAPPING INTO THIS AND HOW YOU CAN -- YOU CAN DIVE DEEPER INTO YOUR MIND AND CREATE, I THINK IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE ALWAYS DONE MY WHOLE LIFE.

THERE'S DEFINITELY A CORRELATION BETWEEN THE MINDSET THAT I CAN PUT MYSELF IN WHERE I CAN LOSE MYSELF, BECAUSE THAT IS LIKE THE BEST HIGH IN THE WORLD IS TO BE ABLE TO GO IN AND JUST LOSE YOURSELF AND NOT BE AWARE OF HOW MUCH TIME WENT BY.

AND THAT'S WHAT I DID, THAT'S WHAT DANCE DID, MUSIC, PERFORMING.

YEAH, I'M SUPER FORTUNATE AND LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

>> TO SEE MORE OF GABE'S WORK, CHECK HIM OUT AT HIS WEBSITE.

>>> JASON CAIN IS A ABSTRACT PAINTER, NOBODY FOR HIS MURALS FOUND THROUGHOUT THE HAMPTON ROADS AREA IN VIRGINIA.

HE USES BOLD SHAPES TO REPRESENT LIFE'S COMPLEXITIES, ATTEMPTING TO BRING BALANCE TO THEM THROUGH ARTISTIC EXPRESSION.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

>> WHEN YOU THINK OF ART, YOU TEND TO THINK OF COLOR.

BUT BLACK AND WHITE TO ME REPRESENTS THE BASIS OF THE FORM OF EXPRESSION.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH PENCIL, WHAT CAN I DO WITH PEN, WITH CHARCOAL?

IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT REALLY SPEAKS TO ME, AND I WANT TO SEE IF I CAN PUSH THAT FORWARD.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

I'VE ALWAYS KNOWN I WANTED TO BE AN ARTIST.

I WAS AN ONLY CHILD, SO IT STARTED FROM A LOT OF DRAWINGS.

MY FOLKS RECOGNIZED IT AND DECIDED TO PUT ME IN PROGRAMS TO PUT DEVELOP BY SKILL.

MY LOVE FOR ART BEGAN TO BE SOMETHING THAT I COULD NOT IGNORE ANY MORE.

VIRGINIA STATE WAS JUST A DIFFERENT WORLD.

MY MAJOR WAS ART AND DESIGN.

THERE WAS ALWAYS THAT CONSTANT THREAD OF BLACK AND WHITE.

RIGHT OUT OF SCHOOL, I WAS HAVING A SHOW HONORING DIFFERENT DIGNITARIES, MEN IN POSITION THROUGHOUT VIRGINIA.

IT WAS MY FIRST MAJOR OPPORTUNITY.

WHILE I WAS WORKING, I KNEW THAT I WAS DONE WITH DOING SOMETHING THAT REALLY WASN'T TRUE TO MYSELF.

I WANTED TO EVOKE EMOTION AND HAVE PEOPLE RESPOND TO A FILM MORE SO THAN SOMETHING THAT IS REPRESENTATIVE OF SOMETHING ELSE.

SO I STARTED SKETCHING OUT SHAPES IN THE SKETCHBOOK AND SEEING WHERE THAT WOULD TAKE ME.

AND I'VE BEEN DOING IT EVER SINCE.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

WHILE CREATING, I'M IN THIS PLACE OF PEACE.

I'M NOT THINKING ABOUT ANYTHING BESIDES PAINTING.

AND THAT ALLOWS ME TO BREAK FREE FROM THE WORLD FOR A SECOND.

THERAPEUTIC EXPRESSING MYSELF IN THAT WAY, AND I'M ABLE TO FIND THIS BALANCE BETWEEN NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE.

THESE SHAPES TRANSLATE WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH, BUT IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE CAN FORM THEIR OWN RELATIONSHIP WITH, REPRESENT THING CONTINUOUS THING.

SOMETHING THAT'S ONGOING.

EVEN READING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, IT REPRESENTS MOVING IT FORWARD IN LIFE.

AND NOT LOOKING BACK.

PEOPLE SEE ALL TYPES OF THINGS IN THE WORK.

I SEE A PANDA OR A TEACUP.

EACH TIME YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

I LIKE THE FUN OF EXPLORING DIFFERENT SHAPES.

IT DOES IMPACT YOUR AUDIENCE, THAT MEANS YOU'RE DOING YOUR JOB AS AN ARTIST.

SO IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING ON MY END I WANT TO CONTINUE WITH AS MUCH AS I CAN, WITH THE TOOLS THAT I HAVE.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

IT'S THE SMALL AREAS THAT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

MURALISTS HAVE A DIFFERENT MIND-SET.

IT CAN BE CHALLENGING SOMETIMES, BUT THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING IT.

I WANTED IT TO APPEAR AS FLAT AS POSSIBLE.

YOU HAVE DIFFERENT THINGS, SO THIS IS THE SURFACE TELLING ME WHAT TO DO.

PROJECTS LIKE ME, IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S BRINGING ART DIRECTLY TO THE PUBLIC.

SO HAVING THAT EXPOSURE, SOMETHING THAT CAN ENCOURAGE OR INSPIRE THE NEXT ARTIST.

WHAT WAY CAN I PUT MY WORK OUT THERE AND HAVE IT BEEN SEEN OVER AND OVER AND OVER?

KATHRYN JOHNSON, MY GREAT AUNT, SHE NEVER ACCOMPLISHED WHAT SHE DID WITH NASA.

AFTER SEEING THAT MOVIE, I WANTED TO HONOR HER LEGACY.

I RECENTLY COMPLETED THE MURAL IN DOWNTOWN HAMPTON.

IT WAS CLOSE BY TO THE SPACE CENTER, SO I WAS LIKE, OH, I HAVE TO DO THIS.

I HAVE NO CHOICE.

I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO HIT DIFFERENT MARKETS, SO PEOPLE WILL SEE THE UNIQUENESS.

THEY'LL DO THE MURALS, WORKS ON PAPER, WORKS ON CANVAS, AND I ALSO DESIGNED ONE OF THEIR BEAN BAGS.

I HAVE AN INSTALLATION AT DOLLAR TREE HEADQUARTERS AT SOME POINT.

THERE WAS A TOTAL OF SIX WORKS SOLD TO THEIR COLLECTION, AND YOU CAN SEE THEM ON DISPLAY.

AND I'M ALSO SUPER GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF THE WORK I'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH MY PEERS.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

>> THE SHOW IS TITLED FOUR SHAPES, TO REPRESENT THIS VISUAL THEME PARK THAT YOU CAN FULLY BE IMMERSED IN AS SOON AS YOU STEP FOOT INTO THE SPACE.

I ALSO LOOK AT IT AS A SUMMARY OF THE MURAL WORK I'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

I BRING THIS INSIDE WHERE IT CAN BE VIEWED ON THE CEILING, ON THE FLOOR, ON THE WALLS.

IT BRINGS YOU INSIDE MY WORLD.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

IT ALLOWS ME TO SEE THAT THINGS ARE POSSIBLE, TO BE ABLE TO GET INTO SPACES THAT YOU DIDN'T THINK THAT YOU COULD.

AND THIS IS FOR PEOPLE TO ENJOY, NOT JUST FOR ME TO HOLD ONTO.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

IT'S SOMETHING I NEVER TOOK FOR GRANT IT.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

>> TO SEE MORE OF HIS WORK, CHECK HIM OUT AT HIS WEBSITE.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

>>> FASHION DESIGNER ESTHER SAM'S DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM THE COLORS AND PRINTS OF HER NATIVE GHANA.

SHE'S ALSO DRAWN TO ASIA TO CREATE A UNIQUE STYLE.

THIS IS HER STORY.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

>> WE'RE JUST GOING TO MAKE A SKIRT.

WHY NOT?

I WAS BORN IN GHANA, WEST AFRICA.

I CAME HERE WHEN I WAS 16.

I WENT TO SCHOOL IN WESTERVILLE.

I STARTED IN ENGINEERING, CIVIL ENGINEERING.

AND THEN I SWITCHED TO ART.

MY DAY JOB IS QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR A PHARMACY COMPANY.

I WILL CALL MY ESTHETIC MORE OF AN AFRO FUSION.

I LOVE DIFFERENT CULTURES THAT COMBINE MY CULTURE WITH DIFFERENT CULTURES, MOSTLY ADDING THE PRINTS AND THE FABRICS AND BRIGHTNESS OF MY CULTURE WITH LIKE A KIMONO.

I LOVE ASIAN CULTURE.

IT'S A LITTLE CLOSE TO MY CULTURE IN TERMS OF FOOD AND TRADITIONS.

SO I WANTED TO TAKE THE TRADITIONAL CLOTHES, LIKE THE KIMONO, AND TRY AND MAKE THEM WITH ALL AFRICAN FABRIC.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

THE BRAND NAME IN MY LANGUAGE MEANS CULTURE OR TRADITION.

THE MENSWEAR, WHERE I DRAW MY INSPIRATION FROM IS ASIAN FASHION.

BECAUSE IT'S SLEEK, IT'S NICE, IT'S SOPHISTICATED.

THE BRAND TELLS A STORY.

IT'S A WAY FOR THE CLIENT, THE CUSTOMER TO TELL THEIR OWN STORY OF BEING BOLD AND CONFIDENT.

MY HUSBAND'S NAME IS JOSHUA.

HE IS AWESOME.

HE KIND OF PUSHES ME TO TAKE MORE RISK, AND HE'S A MECHANICAL ENGINEER.

HE'S A DESIGN ENGINEER, AND HE SEWS, AS WELL.

AND HE'S CURRENTLY GOTTEN INTO THIS.

>> YOU BASICALLY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT ONE RING IS GOING THROUGH SIX RINGS.

>> WE DO COSPLAY, SO WE KIND OF DOUBLE IN SOME FUN STUFF, TOO.

I LIKE THE PROCESS.

WHEN YOU FINISH, YOU SEE THE DESIGN IN YOUR HEAD COME TO LIFE.

IT'S REALLY FULFILLING.

THAT'S THE PART I LOVE.

>> TO SEE MORE OF HER AMAZING DESIGNS, CHECK HER OUT AT HER WEBSITE.

>> BELA WICK IS A SINGER, SONGWRITER AND COMPOSER WHO HAS A DEPTH BEYOND HER YEARS.

WITH A STYLE IS INNOVATIVE POP AND CLASSIC ROCK.

SHE PUTS A SPIN ON IT AND MAKES IT ALL HER OWN.

TAKE A LISTEN FROM A RECENT RECORDING FROM "BROAD & HIGH" PRESENTS.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

>> TO HEAR MORE FROM THIS TALENTED MUSICIAN, CHECK HER OUT AT BELAWIT.COM.

WELL, THAT'S OUR SHOW.

YOU CAN FIND ALL OF OUR STORIES ONLINE AT WOSU.ORG, AS WELL AS ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

FOR ALL OF US HERE AT WOSU, I'M KATE QUICKEL.

THANKS FOR WATCHING.

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

CAPTIONS PROVIDED BY WOSU-TV, THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY -- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com !

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

!

!musiC@!

>> PRODUCTION OF "BROAD & HIGH" IS FUNDED IN PART BY --