♪ >>> COMING UP ON "NYC ARTS," THE PROFILE OF PHOTOGRAPHER AND VIDEO ARTIST, LATOYA RUBY FRAZIER, WHOSE WORK HAS ADDRESSED ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH CARE INEQUALITY, AND RACISM.

>> IT IS A DUTY, A PRIVILEGE, AND AN HONOR TO BE ABLE TO USE THESE CAMERAS TO SERVE OTHERS AND TO BRING A REAL HUMAN STORY FORWARD IN A COMPLEX SITUATION.

>> A VISIT TO THE NA GUCCI MUSEUM IN QUEENS FOUNDED IN 1985 BY THE WORLD RENOWNED CSCULPTOR.

>> HE REALLY WANTED TO CHANGE SCULPTOR IN A WAY THAT MADE IT A FORCE FOR CIVIC GOOD.

HE WANTED TO MAKE IT AN ACTIVE PART OF OUR EVERYDAY LIVES.

THAT'S WHY HE NEVER STOPPED MAKING FURNITURE.

HIS LANCE SERIES PLAYGROUND, PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT.

SETS WERE CEDAR AND DANCE.

HE HAD LONG COLLABORATIONS WITH PEOPLE LIKE MARTHA GRAHAM.

>> AND WE'LL LOOK AT A HIGHLIGHT IN THE COLLECTION OF FOLK ART MUSEUM.

>> JOHN MARCEL ST. JACQUES GATHERED HIS HOME AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA AND STARTED FASHIONING WHAT HE CALLS WOODEN QUILTS, PAYING HOMAGE TO HIS GREAT GRANDFATHER WHO WAS A VOODOO MAN AND A JUNK COLLECTOR AND HIS GREAT GRANDMOTHER WHO WAS A QUILT MAKING.

>>> FUNDING FOR "NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- THEA PETSCHEK IERVOLINO FOUNDATION.

THE LEWIS "SONNY" TURNER FUND FOR DANCE.

THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION.

JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD.

ELISE JAFFE AND JEFFREY BROWN.

CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER.

THE NANCY SIDEWATER FOUNDATION.

THE MILTON AND SALLY AVERY ARTS FOUNDATION.

ELROY AND TERRY KRUMHOLZ FOUNDATION.

AND ELLEN AND JAMES S. MARCUS.

THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY MEMBERS OF THIRTEEN.

"NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY -- >> FIRST REPUBLIC BANK PRESENTS "FIRST THINGS FIRST."

AT FIRST REPUBLIC BANK, FIRST REFERS TO OUR FIRST PRIORITY.

THE CLIENTS WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS.

THE FIRST STEP?

RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY CLIENT IS AN INDIVIDUAL WITH UNIQUE NEEDS.

FIRST DECREE, BE A BANK WHOSE CURRENCY IS SERVICE IN THE FORM OF PUBLIC BANKING.

THIS WAS FIRST REPUBLIC'S MISSION FROM OUR VERY FIRST DAY.

IT'S STILL THE FIRST THING ON OUR MINDS.

>> AND BY -- >> SWANN AUCTION GALLERIES.

WE HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT AUCTIONS.

OFFERING VINTAGE BOOKS AND FINE ARTS SINCE 1941.

WORKING TO COMBINE KNOWLEDGE WITH ACCESSIBILITY.

WHETHER YOU'RE A LIFELONG COLLECTOR, A FIRST-TIME BUYER, OR LOOKING TO SELL.

INFORMATION AT SWANNGALLERIES.COM.

♪ >>> GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO "NYC ARTS."

I'M ON LOCATION AT THE JEWISH MUSEUM LOCATED AT 5th AVENUE AND 92nd STREET ON NEW YORK'S FAMED MUSEUM MILE.

IT IS A DESTINATION FOR ART AND JEWISH CULTURE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS.

FOUNDED IN 1904, THE MUSEUM WAS THE FIRST INSTITUTION OF ITS KIND IN THE UNITED STATES AND IS ONE OF THE OLDEST JEWISH MUSEUMS IN THE WORLD.

DEVOTED TO EXPLORING ART AND JEWISH CULTURE FROM ANCIENT TO CONTEMPORARY, THE MUSEUM OFFERS EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS FOR VISITORS OF ALL AGES.

IT ALSO MAINTAINS A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF NEARLY 30,000 WORKS OF ART, CEREMONIAL OBJECTS, AND MEDIA, REFLECTING THE GLOBAL JEWISH EXPERIENCE OF MORE THAN 4,000 YEARS.

CURRENTLY ON VIEW IS THE SPECIAL EXHIBITION, THE CAMERA WAS ALWAYS RUNNING.

THIS IS THE FIRST MUSEUM SURVEY OF THE LITHUANIAN BORN FILMMAKER, POET, AND CRITIC, WHO HELPED SHAPE THE AVANT-GARDE IN NEW YORK CITY AND BEYOND.

THIS IS THE FIRST U.S. SURVEY OF ITS KIND.

IT INCLUDES 11 FILMS, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND ARCHIVAL MATERIALS THAT EXPLORE THE DEPTH OF HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD OF THE MOVING IMAGE.

DURING THE FINAL MONTHS OF WORLD WAR II, HE WAS FORCED TO FLEE HIS NATIVE LITHUANIA DUE TO NAZI AND SOVIET OCCUPATION.

AFTER SPENDING FIVE YEARS IN A NAZI WORK CAMP AND THEN IN DISPLACED PERSONS CAMPS THROUGHOUT JOURNEY, MECASS EMIGRATED TO NEW YORK CITY IN 1949.

HE BECAME COUNTER CULTURE OF THE TIME AND LATER BECAME A FILMMAKER.

HE ALSO DEVELOPED WIDER DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS FOR FILMS AND ESTABLISHED SOME OF THE FIRST JOURNALS IN WHICH FILM CRITICI CRITICISM COULD APPEAR.

HE HIMSELF WROTE THE FIRST CRITICAL COLUMN ON CINEMA FOR THE VILLAGE VOICE.

IN 1969, HE COFOUNDED ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES, WHICH BECAME AND REMAINS, A FOCAL POINT FOR NEW YORK'S EXPERIMENTAL FILM SCENE.

OVER SEVEN DECADES, HE MADE NEARLY 100 FILMS AND VIDEOS, AMASSING FOOTAGE THAT WAS BOTH A RECORD OF HIS LIFE AND A RESOURCE FOR HIS ART.

EVEN AFTER MAKING NEW YORK HIS HOME, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXILE AND CREATIVITY WAS ALWAYS AT THE HEART OF HIS WORK.

ON OUR PROGRAM THIS EVENING, WE MEET PHOTOGRAPHER AND VIDEO ARTIST LATOYA RUBY FRAZIER.

FRAZIER GREW UP IN PENNSYLVANIA, WHERE SHE BEGAN PHOTOGRAPHING HER FAMILY AND HOMETOWN AT THE AGE OF 16.

FRAZIER'S PHOTOGRAPHS TELL STORIES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE USUALLY FORGOTTEN, GIVING THEM VISIBILITY THROUGH HER IMAGES.

HER PROJECT, WITH RESIDENCE OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, DOCUMENTING THE EFFECTS OF THE ONGOING WATER CRISIS THERE APPEARED IN "ELLE" MAGAZINE IN 2016.

HER WORK ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE, HEALTH CARE INEQUITY, AND RACISM, HAS APPEARED IN "NEW YORK TIMES" MAGAZINE, "THE NEW YORKERS" AND OTHER MAJOR PUBLICATIONS.

NYC ARTS SPOKE WITH FRAZIER AT GAVIN BROWN'S ENTERPRISE IN HARLEM.

>> MY WORK IS THE FRAMEWORK TO WHAT IT'S LIKE BEING A WORKING CLASS PERSON AND FAMILY FROM SOUTH WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.

ANDREW CREATED AND ESTABLISHED HIS FIRST FILM.

THE PLANT HAS BEEN OPERATING SINCE 1875.

BRADDOCK IS LOCATED NINE MILES OUTSIDE PITTSBURGH ALONG THE RIVER.

YOU TALK ABOUT AMERICA AND WHO BUILT AMERICA AND THE FACT THAT AMERICA IS BUILT BY -- STILL, EVEN IF WE LOOK AT THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE SPACE THAT WE'RE IN TODAY, EVERYTHING IS ANCHORED IN STEEL.

I WAS RAISED BETWEEN THESE TWO VERY STRONG WOMEN, MY GRANDMOTHER, RUBY, AND MY MOTHER, CYNTHIA.

MY MOTHER GREW UP HERE IN THE 30s.

AND THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN WHEN BRADDOCK WAS PROSPEROUS, VERY DIVERSE.

IT HAD A LOT OF WEALTH.

MY MOTHER GREW UP THERE IN THE '60s.

SHE WAS SOMEONE WHO WITNESSED THE SEGREGATION AND THE RACISM, AND I GREW UP THERE IN THE '80s, WHICH WOULD BE AFTER THEY CLOSED ALL THE SURROUNDING FACTORIES.

UNIONS WERE BROKEN UP, AND THE WAR ON DRUGS BREAKS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.

SO, I WAS COMING OF AGE WHEN THAT WAS HAPPENING AND I WAS A WITNESS TO THAT.

JUST LOOKING AT THEM IS WHAT PUSHED ME TO KIND OF CREATE A FAMILY ALBUM THAT MOST AMERICANS WOULDN'T WANT, RIGHT?

I THINK ALL AMERICANS KNOW THE KIND OF IMAGES THAT ARE NOTION OF FAMILY.

IT'S JUST SOCIALLY AND CULTURALLY WE'RE TAUGHT NEVER TO TALK ABOUT THOSE.

ONCE I STARTED COMING HOME WITH MY CAMERA, MY MOTHER BECAME IMMERSED AND ENGAGED.

SHE WAS A COLLABORATOR FROM THE VERY MOMENT.

AND I THINK THAT A LOT OF THIS COMES OUT OF MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE MAIZAL BROTHERS AND THEIR DOCUMENTARY FILM.

THEY BELIEVED THAT IF A PERSON WHO'S OVERLOOKED AND IGNORED BY SOCIETY ALL OF A SUDDEN HAS THIS CAMERA TURNED ON THEM, THEY'LL ENGAGE BECAUSE OTHERWISE THEY WOULD BE INVISIBLE AND VOICELESS.

WE ARE TRADITIONALLY TAUGHT IN THE HISTORY OF ART AND THE HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS NEVER RELINQUISH THEIR POW TORER TO THE SUBJECTS.

SO, I WAS ALSO TRYING TO BRING THE SAME TYPE OF VULNERABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OUT AND PROVE THAT THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF THAT LEGACY OF PHOTOGRAPHING FAMILY AND MAKING PHOTOGRAPHS WITH SOCIAL COMMENTARY ABOUT AMERICA.

LAYING THAT BARE TO THE VIEWER WAS ESSENTIAL FOR ME.

I'M JUST AS MUCH A PART OF THIS SITUATION AND THIS CRISIS.

I CONSIDER MYSELF AN ADVOCATE AND NOT SO MUCH AN ACTIVIST.

I THINK THAT'S VERY DIFFERENT.

I'M AN ADVOCATE AND A STORY TELLER.

YOU THINK ABOUT GORDON PARKSON, THE HARLEM FAMILY, WHICH WAS PUBLISHED IN "LIFE" MAGAZINE.

YOU THINK ABOUT HIS COLLABORATION WITH RALPH ELLISON ON "INVISIBLE MAN," A COLLABORATION BETWEEN BLACK ARTISTS, BLACK PHOTOGRAPHERS, BLACK POETS AND WRITERS, TRYING TO TELL ANOTHER STORY AND NARRATIVE FROM THE INSIDE TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC SO THEY CAN SEE IT CLEAR FOR WHAT IT IS.

IT IS THE EVERYDAY PERSON, THE EVERYDAY MAN, WOMAN, AND CHILD THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE BRUTALITY AND THE PITFALLS OF CAPITALISM, OF INEQUALITY, OF LIVING IN THESE SMALL TOWNS THAT HAVE BEEN ABANDONED BY THE STATE.

THEY'RE THE ONES, THESE INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES ARE THE ONES THAT CAN EXPRESS IT AND ARTICULATE IT THE BEST.

>> WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WATER, YOU DON'T CONSIDER GOVERNMENT.

IN FACT, YOU DON'T CONSIDER PEOPLE AT ALL.

EVEN THOUGH WE'VE BULILT PLANTS AND MACHINES TO PURIFY, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, YOU ONLY, IN YOUR MOST REMOTE MIND IF AT ALL, THINK ABOUT GOD, SOMETHING NATURE INTENDED.

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WATER, YOU DON'T CONSIDER POISON BECAUSE POISON ISN'T SOMETHING YOU CONSIDER FOR YOURSELF.

YOU DON'T THINK ABOUT MURDER.

>> THE WATER CRISIS BECAME PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE IN APRIL OF 2014.

AND BECAUSE OBAMA CAME ON MAY 4th IN 2016 AND THEY HAD THAT IMAGE OF HIM SIPPING THAT WATER, WHICH WAS SUPPOSEDLY FLINT RIVER WATER, THE AMERICAN CONSCIOUSNESS AND PSYCHE BELIEVED THAT THE WATER CRISIS WAS OVER.

IT WAS IN 2016 THAT I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM "ELLE" MAGAZINE, A MAGAZINE THAT'S ABOUT WOMEN, HEALTH, AND BEAUTY, TO BUILD OUT A SECTION FOR THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE TO HAVE INSIDE OF IT, BEFORE YOU GOT TO THE FASHION SPREAD, TEN PAGES UNINTERRUPTED OF PHOTO ESSAY TALKING ABOUT THE WATER CRISIS.

IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO KIND OF JUST PIVOT SLIGHTLY OUT OF THE GENERATIONAL CONNECTION BETWEEN MY GRANDMOTHER, MOTHER, AND ME TO THIS OTHER GENERATION OF THREE WOMEN, WHICH WAS RENEE COBB, HER DAUGHTER, SHAY COBB, AND SHAY'S DAUGHTER, ZION.

WHAT IT'S LIKE NOW FOR THEM TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO WATER AND HOW TO LIVE WITH CONTAMINATED AND POISONED WATER.

SHAY, SHE'S A SCHOOL BUS DRIVER, AND SHE WAS ALSO VERY ACTIVE IN ORGANIZING AND PUBLIC PROTESTS AS WELL.

SHE'S A SINGER.

SHE IS A POET.

SHE HAS SO MUCH CHARISMA AND HOPE AND FAITH AND JUST SUCH A POSITIVE OUTLOOK REGARDLESS OF THIS CIRCUMSTANCE THAT IS COMPLETELY CREATED, A MAN-MADE DISASTER BECAUSE OF INEQUALITY AND RACISM.

WHY NOT COLLABORATE WITH HER AND GET HER VOICE AND HER WORDS AND HER PERSPECTIVE?

SHE MADE IT VERY CLEAR TO HER CORPORATION IN "ELLE" MAGAZINE, SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, DON'T COME HERE EXPECTING TO SEE A VICTIM.

THAT'S NOT WHO WE ARE.

SHE UNDERSTANDS HOW THE MEDIA SHAPES STEREOTYPES AND DISCOURSE AROUND BLACK WOMEN, BLACK FAMILIES, AND BLACK COMMUNITIES.

AND SO I REALLY RELIED ON SHAY BEING MY EYES.

I WAS SIMPLY BEING A PASSIVE WITNESS BEING LED BY HER THROUGH THIS TOWN.

IT IS A DUTY, A PRIVILEGE, AND AN HONOR TO BE ABLE TO USE THESE CAMERAS TO SERVE OTHERS AND TO BRING A REAL HUMAN STORY FORWARD IN A COMPLEX SITUATION.

>>> NEXT ON OUR PROGRAM IS A TRIP TO THE NAGUCHI MUSEUM.

THE MUSEUM SAY CULMINATION OF HIS LEGACY.

ALTHOUGH HE WAS BORN IN LOS ANGELES, NAGUCCI SPENT MOST OF HIS CHILDHOOD IN JAPAN, ONLY RETURNING TO THE UNITED STATES FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE.

HE BEGAN SCULPTING AT AGE 18, AND WESEARLY IN HIS CAREER TURN TO ABSTRACTION.

NAGUCCI'S FASCINATION ARE ORGANICS STRIKED -- HE IS KNOWN FOR HIS LIFE SCULPTURES AS WELL AS HIS SET DESIGNS FOR THE INNOVATIVE CHOREOGRAPHER, MARTHA GRAHAM.

THE MUSEUM FEATURES HIS CLASSIC MONOLITHIC SCULPTURES, ALONG WITH DRAWINGS, MODELS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS FROM HIS FRUITFUL, SEVEN-DECADE CAREER.

>> HE WAS BORN IN 1904.

HE WAS BORN IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

HIS MOTHER WAS AN IRISH WOMAN FROM NEW YORK.

SHE WAS BORN IN BROOKLYN.

HIS FATHER WAS A TRAVELING POET FROM JAPAN.

HE WASN'T EVEN NAMED UNTIL HE WAS ALMOST THREE YEARS OLD.

HIS MOTHER JUST CALLED HIM BOY OR YO.

HIS IDENTITY WAS COMPLICATED.

FROM THE VERY FIRST MOMENT OF HIS BIRTH HE WAS BIRACIAL, CHOSE TO BE MULTICULTURAL HIS WHOLE LIFE BUT AT A TIME WHEN IT WAS MUCH HARDER.

HE ENROLLED AT COLUMBIA IN PRE-MED.

HIS MOTHER FELT HE WAS DESTINED FOR BIGGER THINGS BY BEING A DOCTOR, AND BY THAT SHE MEANT BEING AN ARTIST.

HE WAS A SPECTACULAR ACADEMIC SCULPTOR AT 19, 20.

AND THEN VERY QUICKLY REALIZED THAT HE WAS BECOMING THE POSTER BOY OF A PASSE ART FORM.

HE REALLY WANTED TO CHANGE SCULPTURE IN A WAY THAT MADE IT A FORCE FOR CIVIC GOOD.

HE WANTED TO MAKE IT AN ACTIVE PART OF OUR EVERYDAY LIVES.

THAT'S WHY HE NEVER STOPPED MAKING FURNITURE.

HIS LANCE SERIES, HE MADE PLAYGROUNDS.

HE MADE PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT.

HE MADE SETS FOR THEATER AND DANCE.

HE HAD LONG COLLABORATIONS WITH PEOPLE LIKE MARTHA GRAHAM.

THE MUSEUM WAS FOUNDED IN 1985.

NAGUCCI HAD BEEN HERE ALMOST TEN YEARS.

HE BOUT A DERELICT FACTORY BUILDING, WHICH IS THE RED BRICK BUILDING BEHIND ME, AND STARTED USING IT FOR STORAGE AND STAGING.

SCULPTURE IS ALL ABOUT PHYSICAL INCONVENIENCE.

EVERYTHING IS BIG AND HEAVY AND TAKES UP SPACE AND REQUIRES EQUIPMENT TO DEAL WITH.

SO, SCULPTORS ALWAYS NEED MORE ROOM.

HE DECIDED THAT IN ORDER TO ENCAPSULATE HIS PERSPECTIVE OR HIS POINT OF VIEW, HIS WAY OF THINKING OF THINGS, THAT THE BEST THING TO DO WAS TO BUILD AN INSTITUTION.

AND SO HE BEGAN TO TURN HIS PRIVATE GARDEN AND SPACE INTO A DISPLAY SPACE.

WHEN THE MUSEUM OPENED IT WAS SEASONAL.

WHEN NAGUCCI WOULD BE HERE HIMSELF, YOU WOULD RING THE BELL AND HE WOULD COME DOWN AND WALK YOU THROUGH.

ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'LL NOTICE WHEN YOU COME TO OUR MUSEUM PROBABLY RIGHT AWAY IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE WALL LABELS.

WE DO THAT BECAUSE WHEN THE MUSEUM FIRST OPENED THERE WERE LABELS IDENTIFYING ALL THE SCULPTURES SOMEWHERE NEAR THEM IN A TRADITIONAL MUSEUM FASHION.

GRADUALLY HE JUST REMOVED THEM AND IT'S BECAUSE HE WANTED YOUR EXPERIENCE OF THE WORK TO BE PRIMARY.

THE FASTEST WAY TO KILL AN ARTWORK IS TO PRETEND THAT YOU SOLVED IT.

THE MUSEUM IS REALLY ABOUT A DIRECT AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THESE OBJECTS AND THESE THINGS AND MORE IMPORTANT THE LARGER SENSE OF AN ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY CREATE.

THEY REALLY PRODUCE AN ATMOSPHERE.

AND WE'RE STANDING IN THIS GARDEN, WHICH ISN'T EVEN TWO-THIRDS OF AN ACRE -- IT'S TEENY TINY, IT'S A POSTAGE STAMP.

HE CALLED THE MUSEUM AN OASIS ON THE EDGE OF A BLACK HOLE.

THE BLACK HOLE IS NEW YORK CITY.

YOU COME HERE AND YOU SOAK IT IN AND YOU SOAK IT IN THROUGH OSMOSIS.

IT'S LIKE VISITING A FOREST, NOT LIKE GOING TO THE MUSEUM.

MAYBE HIS MOST SUCCESSFUL SCULPTURE OVERALL ARE HIS LANTERNS.

HE CALLED THEM LANTERNS RATHER THAN LAMPS BECAUSE HE SAID HE WANTED THEM TO BE AS MOVABLE AS BUTTERFLIES.

TRADITIONAL PAPER LANTERNS ARE MADE WITH A PARTICULAR KIND OF BAMBOO RIBBING AND WASHI PAPER THAT'S MADE WITH THE INTERIOR BARK OF A MULBERRY TREE.

AND IT PRODUCES A PAPER THAT'S MORE DURABLE, MORE FLEXIBLE, AND MORE RESILIENT THAN CLASSIC COTTON PAPER.

A BASALT COLUMN IS A SINGLE CRYSTAL OF BASALT, AND HE WORKED WITH HARDER AND HARDER STONES BECAUSE HE WANTED THE MATERIAL TO RESIST HIM.

WHAT HE REALLY LIKED WAS STONES THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN MARKED IN SOME PROCESS THAT HE WOULD THEN INCORPORATE INTO THE WORK.

UK SEE THE LINES OF DRILL HOLES.

THOSE DRILL HOLES WERE MADE MANUALLY.

THEY'LL PUSH BAMBOO WEDGES AND THE BAMBOO WEDGES EXPAND ENOUGH TO CRACK THE STONE.

HE LOVED THAT AND HE LOVED THE PRODUCT OF THIS BREAKING PROCESS.

SO, HE WOULD TAKE THESE STONE COLUMNS AND SET THEM UP RIGHT, SLICE OFF THE BOTTOM SO THEY WOULD STAND UP, AND MAKE HIS FEW ADJUSTMENTS TO TURN THEM INTO SCULPTURE, IN AIR QUOTES.

THIS WELL THAT'S BEHIND ME THAT IS A CIRCULATING FOUNTAIN, WATER JUST CASCADES OVER THE STONE, THAT'S ANOTHER OF THOSE BASALT COLUMNS JUST LOPPED OFF WITH THE CORING DRILL MAKING A HOLE IN IT.

SOME OF THESE SCULPTURES ARE ERODING, BUT THE TREES ARE GROWING.

THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER IS CHANGING CONSTANTLY OVER TIME.

HE PLANTED ALL OF THE TREES.

SO, THE MAGNIFICENT TREE THAT PROVIDES THE CANOPY THAT DOMINATES THE GARDEN REALLY WAS A SPRIG.

IT WAS A QUARTER INCH SAPLING.

AND NOW YOU SEE WHAT THAT'S BECOME.

AND THAT'S WHY THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE NAGUCCI MUSEUM IN THIS GARDEN.

>>> NEXT, WE'LL VISIT THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM, LOCATED ACROSS FROM LINCOLN CENTER.

SINCE 1961, THIS MUSEUM HAS BEEN CELEBRATING THE CREATIVITY OF ARTISTS WHOSE TALENTS HAVE BEEN REFINED THROUGH PERSONAL EXPERIENCE RATHER THAN FORMAL ARTISTIC TRAINING.

ITS COLLECTION INCLUDES MORE THAN 8,000 WORKS OF ART FROM FOUR CENTURIES REPRESENTING NEARLY EVERY CONTINENT.

>> JOHN MARCEL ST. JACQUES IDENTIFIES AS A 12th GENERATION AFRO CREOLE FROM LOUISIANA.

AROUND 60 YEARS AGO, WHEN HE RETURNED TO NEW ORLEANS WITH HIS FAMILY, HE BOUGHT A HOUSE THAT HAD BEEN A ROOMING HOUSE FOR SINGLE MALE MUSICIANS RUN BY A WOMAN NAMED MOTHER SISTER.

AND HE BOUGHT THIS ROOMING HOUSE.

BUT SHORTLY AFTER HE MOVED IN, NEW ORLEANS EXPERIENCED THE ENORMOUS, HEARTBREAKING DEVASTATION OF HURRICANE KATRINA.

JOHN MARCEL ST. JACQUES' HOME WAS DESTROYED.

AND RATHER THAN GIVING IN TO DESPAIR, HE GATHERED HIS HOME AND STARTED FASHIONING WHAT HE CALLED WOODEN QUILTS, PAYING HOMAGE TO HIS GREAT GRANDFATHER WHO WAS A VOODOO MAN AND A JUNK COLLECTOR.

AND HIS GREAT GRANDMOTHER WHO WAS A QUILT MAKER.

IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT THE PIECES OF WOOD, THEY ARE STUDDED WITH NAILS AND ALL THE OTHER KINDS OF ARCHITECTURAL AND CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS THAT YOU WOULD SEE IN A HOME.

HE USES HOUSE PAINTS TO PAINT THESE PIECES OF WOOD, BUT HE WAS ALWAYS MINDFUL OF THE PALACE OF HIS GREAT GRANDMOTHER AND HER STRIP QUILTS.

WHEN I ASKED HIM ABOUT THE PROCESS THAT HE USES IN COLORING AND MAKING AND CONSTRUCTING HIS QUILT, HE SAID, WELL, LIKE ANY GOOD CREOLE COOK, THE SECRET IS IN THE RUE, BUT I AIN'T TELLING YOU ALL WHAT THAT IS.

JOHN MARCEL HAS EMBEDDED TWO SELF-PORTRAITS AMONG THE PIECES OF GOOD, AND IT SHOWS HIM IN HIS GUISE AS A SPIRITUAL LEADER PRACTICING WHAT HE CALLS FOLK MAGIC AS A DESCENDANT OF A VOODOO MAN.

THE TITLE OF THIS PIECE, MOTHER SISTER MAY HAVE SAT IN THAT CHAIR WHEN SHE LIVED IN THIS HOUSE BEFORE ME.

IT'S REFERRING TO MOTHER SISTER WHO RAN THE BOARDING HOME FOR SINGLE MUSICIANS.

AND THERE ARE TWO SIDES THAT FASHION A CHAIR.

ONE IS UPRIGHT AND ONE IS DOWN.

SO, HE HAS, IN FACT, INSTILLED PHYSICAL REMAINS OF HER PRESENCE IN HIS HOME INTO THIS PIECE THAT HE HAS CREATED TO PAY HOMAGE TO HIS ANCESTORS AND TO HIS OWN LOUISIANA HISTORY AND TO THE SUFFERING OF THOSE WHO SURVIVED HURRICANE KATRINA IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD IN NEW ORLEANS.

>>> NEXT WEEK ON "NYC ARTS," A TRIP TO THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN FOR A LOOK AT THE EXHIBITION GARMENTING, COSTUME AS CONTEMPORARY ART, WHICH SHOWS HOW CLOTHING CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO SCULPTURE, INSTALLATION, AND EVEN PERFORMANCE ART.

>> THIS IS THE FIRST GLOBAL SURVEY OF ARTISTS WHO ARE USING GARMENTS AS A MEDIUM.

THEY ARE MAKING OR ALTERING GARMENTS FOR EXPRESSIVE PURPOSES.

>>> AND A VISIT TO THE BROOKLYN STUDIO OF -- A CUBAN AMERICAN ARTIST WHOSE WORKS HAVE BEEN ON VIEWING GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS AROUND THE WORLD.

>> I LIKE THE IDEA OF TRANSLATING A PLACE OR EXPERIENCE FROM BEING IN A PLACE INTO A PAINTING.

SO, I'VE IMAGINED MYSELF DISSECTING A WALL INSTEAD OF A PAINTING A CANVAS AND IMAGINING THAT WHAT I'M DISCOVERING BY PAINTING IS THE ACCUMULATION OF THE MANY YEARS OF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DONE.

>>> I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED OUR PROGRAM THIS EVENING.

GOOD NIGHT AND SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

♪ ♪ >>> FUNDING FOR "NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- THEA PETSCHEK IERVOLINO FOUNDATION.

THE LEWIS "SONNY" TURNER FUND FOR DANCE.

THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION.

JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD.

ELISE JAFFE AND JEFFREY BROWN.

CHARLES AND VALERIE DIKER.

THE NANCY SIDEWATER FOUNDATION.

THE MILTON AND SALLY AVERY ARTS FOUNDATION.

ELROY AND TERRY KRUMHOLZ FOUNDATION.

AND ELLEN AND JAMES S. MARCUS.

THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY MEMBERS OF THIRTEEN.

"NYC ARTS" IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY -- >> FIRST REPUBLIC BANK PRESENTS "FIRST THINGS FIRST."

AT FIRST REPUBLIC BANK, FIRST REFERS TO OUR FIRST PRIORITY, THE CLIENTS WHO WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS.

THE FIRST STEP?

RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY CLIENT IS AN INDIVIDUAL WITH UNIQUE NEEDS.

FIRST DECREE, BE A BANK WHOSE CURRENCY IS SERVICE IN THE FORM OF PERSONAL BANKING.

THIS WAS FIRST REPUBLIC'S MISSION FROM OUR VERY FIRST DAY.

IT'S STILL THE FIRST THING ON OUR MINDS.

>> AND BY -- >> SWANN AUCTION GALLERIES.

WE HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT AUCTIONS, OFFERING VINTAGE BOOKS AND FINE ARTS SINCE 1941.

WORKING TO COMBINE KNOWLEDGE WITH ACCESSIBILITY WHETHER YOU'RE A LIFELONG COLLECTOR, A FIRST-TIME BUYER, OR LOOKING TO SELL.

INFORMATION AT SWANNGALLERIES.COM.