♪ MUSIC ♪ >>GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES.

FROM OUR HOME STUDIOS, I'M DAVID DUMKE.

>>AND I'M KATIE CORONADO.

WELCOME.

TODAY WE HAVE WITH US A VERY SPECIAL GUEST, WANDA RAIMUNDI-ORTIZ.

WANDA, WELCOME.

>>HI, GOOD MORNING.

GOOD MORNING.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>>WANDA, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT MAKES YOUR WORK DIFFERENT?

>>WELL, I THINK THE APPROACH THAT I HAVE TO ART-MAKING IS ART AS SOCIAL PRACTICE, SOCIAL JUSTICE, ART THAT DRAWS ATTENTION TO ISSUES THAT ARE PREVALENT RIGHT NOW, BUT I THINK THE APPROACH THAT I TAKE IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.

SO, SOMETIMES I MAKE OBJECTS, SOMETIMES I DO DRAWING, SOMETIMES I DO PERFORMANCE ART WORK.

I DO STUFF ON VIDEO.

I USE HUMOR.

SO, THESE ARE THE APPROACHES THAT I TAKE ARE WHAT MAKE ME A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.

THE SUBJECT MATTER IS NOT SO DIFFERENT, BUT HOW I APPROACH IT IS DIFFERENT.

>>I WAS READING SOMETHING YOU WROTE A YEAR OR TWO AGO, AND YOU DESCRIBED YOURSELF AS, "I AM PUERTO RICAN, AMERICAN, ACADEMIC, ARTIST, TROUBLEMAKER, OBSERVER, AND BRONX CHICK."

SO, I'M WONDERING HOW YOUR BACKGROUND HAS SHAPED YOUR WORK.

>>OH, I THINK EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT BACKGROUND AFFECTS MY... WELL, I THINK IT AFFECTS HOW I INTERACT WITH THE WORLD.

I FEEL LIKE...

THE WORD THAT WE USE NOW IS THE INTERSECTION, RIGHT?

BUT I ALWAYS THOUGHT OF IT MORE AS A FRACTURE.

RIGHT?

WHERE YOU THINK ABOUT INTERSECTIONS AS THINGS THAT MOVE FLUIDLY, BUT I FELT LIKE I WAS IN THIS PLACE LIKE A STRANGE CROSSROADS.

I HONESTLY FEEL LIKE I'M AT AN INTERESTING ADVANTAGE BECAUSE I CAN SPEAK TO THE HOOD, I CAN SPEAK TO BEING PUERTO RICAN, I CAN SPEAK TO BEING FROM THE AFRICAN DIASPORA, AND I CAN SPEAK TO ACADEMIA.

I CAN SPEAK TO, NOW, QUASI-SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE.

SO, I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN AFFORDED THIS INTERESTING OPPORTUNITY, THIS INTERESTING VANTAGE POINT, TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THINGS.

WELL, LIKE I SAID, FROM A VERY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE.

>>WANDA, GOING BACK TO WHAT YOU MENTIONED ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND INFLUENCING ALL OF YOUR WORK, LET'S GO INTO YOUR BACKGROUND.

HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START IN THE ART WORLD AND THEN MAKE YOUR WAY INTO TEACHING?

>>WOW.

WELL, I GUESS THAT WOULD BE THE TROUBLEMAKER PART, MY ART MAKING.

HONESTLY, I WAS TRAINING AS AN ILLUSTRATOR, AS A FASHION ILLUSTRATOR AT FIT IN NEW YORK CITY, AND I HAD A LOVE AFFAIR WITH COMICS AND ALSO FASHION AND WITH FEMALE BODIES.

BUT AT THE TIME, WHEN I WAS TRYING TO MAKE MY WAY IN THE ART WORLD, AS AN ILLUSTRATOR, I KEPT GETTING THIS CRITIQUE THAT MY DRAWINGS AND MY FIGURES WERE TOO ETHNIC-LOOKING, AND THAT REALLY TROUBLED ME.

AND I FELT THIS PRESSURE TO SUBLIMATE MY BROWNNESS, TO SUBLIMATE WHAT I CONSIDERED NORMAL.

AND I'M NOT ONE TO KOWTOW LIKE THAT, SO I SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT?

I'M NOT DOING THIS."

AND I FELT THAT I NEEDED TO TELL THE STORIES THAT I THOUGHT WERE IMPORTANT, THE IDEAS OF BEING WOKE BEFORE WOKE WAS A THING, SPEAKING ABOUT BEING PROUD OF BEING PUERTORRIQUENA, THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN TRYING TO UPHOLD AN HONORABLE IMAGE OF THE ISLAND AND OUR NATIONAL IDENTITY, BUT NOT REALLY EVER BEING RAISED THERE.

SO, THIS STRETCHING AND PULLING OF THIS ROMANTICIZED IDEA OF BEING PUERTO RICAN, BUT ALSO BEING IN THE HOOD AND SEEING WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE.

AND SO, THAT'S THE NEXUS... ACTUALLY, NOT THE NEXUS, THE IMPETUS FOR ALL THE WORK THAT I WANTED TO MAKE IN THE FUTURE, TO TELL THESE STORIES THAT ARE OUT IN THE FRINGES, FROM THE FRACTURE POINT THAT I WAS STANDING, TO PUERTO RICAN TO BE ONE OF THE WHITE GIRLS IN MY ARTSY HIGH SCHOOL, AND TO ARTSY WHITE GIRL, WANT-TO-BE WHITE GIRL TO BE DOWN WITH THE HOOD, AND DEFINITELY TO PUERTO RICAN FOR EITHER ONE OF THOSE GROUPS.

AND SO, I ALWAYS FELT LIKE I WAS ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN, AND I THINK THAT THE OBSERVATION VANTAGE POINT IS WHAT PUT ME TO MAKE AND TO CONTINUE TO MAKE WORK THAT CRITIQUE THE INSTITUTIONS THAT I WAS LIVING IN.

RIGHT?

FIRST, THE HOOD, THEN COMING TO ACADEMIA, THE ART WORLD.

AND ULTIMATELY, JUST MAKING WORK FROM THE FRINGES BECAME, ACTUALLY, HOW I GOT KNOWN.

I ALWAYS KNEW THAT I WAS GOING TO PLAY THE OUTSIDE ANYWAYS, SO I WAS LIKE, "WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT?

I KNOW FOLKS AIN'T REALLY LOOKING AT ME, SO I'M JUST GOING TO DO WHAT I GOT TO DO AND TELL THE STORIES THAT I GOT TO TELL."

AND THAT'S JUST HOW THAT WHOLE THING GOT STARTED.

AND IN MAKING MY WAY TO ACADEMIA WAS A VERY INTERESTING, VERY WINDY ROUNDABOUT WAY.

I DIDN'T THINK I WAS GOING TO EVER END UP IN THIS SITUATION.

BUT IT'S BECAUSE OF THE CRAZY PATH THAT I TOOK TO GET HERE THAT I THINK OFFERS ME A VERY, VERY UNIQUE POSITIONING WITH STUDENTS THAT I CAN SPEAK NOT BEING CULTIVATED STRAIGHT THROUGH UNDERGRAD, GRAD, PHD, I DIDN'T TAKE A STRAIGHT PATH.

SO, I TEACH FROM THE POSITION OF LIVED EXPERIENCE, AND I FEEL LIKE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO HAVE THAT AND HAVE HAD THAT CRAZY WINDING ROAD TO GET TO WHERE I'M AT RIGHT NOW.

>>SO, YOUR ART HAS SPOKEN ABOUT A NUMBER OF VERY IMPORTANT SOCIAL TOPICS OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR CAREER, SO I WANT TO ASK YOU, WHO ARE YOU SPEAKING TO PRIMARILY?

WHO DOES YOUR ART REACH?

BECAUSE YOU YOU'VE DESCRIBED YOURSELF AS ALL THESE THINGS, WHO DOES YOUR ART SPEAK TO?

>>THAT'S A REALLY GREAT QUESTION.

IT SPEAKS WHOEVER WANTS TO HEAR IT, TO WHOEVER WANTS TO LISTEN.

I THINK THAT I HAD DIRECTED MY EARLY WORKS TO FOLKS IN THE HOOD BECAUSE I FELT THAT WE WERE AN UNSEEN POPULATION.

I THINK THAT GROWING UP IN NEW YORK CITY AND MAKING ART IN NEW YORK, THERE'S THIS UNSPOKEN UNDERSTANDING THAT THE ART WORLD STOPS AT 96TH STREET.

RIGHT?

YOU HAVE ALL OF DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN, BUT ONCE 96TH STREET HITS, YOU START PUSHING INTO SPANISH HARLEM, HARLEM, AND INTO THE BRONX OR THE OUTER BOROUGHS, AND YOU'RE OUT ON YOUR OWN.

AND SO, THAT'S A VERY NARROW CORRIDOR OF THE ART WORLD PROPER.

IT REALLY BOTHERED ME.

AND SO, I STARTED MAKING THIS WORK TO TALK ABOUT THE PEOPLE IN THE FRINGES, CRITIQUING WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE FRINGES, BUT ALSO CRITIQUING HOW THE ART WORLD, THE CURATORS, THE COLLECTORS, THE CRITICS, WHICH AS I WAS TAUGHT ARE THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE OR BREAK YOU.

RIGHT?

IF THE CRITIC, THE COLLECT, THE CURATOR AREN'T TALKING ABOUT YOU, YOU'RE NOT MAKING ART, EVEN THOUGH THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE DOING YOUR WHOLE LIFE.

BUT THE LACK OF VALIDATION OF ART MAKERS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THAT CORRIDOR, I FELT IT WAS REALLY THE THING THAT I NEEDED TO ADDRESS.

AND THEN, SUBSEQUENTLY, I WAS TRYING TO TALK TO THE PEOPLE THAT WERE ON THAT SIDE AND ALSO TO THE CURATORS IN MAYBE NOT THE NICEST WAY, BUT CRITIQUING THEM.

SO, THAT'S HOW THAT STARTED.

BUT AT THIS POINT, BECAUSE MY WORK HAS CERTAINLY GRADUATED FROM CRITIQUING THE ART WORLD TO NOW INVESTIGATING POLICE VIOLENCE, ALL THE SOCIAL UNREST THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS EPIC PANDEMIC SITUATION THAT WE'RE ALL IN THIS PRESSURE COOKER TOGETHER, AT THIS POINT, I'M TALKING TO ANYONE WHO'S WILLING TO LISTEN, WHO'S OPEN-MINDED ENOUGH TO BE WILLING TO ENGAGE IN THAT CONVERSATION.

THAT PATH THAT I TOOK FROM CRITIQUING THE ART INSTITUTIONS HAS CREATED THIS DESIRE TO CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION AND, "LOOK, THIS IS WHERE WE ARE.

WE CAN NOT KEEP DOING THINGS THIS WAY."

AND I FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE PLATFORM THAT I HAVE TO COMMUNICATE THAT MESSAGE, AND IT'S NOT JUST TO THE HOOD ANYMORE, IT'S TO ANYONE WHO'S IN THE FIGHT, WHO'S IN THE STRUGGLE.

>>WANDA, SPEAKING OF THAT STRUGGLE, I KNOW THAT YOU ARE WORKING ON SEVERAL PROJECTS, AND I'VE SEEN BEAUTIFUL PICTURES, TO GET TO THE POINT OF CREATION.

WHAT IS IT THAT YOU THINK OF, AND WHAT IS IT THAT YOU CONNECT WITH INTERNALLY TO BE ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER A MESSAGE TO GET TO PEOPLE?

>>SO, I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVEN IN THE EARLY DAYS OF CRITIQUING SOCIETY, I THINK I WAS OPERATING FROM A PLACE OF ANXIETY.

RIGHT?

SOMETHING THAT WAS REALLY BOTHERING ME, SOMETHING THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED.

AND SO, WHAT I DO, ESSENTIALLY, IS SPEND TIME ANALYZING THE THINGS THAT ARE BUGGING ME, HURTING ME, GNAWING AT ME, AND WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS THAT I KIND OF...

I USE THE ART AS A PLACE TO UNPACK THE DIFFERENT PIECES OF THAT ANXIETY SO THAT I CAN LOOK AT THEM IN INDIVIDUAL PARTS, SOMEHOW TAKING THEM OUTSIDE OF MYSELF AND THEN TURNING THEM INTO OBJECTS OR DRAWINGS IS A WAY FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO ASSESS THE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF THIS ANXIETY, AND THEN REIMAGINE THEM IN A WAY THAT I FEEL ARE VISUALLY COMPELLING, THAT ARE OBTUSE ENOUGH FOR VARIED INTERPRETATION, BUT ARE ALSO PINPOINTED ENOUGH FOR YOU TO SEE WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AT.

AND ULTIMATELY, I'M INTERESTED, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I TALK ABOUT WITH MY STUDENTS ALL THE TIME, IS ABOUT NOT BUTTONING UP THE ENTIRE STORY AND HAVING EVERY PART OF THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE ANSWERED.

SIMPLY MAKING WORKS THAT ARE COMPELLING ENOUGH THAT ARE GOING TO INVITE DISCOURSE, THAT ARE GOING TO INVITE PEOPLE TO TAKE A LOOK AND MAYBE ASSESS WHERE THEY ARE, AND MAYBE OFFER THEM A DIFFERENT VANTAGE POINT AND SOME PLACE WHERE THEY CAN WALK INTO THE WORK EXPECTING ONE THING, AND THEN HAVING AN AHA MOMENT LATER ON.

AND THAT'S REALLY, AT THE END OF THE DAY, JUST TAKING OUT ALL OF THE STUFF THAT'S REALLY, REALLY BUGGING ME, LOOKING AT IT, PULLING IT APART, DISSECTING IT, AND THEN RECONFIGURING IT IN A WAY THAT I THINK IS PALATABLE FOR OTHER FOLKS.

>>YOU'VE SPOKEN BEFORE ABOUT YOUR MOTIVATION IS THE FEELING OF NOT BEING SEEN, AS BEING PART OF WHAT MOTIVATES YOU.

AND I KNOW IN 2019, YOU HAD A WORK THAT WAS ABOUT PUERTO RICO AND THE SITUATION THERE, AND YOU COMMENTED AT THE TIME THAT PUERTO RICAN WAS OUT OF THE MAINSTREAM NEWS, EVEN THOUGH THIS TERRIBLE HURRICANE THAT HIT THE ISLAND TWO YEARS PREVIOUS.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THAT SPECIFIC WORK, EXODUS PILGRIMAGE.

>>SO, I'M GLAD THAT YOU BROUGHT THAT PIECE UP BECAUSE THAT, TO ME, IT STEMS FROM A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PLACES.

HAVING PUERTORRIQUENOS, MY FAMILY, LIKE FIRST COUSINS, AUNTIES, TIOS, TIAS LIVING ON THE ISLAND, WITNESSING THE HURRICANE...

HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, WE'VE GOT CAT ONE HURRICANE WEATHER.

RIGHT?

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU FOLKS, BUT I WAS OUT OF ELECTRICITY FOR A WEEK AND I HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THAT.

AND TO THEN HAVE HAD THAT LIVED EXPERIENCE AND THEN WATCHING IT MAGNIFIED AND AMPLIFIED THROUGH MY FAMILY AND WHATEVER LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION I GOT, EVERY NOW AND AGAIN IF SOMEBODY HAD A LITTLE BIT OF WIFI, THEY WOULD POST SOMETHING OR SHARE A TEXT OR WHATEVER.

THAT, TO ME, WAS REALLY DEVASTATING.

AND THEN, I THINK SURVIVOR'S GUILT IS WHAT STARTED THAT WHOLE PRACTICE OF THINKING ABOUT, "WELL, I NEED TO ADDRESS THIS SOMEHOW."

WATCHING PAPER TOWELS BEING THROWN INTO A CROWD, WATCHING THESE WATERED DOWN STORIES IN THE MEDIA, KNOWING THAT THAT'S NOT WHAT'S GOING ON IN MY FAMILY.

I'VE GOT FAMILY THAT ARE TAKING PICTURES OF USING PVC PIPE AND TAPPING INTO SOME WATER THAT'S TRICKLING OUT OF THE SIDE OF A LITTLE MOUNTAIN, JUST TO GATHER ENOUGH WATER TO WASH CLOTHES OR JUST TO MAKE SOMETHING, WAITING SIX, EIGHT HOURS ON LINE IN YOUR CAR, IN YOUR VEHICLE, TO MAYBE PURCHASE $10 WORTH OF GAS.

THAT'S JUST CRAZY TO ME.

AND TO HAVE IT BE COMPLETELY MINIMIZED...AND I THINK IT'S ALSO INTERESTING FOR ME THAT BECAUSE PUERTO RICO IS IN SUCH A STRANGE SET UP, IT'S INTERNATIONAL SOMETIMES, IT'S NATIONAL OTHER TIMES, IT'S NATIONAL WHEN YOU WANT TO GET ON A PLANE AND DON'T NEED A PASSPORT TO GET THERE OR NEED CURRENCY TO MOVE ABOUT, BUT IT'S INTERNATIONAL NEWS THAT NEVER MAKES THE HEADLINES EXCEPT WHEN SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENS AND IT'S JUST MINOR BLIP ON THE SCREEN AND THEN WE SEND THAT WE VANISH INTO OBSCURITY AGAIN, UNTIL YOU'RE READY TO PLAN YOUR LITTLE CRUISE, YOUR LITTLE VACATION OR WHATEVER.

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S A PROBLEMATIC RELATIONSHIP THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS WITH PUERTO RICO.

AND THEN, TO THINK THAT PUERTORRIQUENOS ARE MIGRATING BY FORCE, IF THEY HAPPEN TO HAVE THE RESOURCES TO DO THAT, TO GET ON A PLANE AND COME OUT HERE TO THEN LIVE IN FEMA HOTELS INDEFINITELY OR WITH THIS LOOMING, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT," SITUATION, AND THEN NOBODY'S TALKING ABOUT IT, OR YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT ALL THESE SPANISH-SPEAKING PUERTO RICANS THAT HAVE ALL OF A SUDDEN FLOODED THE COUNTY, FLOODED CENTRAL FLORIDA, AND NOW YOU'RE WORRIED.

RIGHT?

SO, NOW IT'S NOT EVEN ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE HERE, BUT NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU'VE GOT ALL THESE SPANISH-SPEAKING PEOPLE AND, "WHO ALL THESE PEOPLE TAKING OUR JOBS?"

OR WHATEVER.

SO, NOW, IT'S PROBLEMATIC AGAIN.

I NEEDED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT.

I NEEDED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT.

I NEEDED TO HIGHLIGHT...

THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE, REAL LIVES THAT WERE INTERRUPTED.

I NEEDED TO CREATE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO SEE US AS ACTUAL PEOPLE, TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE RESILIENT PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN...

I'M TRYING TO NOT SAY A FOLLOWER.

THAT HAVE BEEN TREATED REALLY POORLY, I THINK, FOR SO LONG AND IN THE SHADOW OF THE AMERICAN FLAG, I NEEDED FOLKS TO SEE.

TO CREATE THIS GOWN WITH MY COLLABORATOR, KRISTINA TOLLEFSON, WHO'S AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR... NO, FULL PROFESSOR, OFFICIALLY FULL PROFESSOR, OF COSTUME DESIGN AT THE SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS HERE AT UCF, HER MASTERFUL ABILITY TO MAKE OBJECTS OUT OF RECOVERED DEBRIS FROM THE ISLAND IN THE SHAPE OF AFRO-PUERTO RICAN FOLKLORIC DANCE, I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT HER, BUT WE WERE VERY CAREFUL TO PICK ITEMS THAT DEMONSTRATED THAT LIVES, REAL LIVES, WERE INTERRUPTED BECAUSE OF THAT HURRICANE AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE.

IT WAS A CRAZY EXPERIENCE.

EVEN 18 MONTHS LATER, WE WERE ABLE TO FIND DISCARDED BLUE TARPS, BITS OF CHAIN-LINK FENCE, CHILDREN'S SHOES.

WE FOUND, I MEAN, HOUSEHOLD ITEMS.

WE FOUND THE HOUSE THAT THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE FACED THE OCEAN IN...

IN BARCELONETA IS WHERE WE WERE.

WE STOOD IN WE WENT UP AND DOWN THAT SMALL STRIP OF COAST.

THE WHOLE SIDE OF THE HOUSE THAT FACED THE OCEAN WAS PEELED OPEN.

THE WHOLE THING PEELED OPEN, LIKE IF YOU OPENED A BARBIE DREAM HOUSE.

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

AND YOU CAN STILL SEE DISHES IN THE SINK.

WHOEVER LIVED IN THAT HOUSE WAS EITHER LIKE A CHOIR DIRECTOR OR SOMETHING.

THERE WAS SHEET MUSIC THERE.

AND THE INSIDE OF THE HOUSE FLOODED WITH SAND FROM WHEN THE WATERS ROSE UP AND THEN WENT AWAY.

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

IT IS ABSOLUTELY SURREAL.

MATTRESSES OUT ON THE BEACH, ENTIRE CHUNKS OF THE TOWN JUST ABANDONED.

AND SO, WE FOUND THE ORANGE CAUTION, THAT MESHY ORANGE CAUTION THING THAT YOU SEE AT CONSTRUCTION SITES, MEDALLA BEER SIGNS THAT HAD BEEN RIPPED OFF.

AND THERE WAS ONE, WE TOOK IT FROM THIS TELEPHONE POST, THE MEDALLA, APPARENTLY THE HURRICANE HAD WHIPPED IT AROUND TO THIS POINT THAT NO ONE COULD TAKE IT OFF, AND SO WE VERY CAREFULLY FOUND A WAY TO UNDO IT.

WE FOUND ANOTHER ONE THAT WAS UNDERNEATH A RESTAURANT THAT WE JUST...

IT WAS DAMAGED.

WE WERE JUST TRYING TO FIND WHATEVER WAS EVIDENT OF LIFE IN PUERTO RICO, AND THIS IS JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND.

IT WAS A REALLY INTENSE EXPERIENCE.

AND WE ALSO WERE VERY CAREFUL TO NOT BEHAVE AS IF WE WERE PLUNDERING AN ALL READY DIFFICULT SITUATION.

I DIDN'T WANT TO COME IN AS THE AMERICAN PUERTO RICAN JUST TAKING AND CREATING POVERTY PORN.

I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT EITHER.

OR LIKE DISASTER PORN.

SO, IT WAS A VERY DELICATE BALANCE, AND WE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT WE DID WAS ALL ABOUT BEING RESPECTFUL AND HONORING THE PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE, THE PEOPLE THAT WERE LEFT BEHIND THAT COULDN'T, THAT DIDN'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO LEAVE THAT ARE STUCK IN THIS SITUATION.

YEAH, IT WAS A LOT.

I KEEP SAYING THAT BECAUSE EVEN YEARS LATER, I STILL...

IT WAS A LOT.

IT'S HARD NOT TO CRY THINKING ABOUT IT.

>>WANDA, THAT'S ONE OF THE MANY PROJECTS THAT YOU HAVE CREATED THAT TOUCH PEOPLE AND IN DIFFERENT WAYS CAN MOVE PEOPLE AND INFLUENCE.

CAN YOU THINK OF ONE INSTANCE, I KNOW PROBABLY OF MANY, BUT ONE INSTANCE THAT YOU KNOW HAS HELPED CONNECT YOUR WORK WITH MAYBE CHANGING SOMEBODY'S HEART OR PERSPECTIVE OR GIVING NEW KNOWLEDGE TO A PERSON OR TO PEOPLE BASED ON YOUR HARD WORK AND YOUR EXPERIENCES?

>>WELL, THE EXODUS PROJECT, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PEOPLE FROM PUERTO RICO THAT HAPPEN TO HAVE MIGRATED HERE WERE IN ATTENDANCE.

I COLLABORATED WITH SOME COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT THEY REACHED OUT AND INVITED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, FOLKS FROM THE COMMUNITY TO COME AND PARTICIPATE IN THE [FOREIGN LANGUAGE] BECAUSE IT WASN'T JUST THE PILGRIMAGE UP AND DOWN ORANGE AVENUE, BUT ALSO INFILTRATING THE DR. PHILLIPS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER TO CREATE THIS LIKE AFRO-PUERTO RICAN DANCE PERFORMANCE.

I FEEL WE OPENED SOME PEOPLE'S EYES THAT HAD NEVER SEEN THAT THIS IS PART OF OUR HERITAGE AS WELL, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT...

VERY FEW PEOPLE ACTUALLY KNOW ABOUT THIS IN THE UNITED STATES, THIS DANCE CULTURE.

BUT ALSO, PEOPLE CAME UP TO ME THAT HAD RECENTLY ARRIVED, AND THEY THANKED ME FOR CREATING THIS PLATFORM OF VISIBILITY.

IT WAS A VERY HUMBLING EXPERIENCE FOR ME.

>>THE PIETA PROJECT THAT I DID, WHICH IS INSPIRED BY THE TRAGEDY OF TRAYVON MARTIN'S MURDER, AND A REFLECTION ON PARENTS OF GRANDCHILDREN WHO ARE CONSTANTLY WORRIED ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEIR CHILDREN ARE GOING TO COME HOME.

RIGHT?

AND THE FURTHER VILIFICATION, IF SOMETHING TERRIBLE SHOULD HAPPEN TO THEIR CHILDREN AT THE HANDS OF THE MEDIA, WHERE LIKE, "OH, WELL, TRAYVON MARTIN WAS DOING X, Y, Z, AND WELL, HE DESERVED WHAT HE GOT, " AND ALL THAT OTHER STUFF, FROM THIS IDEA THAT PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY IS NOT PERMITTED AMPLE TIME TO ACTUALLY GRIEVE AND HEAL FROM THESE ISSUES OR THE POUNDING OF THAT ERROR.

SO, THE PIETA PROJECT, FOR ME, WAS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A SPACE, TO HOLD A SPACE FOR GRIEF, AND TO BE IN OUR OWN FRAILTY, LIKE THE FEAR THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK THE WAY WE LOOK, TO SOUND THE WAY WE SOUND, AND STILL MOVE AROUND AMONG PEOPLE THAT REALLY DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE DESERVE EQUAL FOOTING SOCIALLY.

AND I THINK THAT THAT PIECE, WHAT I HEARD FROM FOLKS THAT EITHER PARTICIPATED IN THE PIECE, THAT SEE THE PIECE ON VIDEO, THEY'RE LIKE, "WOW, I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW BADLY I NEEDED TO CRY."

AND TO CREATE A SPACE OF COMFORT AND SAFETY, LIKE, "LOOK, FOR A LITTLE WHILE, YOU CAN BE HERE, AND NO ONE'S GOING TO JUDGE YOU FOR CRYING.

NO ONE'S GOING TO TELL YOU TO GET OVER IT.

NO ONE'S GOING TO TELL YOU THAT SLAVERY ENDED.

WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM?

NO ONE'S GOING TO TELL YOU, "WELL, WE GAVE YOU YOUR BLACK PRESIDENT.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT?"

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

OR THESE KINDS OF HURTFUL WORDS THAT ARE MEANT TO MINIMIZE WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING AS A COMMUNITY.

AND SO, HEARING THOSE SMALL THINGS, I THINK THAT THE IMPACT IS THE SMALL CHANGES, PEOPLE FEELING LIKE THEY WERE HEARD, AND OTHER PEOPLE GOING, "WOW, I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS THAT DEEP."

SO, THAT'S REALLY JUST A TINY SLIVER OF THE WAY I FEEL LIKE THOSE CHANGES HAPPEN.

AND I THINK, EVEN LARGER STILL, IS WHEN MY STUDENTS WHO JUST SEE ME AS THEIR...

I SOUND LIKE THE AUNTIE OR I SOUND LIKE WHATEVER, THEY'RE LIKE, "YOU DON'T SOUND LIKE A PROFESSOR, MISS."

AND I'M JUST LIKE, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT A PROFESSOR IS SUPPOSED TO SOUND LIKE, BUT THIS IS WHAT YOU GET."

I THINK THAT THE BIGGEST IMPACT IS WHEN STUDENTS SEE THEMSELVES IN ME AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE PROFESSIONAL WITHOUT HAVING TO TRADE YOUR ACCENT, WITHOUT HAVING TO TRADE YOUR HAIR, WITHOUT HAVING A TRADE SOME OF THOSE OTHER THINGS, AND THEN SEE THE WORK THAT I'M MAKING, AND THEN THEY GO, "DAMN, MISS."

AND I'M LIKE, "I KNOW," BUT I FEEL LIKE THAT'S THE IMPACT FOR THEM, WHERE THEY SEE THEIR STORIES ARE BEING TOLD BY A PROFESSOR WHO'S SOMEONE WHO LOOKS AND SOUNDS LIKE ME BUT ACTUALLY MADE IT TO THE IVORY TOWER, AND CAN SPEAK WITH A LEVEL OF AUTHENTICITY THAT FEELS AUTHENTIC FROM THE STREET, FEELS AUTHENTIC BECAUSE I'M NOT GIVING LIP SERVICE, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT ACADEMIC RESEARCH.

AND I'M NOT TRYING TO POO POO ON MY COLLEAGUES, DON'T GET ME WRONG, BUT IT'S A DIFFERENT KIND OF SAVVY, IT'S A DIFFERENT KIND OF KNOWLEDGE, IT'S A DIFFERENT KIND OF RESEARCH, BUT AS EQUALLY VALID.

AND I THINK THAT BEING AN ACADEMIC SETTING, VALIDATES THAT FOR THEM, AND SO THAT, TO ME, I THINK IS THE BIGGEST IMPACT.

>>IS IT EASIER OR HARDER FOR YOU TO BE MOTIVATED AS AN ARTIST WHEN YOU'RE NO LONGER IN NEW YORK, BUT YOU'RE IN ORLANDO, A DIFFERENT SETTING?

>>SOMEONE ELSE HAS ASKED ME THAT QUESTION.

SO, NEW YORK PROVIDED A CRAZY STIMULUS, RIGHT?

BUT THE LIFE THAT I WAS LIVING, AS ANY NEW YORKER WILL TELL YOU, THAT YOU'RE STRUGGLING JUST TO MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY THE BILLS.

IF YOU'RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A CAR NOTE...

I MEAN, A CAR, MAYBE THAT'S LUCK, MAYBE NOT SO MUCH.

I SPEND MOST OF MY TIME JUST WORKING TO MAKE MONEY TO SURVIVE, AND THE WORK WAS ALMOST ALWAYS A DIRECT RESPONSE TO THAT IMMEDIACY OF THE HERE, THE NOW.

AND THE WORK CHANGED COMING TO ORLANDO, MAINLY BECAUSE I HAD A STEADY PAYCHECK, SO THAT WAS ONE LESS THING THAT I HAD TO WORRY ABOUT.

I CAN ACTUALLY PAY FOR SOME THINGS THAT I COULDN'T PAY FOR, BECAUSE I WAS BASICALLY PARSING EVERY PENNY OUT TO RENT, THE CAR INSURANCE.

I MADE SURE TO WORK IN RESTAURANTS SO THAT I KNEW AT THE VERY LEAST I HAVE FOOD IN MY BELLY WHEN I WORKED THE SHIFTS.

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

>>YOU DON'T MISS BEING THE STARVING ARTIST, THEN?

>>NO.

NO, NO.

I MEAN, MY WAISTLINE'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT NOW.

REMOVING SOME OF THOSE TRAPPINGS AND THEN REMOVING THE NOISE.

RIGHT?

I LEFT THE BRONX TO COME TO DOWNTOWN ORLANDO, WHICH IS WHERE I FIRST SET UP CAMP.

AND THE PTSD FROM THINKING THAT I HAD TO MOVE MY CAR BECAUSE ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING AND THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSIT IS GOING TO COME AND TOW MY VEHICLE, ALL THE FREAK OUTS WERE GONE, ALL OF THIS EXTERNAL PRESSURE, SO MUCH PRESSURE, THE LIFTING OF THAT PRESSURE AND THE SETTLING IN OF BEING COMFORTABLE IN SILENT SPACES CREATED... ALL OF A SUDDEN I COULD HEAR.

IT WAS LIKE A DETOX.

I MEAN, IT WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF TOXICITY HERE, IT'S JUST VERY GENTEEL.

RIGHT?

AND IT'S LIKE SWAYING TREES.

YOU'RE LIKE, "OH, THIS IS..." WAIT, WHAT'D YOU SAY?

DID YOU JUST BLESS YOUR HEART ME?

WAIT, HOLD UP.

I THINK YOU JUST CUSSED ME OUT.

>>SO, THE WORKED CHANGED.

I THINK I HAVE MORE TIME TO DEVELOP, MORE TIME TO BREATHE, MORE TIME TO CULTIVATE A DEEPER NARRATIVE.

I TRADED THE STIMULUS, THE IMMEDIATE, FRENETIC ENERGY, TO THIS CALM, NOW I CAN REALLY TAKE THESE THINGS OUT AND LOOK AT THEM VERY DEEPLY AND MEDITATE ON THEM, IN A WAY THAT I COULDN'T DO BEFORE.

SO, THE WORK HAS GOTTEN A LOT MORE DENSE OR MORE DEVELOPED.

>>WANDA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY.

>>THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME.

IT'S MY PLEASURE.

>>AND THANK YOU FOR WATCHING.

WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK ON ANOTHER EPISODE OF GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES.