- On this episode of "Curate".

(upbeat music) - [Rowena] Being born and raised here, being part of the culture, but also kind of not part of the culture, it's sort of this weird in-between place where you're trying to figure out how you really belong.

- [Skye] It's kind of like you're doing a treasure hunt for great music.

- There's a whole segment of us that the world ignores a lot, and I just picked up the camera and just started going from there.

- [Bystander] Brix, see you, baby.

All right.

- Welcome to season nine of "Curate".

I'm Heather Mazzoni.

- And I'm Jason Kypros.

- The Hampton Roads art scene is as vibrant as ever, and this season is a testament to that.

- Your art is often described as a reflection of the soul, a mirror to identity, culture, and experience.

- For Rowena Federico Finn, that mirror has become a way to explore not only her creativity, but her roots as a Filipino-American artist.

- Now, from her earliest childhood sketches to groundbreaking mixed media pieces that intertwine history and innovation, Rowena's journey is one of passion, perseverance, and self-discovery.

(gentle music) - You can't make really good art if you can't be truthful.

'Cause a lot of people think that truth is gonna be painful.

And yeah, it can be sometimes, but there really is beauty and simplicity in it, even for all the hurt.

(gentle music continues) My dream growing up was, "I'm going to be a realistic painter.

I'm going to paint things just like Leonardo da Vinci, and maybe someday I'll end up in a museum."

(upbeat music) The oldest drawing I have was from when I was about four, four and a half years old, and it was two women and a man.

The women were wearing, like, big fancy hats, and for some reason, the guy had this little baby, and he's not, like, even holding it or anything, it's just kind of perched on his shoulder.

And while I was drawing, I lost count of fingers, so I started drawing fingers up this side of the arm, and the guy has, like, maybe 11 fingers on one hand, and he still has his other hand.

So, you know, I got better at drawing hands.

I believe in understanding the techniques that are the foundation for being an artist.

So, understanding drawing, understanding color, knowing how to paint a little.

Teaching art has been great because it's not something I had ever intended to do, but I kind of stumbled into it, and I found that I really enjoyed it, and what I really like about it is that it makes me a better artist.

And it definitely helps being married to somebody who's been teaching for, you know, almost 20 years.

And also parenting helps, because when you're a parent, you have to teach.

(chuckles) (upbeat music continues) I met my husband at JMU.

We were both students there.

When I look back at our pictures, I thought, we look so young.

I think, who the heck allowed us to get married?

'Cause we look like little kids.

When we decided to start a family, I would stay home with the kids.

Like, I wanted to, which really surprised me, because I never thought of myself as being a very motherly type.

But I have learned, definitely I am.

It's really cool, like, getting to see who my kids are and what they're interested in, and, you know, trying to take that step back and let them be who they are.

And I think a lot of that just comes from my experiences of me trying to be an artist, like, when I was growing up, because it wasn't something that was supported.

When I was taking art classes in school, that was fine, but when I wanted to take it seriously and make it a career, that was a big no-no.

And over the years, I've come to realize, like, that is a huge part of my identity that I feel like my family didn't understand.

And so to not have that understood or supported was very difficult.

So as a parent, it's a really, really big thing for me to every day start afresh and see them as they are right there in that stage.

(child giggles) (gentle music) (gentle music continues) When you sit there and you have to really pay attention to something, and look at the values and the colors and the shapes of things, it really forces you to slow down and really pay attention.

And so that has something that I carry into all of my other work, because you can't really see something, you can't really understand something or someone, unless you give yourself permission to slow down and really be present, to really pay attention.

And that's very difficult to do.

I've always felt like a black sheep in the Filipino community.

I don't like singing and performing on stage, that's not my thing, which is a huge thing in the Filipino community.

Like, I don't even do karaoke.

And so if you're not part of that, it doesn't really feel like there's a place for you a lot of times, and I'm also, I'm very outspoken.

But my kids are half Filipino, and I want them to be more aware of that part of their culture than I was growing up.

I want them to at least feel like the door is open for them.

(gentle music continues) Quilts are not something in Filipino culture.

And I grew up with a lot of friends who had quilts in their houses, and I've always thought that they're really beautiful and interesting.

I love the history of 'em, I love how they're made.

But being born and raised here, being part of the culture, but also kind of not part of the culture, it's sort of this weird in-between place where you're trying to figure out, you know, how you really belong.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) When I decided to dig into what it means to me to be Filipino-American, what does Filipino-American art look like, I just decided, okay, well, you know, what are some materials that are exported from the Philippines, or that, you know, you think of when you think of the Philippines?

And I just got on the internet and ordered a bunch of stuff and just figured, let's get the stuff in, let's see what it can do.

So I'm making a capiz quilt using these square cut capiz shells.

And like the pina fabric, they're another major export from the Philippines.

They look fragile, but they're actually surprisingly durable.

And you can see images through them, which is nice, because for me, that's like another metaphor for humanity.

Balut is this fertilized egg.

You're supposed to crack it open, slurp up whatever soup is in there, and then just eat it.

And that is just something that I can't see myself ever trying.

But it's also such a huge part of Filipino culture that I was determined to see if there's some way that I could find a connection to it.

In my piece, "Transfer of Power", it's a very maternal piece.

I thought about being a mother, creating life, raising these kids, hoping that someday they will be good people, and they are good people, but hoping they'll stay that way, and thinking about what I'm passing on to them, but also what they've given me, and also what I've gotten from, like, my mother and my grandmother and my aunts.

(performer rapping in foreign language) (upbeat music) - For a lot of my life, I would feel paralyzed trying to make art, because it wouldn't come out the way that I wanted it to, so then it was just easier to not do anything rather than just plunge in and let the art take you where it will.

Experiment, have fun, let loose.

Took a really long time to learn that lesson.

And I'm still learning it.

I love drawing and painting, but it's also very tedious and kind of boring for me.

But now the work that I'm doing, it's very invigorating, it's very inspiring.

I have enough ideas for at least a few more shows.

And as I dig deeper into my heritage, it's also opening up more questions and more avenues for research.

I wanna fly back to the Philippines and visit the museums and the libraries.

And I want to visit the villages.

I want to learn about the weaving.

I want to learn about the tattoo culture.

I want to go hang out with people who are fishing.

I just wanna get to know the country for itself so that I can bring that into my work.

- [Jason] Looking to binge on some Austin City Limits?

Stream your favorite PBS and WHRO programs on Roku and other smart devices.

- In 2020, as the world locked down, a small idea took root on a local porch, live music, safely shared from a distance, and just like that, Porchella in Norfolk was born.

- And what started as a handful of musicians playing for neighbors has grown into a thriving annual tradition, with more than 50 artists performing throughout the city.

- Passion and community spirit for this grassroots festival transforms porches into stages, front yards into ballrooms, and strangers into friends.

(upbeat guitar music) - It's a great event.

It's bringing people together in such a way that we just don't get together anymore.

And man, do we need that more than ever.

♪ I suppose I should've noticed ♪ ♪ I had a reason, I had a purpose ♪ ♪ But it wasn't what I made it out to be ♪ ("Drive") ♪ I suppose I should've noticed ♪ ♪ I have a habit of being impulsive ♪ - You know it when you feel it, right?

That (exhales), that, you know, ineffable thing of human connection.

Very powerful.

♪ And taken me out for a joyride ♪ - Porchella started in 2020 during COVID.

We were sitting out on the porch all of the time.

And nobody was allowed to go anywhere and everybody's feeling really cooped up and antsy, and I saw this on the internet that in Richmond, they had done a Porchella, and I said, "Oh, that doesn't look super complicated, we could do that here," having no idea how many people were gonna participate.

But we got about 12 people that signed up, and some of the bigger Norfolk artists, like Skye Zentz and Ann Gray, they went out and played, and they had such a good time.

We just loved it so much, and the musicians loved it, and the neighborhood loved it.

We had some great feedback from everybody of just how much they enjoyed the event, so we just wanted to keep it going.

(upbeat music) This is actually the first year that I had people ask me if I was gonna do Porchella again so that they could plan their holiday around it, and that was very, very cool.

And that was really what made me wanna go bigger.

However many musicians we get, we can find a porch for you to play on.

So this year about doubles what we had last year, with 50 musicians and 50 porch hosts spread out all over Norfolk.

- When I found out about it, I was really, really excited.

I signed up for it.

I was like, "I'll play on my own porch."

And I had no idea how many people were gonna come out, and I was all nerves, and I opened my front door, like, ready to come out, and it was crazy.

I couldn't believe how many people turned out.

And it's just, like, that kind of community gathering is so important.

That made a big impact on me, actually.

(crowd applauding) (upbeat music) - [Cristina] There are all kinds of different music this year, which is awesome.

I was really excited about having multiple different kinds of musicians.

So we have, you know, your normal acoustic, and then rock bands, punk rock, hip hop, R&B, some funk, some soul, psychedelic rock, EDM, a couple different DJs.

(upbeat dance music) It's my favorite night of the whole year.

It's so much fun.

It's just the sweetest, most wholesome night.

Everybody's just happy.

They've all got their Christmas spirit stuff still.

- [Skye] Cristina, who organizes it, does such a beautiful job.

- It's definitely a labor of love.

So I make a Facebook event, and then I post the participation form in the Facebook event, and it's also on Instagram.

I say, "Hey, we're doing Porchella.

If you'd like to participate, the link's in my bio."

There's a Google participation form.

Has all the different questions on it.

You know, what's your name?

What's your band name?

What kind of music do you play?

Or if you're a porch host, what kind of music do you prefer?

So I usually start with who's playing on their own porch.

(laughs) That's the easiest one.

And then I go by music taste.

So if people say they want rock or punk or indie, then I try to link them up with the right musician.

And I have an app on here so I can text from my phone, and I introduce the musician with the porch host.

- [Skye] People have to, like, go online and look on the map.

It's kind of like you're doing a treasure hunt for great music.

(upbeat music) - [Cristina] I do encourage everybody to bring cash.

Like, bring cash, tip your musicians, especially if there's one band that you really, really liked.

A lot of the bands will sell CDs, and they're more than welcome to.

And I know the first year, they got tipped really well, so I do try to push that.

♪ So don't you worry ♪ - [Cristina] So my son, Jacob Fletcher, is gonna play this year.

It took a long time to figure out what Jacob's thing was.

So after Nick, his dad, died, he picked up Nick's guitar, and so he started playing, like, pretty much immediately after.

He knocked it out, and it's been really, really fun for him.

I'm really excited that Jake's playing.

I'm really excited.

He is so good.

♪ Up all night, up all night ♪ - Cret and I had known each other for, I think, 22 years.

- I remember her very vividly, like, by the coffee counter.

She's looking up at me and she's like, "We gotta do something sometime, we gotta play."

- And then, you know, 20 years in life happened.

- She just texted me and was like, "Hey, we've gotta do this," and it was like, "Well, yeah, we do."

- So it's really great to, like, collaborate with someone that you've known a long time.

This is just like the perfect opportunity.

♪ But it's time to sound the choir, yeah ♪ I think ultimately, when I think of, like, what makes a music community, I think of grassroots things, things that are very DIY without a whole lot of artifice and pretension, and there's really nothing that is less pretentious than just, like, people on porches, making music in the way that people have always made music.

- [Cristina] There's a lot of, like, silliness while they're out and about, and everybody's in the best mood.

It's really, really fun.

♪ And we are strong and we are able ♪ (crowd applauding) - Welcome to "Curate Presents", a platform to introduce you to Hampton Roads' most talented filmmakers, while also getting a chance to see their incredible work.

I am here with Cetre Pegues.

How are you?

- I'm good.

How about yourself?

- I'm good.

I'm happy to hear that.

And today, we're here to talk about your filmmaking journey.

- [Cetre] All right.

- So, how did that start?

- It actually all began with a photograph that my father took of a elephant charging him and my mom, and a group that were on a safari.

- Okay.

- Everybody had to jump back into the bus to leave, and my daddy said, "Nah," and he just kept firing and kept firing and kept firing, right?

And I was like, man, my dad is... That's the dude, that's the man.

And that made me pick the camera up.

That's how it really started.

- Man, I wanna know the end of that story.

Did he jump out the way in the nick of time, or what?

- At the last minute.

- So that's what made you pick up your camera.

Now, what made you decide, "You know what?

I'm gonna make films with this."

- The story turns a little sadder.

I lost my brother.

That was a, you know, pretty traumatic thing for me, obviously.

And I just wanted to say, hey, you know, there's a whole segment of us that the world, you know, ignores a lot.

And I just picked up the camera and just started going from there.

- Your film, "Superheroes".

Tell me what that's about.

- In a nutshell, it's about a little boy who finds a superhero in his neighborhood, and we discover that the superhero is really within you.

- What inspired that?

- It's interesting.

So, my partners in crime, who actually work here for you guys, Mario and Treezy, and Mario came up with an idea to do a Nike commercial, right?

We were like, "Yeah."

And then my brain started going, I was like, "Well, what if we did this?

What if we added a kid?"

And it just snowballed into something much bigger.

- So what was your favorite part of this film?

- When lil Mario spins the tire.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- [Kayda] Why that part?

- I watched his dad's eyes light up when we shot that.

And so that just, it just always resonates with me.

- Okay, so where's this film being shown?

- The film has been shown in festivals all over the world, and I actually wanna emphasize the word world.

They've said that Black films don't do well overseas.

And we have won twice in India, we've won in France, we've won in Greece, just all over the world, we've won.

Not just placed, but won.

And that, to me, spoke volumes.

"Superheroes" has very, very, very little dialogue.

It's something that I'm quite proud of, in the fact that you get it by just watching it.

Yeah, and I think that's why it did so well across the sea, is because you don't need to really understand the language to appreciate it.

- Right.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

- Thank you for having me.

- Definitely.

And we're gonna check out "Superheroes" by Cetre Pegues.

(birds chirping) (gentle music) (wings flapping) (Brix panting) (gentle music continues) (Brix panting) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) - You should always peel bananas on the bottom part.

Easy peasy.

See?

No banana strings.

Not at all.

(gentle music continues) - Only as far as I can see you.

- Okay.

- All right, and stretch first.

Thanks.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (gentle music) (wheel clicking) (gentle music continues) (wheel clicking) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) - Brix, see you, baby.

All right.

(gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues) - You got this.

- [Brix] Thanks, Mario.

- Go Brix!

- What an amazing film.

- Absolutely.

I love the message about anyone can be a superhero.

- Me too.

- Now, I'm excited to find out what other projects we highlight this season on "Curate Presents".

- Well, unfortunately, that's our time, and we hope you enjoyed the start to season nine.

We have so many great stories that we're eager to share.

- Yes, yes.

And remember that this episode, as well as the individual segments that you saw in it, are all available online.

- And hey, before we go, can we see some more of Porchella?

- Absolutely.

It was so cool.

- It was.

- Hey, you heard her.

Look, we'll see you all next time on "Curate".

("Don't Call Me Baby") ("Don't Call Me Baby" continues) ♪ A little bit funny ♪ ♪ A little bit kind ♪ ♪ And sometimes unpredictable when I speak what's on my mind ♪ ♪ A little bit crass ♪ ♪ When I've had a little drink ♪ ♪ A little bit sad when I've had a little think ♪ ♪ And I tend to give it all ♪ ♪ Even when I'm empty ♪ ♪ Ans the business seems to balance out the play me ♪ ♪ So don't call me baby, yeah ♪ ♪ I don't need you to name me or label me ♪ ♪ There's just too much inside me, yeah ♪ ♪ I am everything, everywhere in one body, oh ♪ ♪ And your smooth talk couldn't possibly tame me ♪ ♪ So don't call me baby ♪ ♪ A little bit loud ♪ ♪ A little bit sexy ♪ ♪ Oh, if you put in a little effort ♪ ♪ Well, now, you just might impress me ♪ ♪ A little bit cautious ♪ ♪ And a whole lot of love ♪ ♪ A little guard down when we fit just like a glove ♪ ♪ And I tend to take risks ♪ ♪ Though I know that it may change me ♪ ♪ I'm not looking for somebody else to save me ♪ ♪ So don't call me baby, yeah ♪ ♪ I don't need you to name me or label me ♪ ♪ There's just too much inside me, yeah ♪ ♪ I am everything, everywhere in one body, oh ♪ ♪ And your smooth talk couldn't possibly tame me ♪ ♪ So don't call me baby, oh ♪ ♪ La, da, da, doo, doo, do, la, da, la, da, da ♪ ♪ Well, there's just too much inside of me to label me ♪ ♪ I am everything, everywhere all in one body ♪ ♪ So don't call me baby, yeah ♪ ♪ I don't need you to name me or label me, oh ♪ ♪ There's just too much inside me, yeah ♪ ♪ I am everything, everywhere in one body, yeah ♪ ♪ Well, don't you know your smooth talk ♪ ♪ Couldn't possibly tame me ♪ ♪ No, your smooth talk couldn't possibly tame me ♪ ♪ So don't call me baby, yeah ♪ (crowd applauding)