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People build more caring relationships when they seek out ways to empower one another.

It creates a greater sense of belonging within a community and helps individuals discover their unique gifts and talents.

Tonight we discuss how art empowers our community and strengthens relationships.

I'm so happy you are joining us.

From Los Angeles, this is KLCS PBS.

Welcome to Everybody with Angela Williamson, an innovation, Arts, education and Public Affairs program.

Everybody with Angela Williamson is made possible by viewers like you.

Thank you.

And now your host, doctor Angela Williamson.

Welcome.

The artist.

Man one.

Thank you so much for being here.

Absolutely.

Thanks for the invitation.

We want to talk about your art.

But before we talk about your art, just tell us a little bit about you, because there's something in your childhood is a reason why you're this incredible artist today.

okay.

If you say so.

I do.

I do.

Well, born and raised in Los Angeles, son of Mexican immigrants.

oldest of three.

And, Yeah, I grew up just being a normal kid in Los Angeles, but with the love for art, for some reason.

And, got into graffiti art in high school, which totally transformed my trajectory and what I wanted to do in life.

And, you know, so fast forward now, I'm a full time artist.

This is what I do.

And at some point when you decided because you're also two, where we will actually interview someone that you went to college with.

That's right.

Next segment.

Yeah.

You also went to college as well.

But did you major in art or did you major in something else?

So you just knew and you decided that is going to be what I do.

When my mom says that I was doing art since I was a little kid, since the first day of kindergarten, actually, she she tells me this story, but, always loving art.

Never knew that I could do art as a career or profession.

Like no one taught me that or told me that.

But when I was in high school and I got into graffiti art, I was like, okay, I'm hooked.

Like, I want to do this for the rest of my life and get paid doing it.

Even though in 1987, no, no one used to get paid for doing that.

I was just like, this is what I want to do.

I don't, I don't know, like there's no better thing.

And so I remember when I was going to graduate high school, I went to Saint Francis High School, all boys high school in La Canada.

And I remember talking to one of my counselors and I said, you know, I'm going to go to college, but I have no idea what to major in.

And he goes, well, what do you always get A's in?

And I said, Art in Spanish.

And he goes, double major.

So that's what I did.

So I double majored in art in Spanish, at Loyola marymount University.

And got my degree four years later.

And this is all I've been doing ever since.

Well, in this really interesting because a lot of times you already knew what you, you wanted to do.

And, and I want to talk a little bit about how graffiti art has transformed.

And you are the best person to tell us about that.

So I'm gonna ask you about that in a minute.

Sure.

But when you made that transition from high school and now you're in college and you're majoring in and two of your loves, how were you able to combine two of those loves to what we see today?

Well, that's a great question.

you know, number one, it's like Spanish was my first language.

You know, growing up, my parents didn't even speak English, you know, now they're fluent.

But, obviously, when I was a kid, Spanish was the first language.

So I learned I learned to speak English.

And first grade, and, it was just natural to me.

Right.

So once I got into school and and started studying art and all that, I just realized that Spanish is just another tool that I could use in my career as an artist.

You know, I actually ended up minoring in Spanish because I was one class short of getting my, my degree.

And I said, you know, I'm not going to teach Spanish.

Like, that's not my that's not my dream goal is to go, you know, teach Spanish.

So I'll just keep it as a minor.

but, you know, now, as a, as a professional artist, I've traveled all over Mexico, Panama, you know, I'm featured sometimes on Spanish television, speaking about this kind of stuff.

So I've been able to utilize, you know, the language that I love and that I first learned, to advance my career, you know.

Well, in and we're going to talk about some of your pieces towards the end of our conversation.

But before we do that, I would really been interesting, to learn about and see just in our lifetime is the level of respect that's come towards graffiti art.

Right.

And I would love for you to talk a little bit about that, because there are some there's a lot of reasons why this is such a viable art form.

Sure.

Please talk about that.

Yeah.

Like I said, I got involved in graffiti in 1987.

I consider myself a second generation graffiti artist from L.A. because there was like a previous generation, like in the early 80s, like.

Yeah.

So 81, 82. and so, by the time I started doing it, there was already some, you know, ways of doing it and, and things like that.

And so I had to learn that on the streets because there was no class or college you can go to to learn that no.

Graffiti 101.

Actually, not far from here is, Belmont Tunnel, where we used to meet every Saturday to, when I first started to watch these artists paint.

And it was a big, huge area, where hundreds of artists would convene every weekend and paint huge graffiti murals.

you know, it wasn't necessarily permission based, but no one messed with us, really, except sometimes the gang members.

But that's that was my, you know, college 101 class of graffiti, right.

so I learned it there.

And graffiti is very much a passed down kind of art form where you learn from mentors and, you know, that's how you learn.

but going back even further, you know, to me, graffiti art was part of the Chicano experience for me as part of the the mural movement that obviously started with the posters from Mexico, you know, Siqueiros and, Diego Rivera and, you know, so to me, it's just an extension of that, you know, the movement is just an extension.

And this is the what it looks like now.

And at first it was a really kind of a push back with the early Chicano artists.

They didn't want to accept that, you know, because obviously whenever something, something is new, it's pushed away.

Right.

So, but, you know, once we went to college and got our degrees and started doing murals and all that kind of stuff, then people started taking us more seriously, and then other artists started accepting us into as part of the movement.

and then fast forward to the 2000, when street art became a thing.

And that was really, really interesting.

But, street art, just the word street art really opened the eyes and ears to just like mass media, mass market, you know, because all of a sudden, because graffiti had a negative connotation.

Yes.

A lot of people in L.A., assumed if you if you had a spray, can you also had a gun, or if you were a graffiti artist, you were also a gang member, which was not true.

But when this term became street art, it erased all that negative connotation.

So a lot of people call me a street artist now and I don't care.

It's like, yeah, I'm a street artist or graffiti artist.

I'm a muralist, I'm an artist.

Whatever you want to call me, I'm cool with it.

Appreciate what you do.

Exactly.

You know, so so that had a lot to do with the shift in people's minds to accepting graffiti, because now they can they can see, okay, graffiti art, it's an art form.

It's part of street art, and it's an evolution of moralism.

You know?

And so it's taking a lot of education and a lot of time to push that agenda, you know, 30 years later or more for my own career.

But, but we're here now, you know.

And you're here now, and you are going to stay.

So before we end our time together, I want you just to talk about some of those important pieces, because those pieces that you've created.

Yeah.

not only now is this art form that should have always been respected, but now it is respected.

But there's stories behind them.

Yeah.

And so I wouldn't invite you on the show if you couldn't tell us a few stories.

Oh, my gosh, there's so many stories.

you know, one of the things is that I started doing when you started graffiti, it's really about lettering and your name.

Right?

And so my name and one, for example, you know, my my real name is Alejandro Poli, by the way.

But everyone knows me as man one, and that's the name I got in college, and I'm sorry, in high school, when I was taking the bus to school and, this kid gave me a marker one day because he was writing his name on the bus, and I was like, dude, what are you doing?

He's like graffiti.

He gave me the marker.

I said, what do I write?

He said, anything but your real name.

So I was listening to a group called mantra from back in the day from New York.

So I wrote Man Tronic.

Just kind of being silly or whatever, you know?

Anyways, I was hooked.

I was like, I love doing this.

So every, every day it's a volume marker.

Let me do it again.

And before, before long, I was like, I want to do on the streets.

And then I realized medtronic's on the streets is way too long of a name.

I mean, I'm spelling it out in my head right now, right?

You know, it's probably a triple Scrabble word if we're thinking about.

It, so.

Right.

Right.

Time I get to the X, you know, I probably get arrested.

Yeah.

So I cut it down to the first three letters.

Man.

Man.

so that became my street name was man.

And so in graffiti terminology, the one is like a copyright or a trademark.

So a lot of artists have the, the number one after their name.

So I just became man one.

I just stuck with it.

And once I decided to actually make a living and a career and a business, you know, I was like, what better to name the man one?

So everyone still calls me that.

Why change it?

and it just become part of my identity, you know?

Well, that was a great story about how you got your name.

Yeah.

Tell me about the one piece that you can think about.

That's probably means the most to you.

That tells the greatest story.

Oh, wow.

Well, it's got to be, I think, associated with my parents.

You know, my parents, came from my mother from, Durango and my dad from Chihuahua.

So both from northern Mexico.

And so, if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have been able to go to all the schools I went to.

you know, they they really worked hard to, you know, get me to some of the best schools in, in, in the area.

So, and they've taught me a lot, you know, they taught me everything.

Everything I know I've learned because of them, through them and their relationship also, you know, they're still married and and, you know, in their 70s and everything like that.

So I did a mural one time based on them.

And, the client asked me to, you know, to do a mural that had to do with Mexican heritage.

And I said, there's no better way to express my love for Mexican heritage than my parents.

So I have a portrait, a mural of them.

It's in Lincoln Heights, still there.

And so, I think that's probably the most sentimental piece for me, because obviously, I got to do it on a huge scale.

It's like 20ft high by like 60ft wide.

And, it tells their story, you know, that it's it's a love story, but it's also an LA story, and it's a very personal story for me, obviously, since they're my parents.

So for me, that's probably the most, poignant piece that I've created, you know.

You know.

How did you present that to Mom and Dad?

Yeah.

I don't know if my viewers want to know, but I want to know.

Yeah, that's.

I mean, that is just such a wonderful tribute.

So you just say Mom and Dad, let's go for a drive.

Well, what's funny is, at the time.

Yeah, at the time, they were living in Palm Springs.

So, and this was going to be featured in a commercial.

so it's a public mural, but also featured in this, this commercial.

So they said, well, you think you can get your parents here and we'll reveal to them on camera.

So I said, yeah, let's try it.

So my brother brought them out from Palm Springs, and we told them that, you know, you're going to get interviewed in my studio because the wall was right around the, the right around for my studio.

So we met there and then I walked him over and said, oh, by the way, close your eyes, close your eyes, walked him a few feet and said, open your eyes.

Then they looked at it and they just started bawling.

Is they mainly start crying and stuff.

It was just like, you know, one of the most, sentimental, you know, pieces I've done.

I think, you know, It our time has gone by so fast.

Yeah, but before our we end our time together, you have been part of this generation that's changed how we appreciate.

Now we call street art.

What's your hope for the next generation of street artist?

Oh, wow.

you know, I can't wait to see what they create, you know, because the thing about not just graffiti and street art, but just any art is the evolution that happens and the tools that that artists use and invent and create.

So for me, it's now looking back and being inspired by the by the next generation.

You know, it's not like I know it all.

It's like I want to learn from these guys.

So I'm really interested in what are they going to take it?

And, you know, I think, it's leading towards a better united kind of, future for all of us.

You know, I think art is powerful and it can change the world.

it's a perfect way to end our conversation.

Thank you so much for your time.

And also talking about the evolution of graffiti art to street art, but sharing a little bit of yourself and how you've been able to pour into our community.

Absolutely.

Thank you so.

Much.

Thank you for having me.

And we'll be right back.

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Welcome back.

We are here with Leticia Buckley.

Leticia, thank you so much for being here.

Oh.

You're welcome.

Thank you for having me.

Oh, it's such a pleasure.

Well, you have had such a remarkable career here in the community.

And what you're here to talk about today is your newest role in helping the arts in our community.

However, there may be some people who don't know about all the marvelous things you've done.

So give us a little bit of background and tell us why you're here today.

Sure.

so my current role as CEO of La Plata, equal to the arts, but my background is really, at the intersection of government and the arts, in that, I worked for, in marketing for a long time.

And at one point, I made the switch to work for the county in the then Department of Arts and Culture.

And it was there that I realized why I'd become a political science major in college.

It was recognizing the power of policy making and being so close to it in government.

and so I was I feel very, very lucky that I have been involved in big shifts in policy that directly affect Underresourced, communities in Los Angeles County.

And, you know, my opportunity to to run an organization that's culturally rooted Latino community in Los Angeles is kind of a dream come true.

Well, in the museum is something that we can all enjoy so that we are supporting our brothers and sisters.

Their.

And it's amazing because I personally, when think about the importance of arts in government, but you saw that as a means and work through that was a difficult no.

Well, here's the thing.

and if you really stop and think about it, arts are at the center of everything.

We're all creative.

We all have it in us.

You got to tackle, you know, figuring something out.

You got to do it creatively.

That's rooted in arts and culture.

and, you know, think about think about this a lot.

And it really came to fruition during the pandemic, the idea of artists to second responders.

We obviously need folks to help heal people physically, but art helps your soul.

It does.

And so in many ways, you know, you art is in everything.

When we're thinking about urban planning, when we're thinking about, juvenile justice system, every component of that, through the lens of creativity, you can solve pretty seemingly insurmountable challenges.

So how are you doing that in your new role?

Well, so La Plaza is a museum, but also a cultural center, very much a community hub.

So we don't collect artwork, we collect stories.

And those stories are of is of history that isn't told on a regular basis.

Right.

Mexican Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles County, we were here before, the city was actually founded in the 1700s, late 1800.

Excuse me.

and our role in creating this city, creating this county.

and so what we do is we, we tell those stories, we preserve those stories, and we amplify them because the reality is they're not being told in school, they're not being told in the media.

And so our role is identifying those folks.

And, you know, frankly, a lot of them are people that you may not know about.

Right?

We know, and thank goodness for people like Cesar Chavez.

And the Lord is with, and Supervisor Gloria molina, who is one of our founders and who we send lots of love to.

We definitely do.

Yes.

but then there are also everyday folks who are in our community, you know, the, the, our leaders who are preserving recipes.

We know food is at the center of every culture.

And so at La Plaza, we bring all of that in, we try to preserve it and we try to share it with our communities, not just Latino, but everybody in Los Angeles, because we all should know about it.

Well, in in, by sharing our stories with each other, we find out that we're not too far apart from one another.

Then what the whole world would want us to see.

Right, right.

Very much so, and very much so.

It's the intersectionality of it, right?

It's the intersectionality of I'm raising two children who are raised, being raised in a household.

I'm Mexican, my husband's African-American and white.

They're getting an entire different experience.

It's the intersectionality of it.

Right.

And that I talk a lot about that when we talk about, being Latino in Los Angeles but multiracial, biracial, bicultural, my, immigrant, undocumented, LGBTQIa, it's all of that.

And it's the large segments of our population that we haven't been able to hear their stories because they've been what suppressed.

Marginalized, and suppressed.

ignored.

Ignored.

Right.

it's a variety of different things.

And so we see it as our responsibility, to ensure that those stories continue, that we're collecting them, preserving them, and that we're actually sharing them out.

So my question to you is, because you do this through several different exhibits and you have this phenomenal exhibit coming up.

And I love to talk, talk about that.

So how did let's talk about the exhibit.

And then let's talk about how you collected those stories so that we can come and experience.

Yes.

Well, the museum I will say is free, which is really important.

It's a free museum.

Should have asked that.

And not I'm telling, you know, where they get some free museum right in the center of downtown LA and pueblo by, Olvera Street, literally across the street near Union Station.

and, you know, we do a variety of different, exhibits.

We have a number of permanent collections that tell the story of Los Angeles.

So dating back hundreds of years to the story of Los Angeles, including, you know, the indigenous community that was here before us, the native community, and trying to incorporate that into it.

We've got work to do there.

But taking folks through the journey of of the a Mexican repatriation, when American U.S. citizens were being sent back to Mexico.

and so through our temporary exhibits, we tell contemporary stories.

So we're we're just finishing up one, that has been on exhibit around the undocumented immigrant story.

We're bringing in a new exhibit called 80s and Grand, the Olympic Auditorium story.

So if you're not familiar, Olympic Auditorium right there at 17th and Grand was really the hub of, in many ways, Mexican and Mexican culture here in Los Angeles for 70 years.

Boxing, wrestling.

I saw Rage Against the Machine in the parking lot in the, in the 90s.

and so this exhibit really is telling the story of Latinos in Los Angeles through the perspective of the Olympic Auditorium.

And so everything from, you know, lucha libre and what that means in terms of community and culture, but also at a time in the 40s and 50s when we had segregation and when folks were not allowed to even be in the same space.

Interestingly enough, at a boxing match in Los Angeles, in downtown LA, you had a combination of folks all coming together, around this one activity.

and the other thing about the, exhibit that we're really excited about is the fact that it really tells a bit of a border story, because lots of folks would come fighters, boxers from Mexico would come up into, Los Angeles as sort of, a cultural hub for these folks to really have an opportunity to kind of make it in, in the, boxing world.

So we're really excited about it.

And one of the things that I'm particularly excited about is it's a female promoter who, who did this, and this was really her, idea and her baby.

And so we're honoring her as well.

And, you know, as the first Latina CEO of La Plaza de Cultura at this in its 12 year history, I like to make sure that we showcase, the women and contributions that we've all make to our community.

Did you come in with a personal and professional mission that you wanted to accomplish during your tenure here?

Yeah, well, I will say, I think in many ways we have some, there's an opportunity for us to own the narrative, to really take control of a narrative.

Right.

the understanding and the impact that Latinos have made in Los Angeles that everybody knows that, as I mentioned.

And so, La Plaza can really be a model for that across the country.

They're not a lot of institutions like ours.

There are some, colleagues in Chicago and folks trying in Texas and others across the state of California, but not in the same way that we would see what I would deem and fairly so, white led, rooted in Western European art.

That's not what we do.

We tell the other side of that, of the impact of what we're bringing the contribution.

And so, for me, La Plata is a model that I hope we can, demonstrate how that we can tell this story in a way that's relevant.

And it connects with, again, not just Latinos, but folks across the across the, the demographics, right, of folks just understanding that when it comes down to it, we're all Angelinos.

We are, we are.

And what would be if you had one thing that you can do to help the next generation so that we can continue this way of bringing all cultures together under this umbrella of understanding your past.

Yeah.

What would that be?

Oh, that's a good question.

Thank you.

you know, I would say, and this is something that I learned from, a mentor of mine, somebody who I still am fortunate to have in my life.

just be curious.

Lead with curiosity, walk into conversations with, you know, empathy and curiosity and be open to learning something new.

I've been very fortunate that I've been able to lead my career in that way.

In my life.

I try to teach that with my children.

I will say one other thing that's really important to me.

I'm raising a daughter, a son and a daughter.

My daughter's 18, but I always say to her, be confident, right?

Just own it on who you are and run with it.

and ultimately, right.

We set our we we set what we expect people from people.

so I would say being curious, being confident, and leading with empathy.

And my last question before we end our conversation today, there are a number of educators that are watching, and I see that this cultural center slash museum can be a part of what they're teaching the next generation.

How can they form a partnership?

Oh, boy.

To pour into the next generation.

Oh, thank you for asking, because we actually have a really phenomenal education department.

We bring school kids, from all across L.A. County, into the museum to teach them culinary arts.

Right.

Again, food.

Is it the culture at the heart of so much culture?

teach the history and share the history, by folks who have experienced it so they can reach out to us through our website at la pca.org.

they can call us up, but we are happy to, bring them in.

We provide some curriculum we can help with.

and the beauty of it.

And I joke about this a lot, but we don't have to ask permission.

We can just do it.

So we figure out the best way in which to share that information with young kids.

And I like that.

I mean, we just do it so that we're changing that next generation.

Yeah, and we're all becoming one, which is what we should be.

well, first of all, I just want to say again, congratulations.

Thank you.

I cannot wait to see what you do.

What you're already doing is phenomenal.

I appreciate, but I appreciate just how you've let your, like to use that policy to bring the arts so that we can have a whole other experience.

So thank you so much.

You're welcome.

Thank you.

And thank you for joining us on everybody with Angela Williamson.

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