Funding for COLORES was provided in part by: Frederick Hammersley Fund, New Mexico PBS Great Southwestern Arts & Education Endowment Fund, and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNME-TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation.

.New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts.

and Viewers Like You.

JULIANA COLES, AN ARTIST WITH EPILEPSY, CREATES EXTREME VISUAL JOURNALS TO COPE WITH HER CONDITION AND NOW TEACHES THIS POWERFUL HEALING PROCESS TO OTHERS.

PART OF THEIR HEALING TOUCH, THE FIVE RIVERS HEALTH CENTER SHOWCASES A VIBRANT COLLECTION OF LOCAL ART.

DISCOVER THE LEGACY OF HILDRETH MEIÈRE, A PIONEERING 20TH- CENTURY MURALIST, WHOSE VIBRANT ART DECO DESIGNS HELPED TRANSFORMED AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE.

It's all ahead on COLORES EXPLORING THE WRECKAGE >>Juliana Coles: I think for me, being an epileptic, my life is fear-based.

Am I going to survive?

Will I live through this?

Will I ever wake up?

Will I wake up with a brain?

You know, um, will I wake up and be able to talk?

Uh, so, I think the darkness has always been my place.

My, I'm, I know about it.

Um, I'm not going to say I'm not afraid, but I can go in there.

And, as the guide, I can take people in there.

>>Faith Perez: Can you tell me what visual journaling is and how you came to create it?

>>Juliana Coles: It was something that I, um, was doing regularly, working in the sketchbook, and um, combining words with images.

It took a lot of time, but it really made my brain focus.

And, I'm epileptic.

And so, there was something very healing and grounding about what I was doing.

And after some time, I was interested, again being an epileptic, about the therapeutic benefits of art making and journal writing.

And I really started to take the time to think about “What am I doing?

Why does this feel healing when I do these words?” So, everything that I've done since then has just kind of further developed that.

Honed it.

I started researching art therapy and psychology, and adding some of those tools, um, to the workshops that I was teaching.

When you combine the journal writing with the art making in the same place, an inner dialogue is being created.

And through these different voices I'm gaining wisdom.

All these thoughts that we think, you know, it's like, really toxic and negative.

Getting it out on the page, you're done with it.

You know, um, that's the healing aspect of it.

You're kind of cleansed.

And to see it on the page with the imagery, now it's beautiful.

You know like your wounds, all this stuff that has caused you trauma all your life, is actually something really important and integral to the being that you're becoming.

And so, people see their own beauty on the page, and I think, just feel better about who they are.

>>Faith Perez: What themes frequently show up in your journals?

>>Juliana Coles: Um, in the workshops I teach a lot of different assignments and a lot of different themes trying to access different information.

And I developed this pirate- themed workshop.

So now, you're sort of creating these pages from this archetype of, you know, the outlaw, the rogue.

So, as an adult, getting to act out these different characters, these heroes in your own life, or these outlaws, or things that inside are fears.

Like, now you're slashing them with the knife or, or in the wreck.

Well, what's in the wreckage?

How are you Salvaging that inner gold?

Like, how are you bringing up the treasure?

So, these pirate journals really became, um, a wonderful method of really raw and authentic expression.

>> Faith Perez: Why is it important to explore that wreckage?

>>Juliana Coles: That's where the gold is.

That's where the treasure is.

Um, it's not in a false life.

It's in a place of authenticity.

So, if you can be all that you are, and own it, and live from there, and love it, like, it's very healing.

And, um, Carl Jung, the famous psychologist, um, he said, “we do not become enlightened by imagining figures of life, but by making the darkness conscious.” When my fears come up, I hear them.

I recognize them.

I can put them in the book and explore that.

And I think the wreckage helps us, um, explore and expose that, tenderly.

Tenderly.

When my mom died it was really, uh, traumatizing.

And that grief and that loss, um, I don't really know what would have happened to me if I didn't have visual journaling.

This is an old photo of my mom.

Um, my mom was a belly dancer and that was her job.

She was a professional belly dancer and she traveled to Europe with her troupe.

And, um, so, that was really radical, um, in high school in the 70s, to have a mom who was a belly dancer.

And so, I learned a lot of different ways of being that were not necessarily normal, that were completely outside of the box.

So, things come in, in all these different, different, from different places, different times.

And That's what I mean about, like now, I'm going to reconcile all of that.

So, it's that idea of, like, you know, what are these lessons, my life lessons?

This here says, “keep dancing.” I think that's sort of the beauty of this visual journaling practice is that, like, there's, there's no timeline.

It's just ongoing.

Like we are we are so multi-faceted and layered.

And it really comes out in this process.

Like, we get to see like, from our, our youth to our older self.

And they're all in here.

And they're all talking.

And they all have a voice.

And they all have wisdom and they all have something to share.

>>Faith Perez: So, what are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your work, especially concerning themes, of like, grief, loss, and empowerment?

>>Juliana Coles: As a teacher, I think I really thrive and love the things that scare most people.

Um, emotions.

You know, vulnerability.

So, if people are angry, or if they're crying, I'm not afraid of it.

I'm, I'm so present to that.

I love it.

When I do a small group at my studio and we're in our work, and we're deep, and we're vulnerable, and we're honest.

Most of us don't get that experience anywhere in our lives.

That we're completely accepted.

And it's really a gift.

And I have so much gratitude for having had that in my life.

I think if I was just doing all this visual journaling on my own, and it's my art form, um, it would have been something.

But to be able to be in this group of people, usually women, it's transformative.

And uh, I love it.

I love it.

HEALING TOUCH Five Rivers Health Centers is a non-profit community health center and we are here to serve patients with primary care.

And we turn no one away.

We see patients regardless of their ability to pay.

>> This site is the largest federally qualified health center site in Ohio.

When we initially started, we served 12,000 patients, 45,000 visits.

We're now up to 27,000 patients, over 90,000 visits a year.

So, it's all about access.

>> When we decided several years ago to consolidate some of our smaller clinics, we looked around the community and tried to find a place that made sense for us and was close to our patients, and the Edgemont property that used to be Whittier School many, many years ago was ideal.

And, we decided to build this facility.

It is 84,000 square feet.

It is very large, but we provide so many services and resources here that our patients can really come here and know that they're coming to a one- stop shop.

When we first started working with our architect, consultants proposed to us: Why don't you purchase 20 pieces of framed art, this size.

And, you know, 20 stock photographs, this size.

And, that's how you will decorate your space.

We started talking to Terry Welker who is the amazing sculpture artist that did the piece in our main lobby.

And, he said, you know, there's a very wonderful group of local artists here in the Dayton area.

And, you ought to talk to them.

That was the starting point and we started realizing, let's do it local.

Let's make sure to support the local artists and let's make sure that we are bringing the community into the space and into the building.

And, that's what we did.

>> Five Rivers has the best art collection in town.

The commitment they made to the local arts is phenomenal.

Kim and Gina came to visit my studio and we talked about what they were looking for and they looked through my art and I had some pieces that were perfect for the pediatric center.

I had a few pieces that were great for the women's center and then at that point, they asked: well, we don't know how to put this all together, could you help us?

And, I said, sure, I'd love to.

After I saw Five Rivers Health Center and I saw they still had some blank walls, they have 88 exam rooms.

I felt they needed art, and I just started to think, you know, pediatrics, it would be really great to get some kids art.

And so, I went into Dayton Leadership Academy and Louise Troy Elementary, which is right down the street.

And, these kids see the health center and so it was really special working with the local kids.

It's very abstract but what they really worked with was color and movement.

We really talked about emotions and feelings and I would ask them: if you're going to the dentist, what kind of color do you want to see on the walls?

Oh, I want something calm.

We would like some blues and some teals.

And, these kids learned how to mix all those colors on their own.

They learned about tints, tones, shades and by the end of the project if I would ask: “Oh, could you just stir me up a teal?” They could do it.

They really understood it.

>> Currently, the collection is about 150 pieces total.

And, we have supported 70 local artists, and that includes not just individuals but also student groups from the two schools that Amy Deal worked with and We Care Arts.

So, there's a wide array of works and looks, the collection is very diverse.

>> We wanted to make sure that since we're in the heart of an African American community that we involve the African American Visual Artists Guild to be a part of it, and then we had fun shopping at Front Street Galleries with all of those wonderful artists.

>> In addition to supporting artists that are known in the community, we also have art from individuals who have never sold their works before.

They may never have been included in any kind of public or community space or exhibited their works.

And, that was really exciting to talk to our staff and have someone say: well, my dad's a painter, he's retired from GM, but he paints in his garage and he has this amazing artwork.

And, we would go take a look and then we would purchase a couple of pieces.

So, that's been awesome to share works with the community from artists that are not well known yet but hopefully they will be.

>> Many of our patients don't get the chance to see art every day, and so to have it as a part of their healthcare, I feel this is part of our healing touch that we're doing from a visual perspective.

And, because we put a little bit of information about each artist through the QR codes that we have, they can get to learn a little bit more about the artists as well.

My favorite piece is called “Yes, We Can” by Andrea Cummings.

And, it displays a Black ballerina doing ballet pointed toe.

And, so when I was growing up, my instructor told the class that African Americans don't do point.

And, it was a little offensive, when I went home to tell my mother and she's like: you are going to do toe!

Now, there's so many African American ballet dancers who do en pointe but I was the only one in my dance troupe who did ballet en pointe.

>> I find myself having a different favorite every week.

I tend to really find myself enjoying the second floor, the Dayton gallery wall because it's got a lot of different photographs, paintings, prints of places and spaces around Dayton.

So, there are some shots from Carillon Park and the VA Cemetery and so that wall of multiple pieces is one of my favorites.

We are open to the public and so even if you're not a patient of Five Rivers, we would love to have you come in and experience the local art that we have in the building.

>> They could probably see almost about 50 percent of the art.

The other 50 percent are behind locked doors.

It's in an exam room.

It's in a conference room.

You need a badge to get through, but it would be our pleasure.

Stop by, we'd love to show it off.

This building is a showplace if you haven't had a chance to see it yet.

And, the fact that it's right here within the West Dayton neighborhood of Edgemont is just a cherry on top.

BREAKING AWAY Anna Kupik: I am Anna Kupik and I am the President of the International Hildreth Meière Association, also known as IHMA, as well as the great-granddaughter of Hildreth Meière.

Today we're here at Temple Emanu-El in New York City in the Landmark District in Manhattan.

Temple Emanu-El is the largest synagogue in the world and can host 2,500 people.

Hildreth Meière was one of the most renowned American muralists of the 20th century.

Her career lasted for over 40 years, starting in the 1920s until 1961, when she passed away.

She pioneered a modern approach to murals.

Hildreth really broke away from academic tradition and blended influences such as early Byzantine mosaic, Egyptian wall painting, classical Greek vase painting, and Native American beadwork.

She really incorporated vibrant color, scale, and ornamental style, which were all elements that really became synonymous with Art Deco designs.

Hildreth and the architects that she worked with would have likely defined their stylistic approach as modernistic.

The term Art Deco wasn't really expressed until the mid-1960s.

She designed approximately 100 commissions, both secular and liturgical.

Generally, Hildreth's design process would start small in sketch form, and then she would also utilize smaller studies.

Hildreth provided the design, but however did not install the work herself.

Fabricators and installation firms would be hired.

And in the case of St. Bartholomew's and Temple Emanu-El Puhl and Wagner's Berlin factory was used to fabricate.

Hildreth got to visit the factory to learn everything that she could about the mosaic making process and its execution.

Hildreth was selected to provide the Byzantine style glass mosaic decoration for the eight-story high arch of the main sanctuary that encases the Bimah and the Arc housing the Torahs on the Eastern wall behind it.

Temple Emanu-El and the work at St. Bartholomew were completed in close succession.

Over 20 years after the dedication of St. Bart's, Hildreth was asked to design six figurative clear storied stained-glass windows.

Unfortunately, Hildreth was only able to complete four out of the six proposed windows.

I feel she can be very proud of her first stained glass work and how all three of her commissions, the Apse, the Narthex, and those stained-glass windows are in harmony.

John D. Rockefeller Jr. proceeded with building Radio City Music Hall, and the over Rockefeller Center complex despite the stock market crash.

Hildreth was asked to design three roundels for the 50th street facade, which are up 60 feet high above the Radio City Marquee.

The three roundels were chosen to represent the three forms of theater: song, drama, and dance.

The completed work also represents Hildreth's first time and the first time in general, that metal and enamel decoration were used on such a large architectural scale in the U.S. Hildreth was quite an enthusiastic fan of theater and ballet.

While she was attending performances, she would very intensely observe all the action on stage.

Among her subjects was the legendary actress Margaret Anglin, known for her role in Greek tragedies and Shakespearean dramas.

Anglin was so impressed by Hildreth's ability to capture the spirit of the performances that she asked Hildreth to attend her rehearsals.

Not only did Anglin purchase all of the Hildreth sketches, she encouraged Hildreth to relocate to New York City in order to design costumes for a series of plays that Anglin was appearing in.

And within a week, Hildreth met with Livingston and Platt, Anglin's costume and set designer in New York.

She designed costumes for the “Canterbury Pilgrims” a Reginald de Koven opera that debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1917.

One Wall Street was completed in 1931.

The primary goal of the commission was to create a really warm inviting reception room for the Irving Trust Company.

The challenge was that the room was irregular and faceted with undulating walls that echoed the curved limestone panels of the building's exterior.

The irregular shape makes it difficult to see a repeat in the abstract design, but the patterns are actually repeated on opposite walls.

And if you're ever in the Red Room, you should look for the stamps that indicate how they laid out those panels.

This commission allowed Hildreth to demonstrate talent for creating drama solely through the use of color.

The color gradation moves from the floor in an oxblood red to brilliant orange, and then into a gold glow.

Hildreth Meière's final corporate commission, final New York area commission, were the three large panels in marble mosaic to decorate the walls above the elevator banks at the Prudential Plaza in Newark, New Jersey.

Hildreth selected the Pillars of Hercules as her theme in recognition of the Prudential Insurance company's logo, the Rock of Gibraltar.

Once again, she created a narrative Art Deco design influenced by ancient Greek vase painting and mythology.

When the lobby for the Prudential Plaza was renovated in the late nineties, Hildreth's three panels were removed and placed in storage.

Unfortunately, they faced extensive damage.

In 2013, Tony Schiavo, who had been the head mosaicist and was responsible for the original fabrication of the panels, came out of retirement to work with master mosaicist Steven Miotto of Miotto Mosaics on the restoration.

Once the restoration was complete, Prudential donated the center panel to the Newark Museum of Art where it can be seen today.

The International Hildreth Meière Association, also known as IHMA, was founded in 2004 by my grandmother Louise Meière Dunn, who was Hildreth's only child.

IHMA is uniquely positioned to educate the public since we have a firsthand account of her life, including diaries, letters, and pictures.

The house I grew up in in Stanford, Connecticut housed a lot of Hildreth's sketches and studies and was her summer home.

So, her spirit and her art was everywhere in the background of my childhood.

And I'm really thankful to have a consistent connection to Hildreth my whole life.

Most people think they need to go to Europe to see beautiful architecture and decorative art, but Hildreth brought it here to 17 states across the country.

She created something for everyone.

Hildreth created a huge body of work in a relatively short period of time.

She contributed to architectural structures and decorative art that are relevant today.

She created work that is not only representative of that Art Deco time period, but has stood the test of time and is now being appreciated by future generations.

The award-winning arts and culture series ¡COLORES!

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From classic episodes to brand new shows, ¡COLORES!

is everywhere.

Watch now on your favorite NMPBS platforms.

Funding for COLORES was provided in part by: Frederick Hammersley Fund, New Mexico PBS Great Southwestern Arts & Education Endowment Fund, and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNME-TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation.

.New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts.

and Viewers Like You.