[upbeat introductory music] - In this edition of WLIW Arts Beat... - [Narrator] History and creativity intertwined.

- I think that the partnership between art and celebrating the fact that women received the right to vote is a perfect partnership.

- [Narrator] Unique lobster trap art.

- We always say we collaborate with nature.

We have different mediums that we put in each frame.

- [Narrator] A welcoming arts center.

- We strive to bring an all-inclusive and safe environment for any walk of life.

Any human being that wants to be an artist can come here and be welcomed here.

- [Narrator] A classically trained painter.

- It's just a conversation with your soul.

Your visual self and you want to have a message in that painting.

[upbeat instrumental music] - [Narrator] It's all ahead on this edition of WLIW Arts Beat.

Funding for WLIW Arts Beat was made possible by viewers like you, thank you.

[upbeat instrumental music] - Welcome to WLIW Arts Beat.

I'm Diane Masciale.

- [Narrator] In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Utah Women's right to vote, students in the state gather together and create art that honors this monumental moment in history, here's the story.

[slow melancholic music] - I think that these specific women helps society to be what it is today and if they weren't as brave as they are, do it for doing what they did, then things would be really different.

And so I think that it's important for people to not just know how it happened but who was at the forefront and the people who were the catalysts of that movement because they were the ones who were willing to make that change and who were willing to lead everybody else, not just women, but everybody to make that change and I think that's really important.

[choir singing] - Art is such a unique way for students to have expression.

I mean, it's expression in and of itself and the fact that it's celebrating probably one of the most fundamental things that people can have is that right to vote in their country.

So I think that the partnership between art and celebrating the fact that women receive the right to vote, is a perfect partnership just due to the fact that kids can really celebrate through their artistic, and in our particular case, it's through music.

I had read in the UMEA magazine about the arts advocacy day on the hill.

So I contacted the advocacy chair and she contacted me back in January and said that they're doing it a little bit differently, they're celebrating the Utah Suffrage and they had commissioned a song and so they invited us to be a part of it and they sent us the song and so we just learned it from there and we're excited to join other schools and celebrating Utah suffrage.

[group sings] - I just think it's a really good song.

The message is just so clear and it just talks about these amazing women and how they're like.

They're examples to all of us and how we can all like be champions of change.

We can all make that change and we all have that capability.

[choir continues singing] - The song, especially, I was thinking, there's a line that says we stand on the shoulders of the heroes of champions of change.

I mean, there's nothing that we as women could do without these women 100 years ago, who fought for women's rights and the chance to have an opinion in government.

And so as a woman teacher, teaching kids, I think that it's all based on all of, who came before and who carved the path.

[choir sings] - Now, leading on to women's suffrage, we're talking about women's rights.

Now women's rights are basic human freedom rights, right?

- I think it's important for students to know about women's suffrage especially the history of it in Utah because it's really not something they have noticed.

They're born in the late 2000s, it's not really an idea that they have where women haven't always had this right because in their world, they're moms can go and vote and same with their aunts or whoever.

And so it's something they see and don't realize it was a fight to earn.

So I think it's important for them to realize like, oh not everyone had the same rights back then.

And still today, there are places where people don't.

So it's nice for them to realize that and nice for them to really learn about it and kind of see where there are places where girls still don't go to school and get an education because it's not a right for them.

So I want them to know that they are fortunate, they are very lucky to have school system where they can come in and learn how to have this free education.

So I decided to incorporate this with my students because I felt it was important to really celebrate the 150th anniversary of women being able to vote especially since it was in our backyard where it happened.

Sarah fan was a Utahn, I thought that was important for them to realize that this big historic moment happened here like 20 minutes from where we have school.

Plus we've been focusing on portraiture.

So I knew that they'd be able to really get those details down and make a person look like them.

We have lots of books and things for them to draw from as well.

So they had a lot of different ideas from history that they could choose from.

So I hope that from this project, that they can specifically take home, the idea that women are strong, women are equal, that we have fought for our rights and here we are today and we still have them and that's a really beautiful thing.

And hopefully it really encourages them to still stand up for what they believe in boys and girls.

- The Matriarch, she was kind of like the mother for her tribe.

She watched out for everybody, I'm going to pass these training cards around so you guys can kind of take a look at them and then... - So the Utah heritage project was a real kind of fluid relationship that stemmed from the Utah Film Center.

We have been working with Michelle Walker there with some of the tumbleweeds film Fest and we're going to send our kids down to tumbleweeds and then we're bringing in one of their professional development trainings.

And as Michelle was in our school and seeing the art that we were doing and seeing some of the stuff that we were involved with, Michelle suggested, at the better days, Utah heritage project.

And we got in touch with Naomi with that project and she was great and our fourth grade teachers jumped right on board with that and were really enthusiastic about it so we moved forward with it.

We thought it was a great opportunity for our students especially in fourth grade with that core Utah heritage to really get to know some of the amazing things that are happening in our state this year, right now.

I think it's amazingly important especially with what I personally did today with some of these students in this telling of their story.

I was really inspired by May, Timimbo, Perry and her kind of tagline and model of what is your story?

What story do you want to tell?

I think that's important for our kids to see the legacy that has been left before them, but then also to think forward to what legacy are they going to leave for those who come after them?

And I think art is just such a magnificent way for them to express that without so much pressure to do it in a formal way or in a way that's right or wrong.

Art is just so free flowing and so wonderful in just letting kids express who they are, in the moment and relaxing, calming, really, really need to see what things come out.

I hope that they take a greater sense of responsibility for what they have and for using what they have and taking advantage of what they have in productive ways and ways that extend outside of themselves.

I really want them to appreciate the effort that has gone before them and the milestones and the different challenges that have been overcome to give them what they have today.

And I hope they gain a greater sense of responsibility to carry that torch forward and to push the envelope of what is possible today so that those generations that follow will have even more amazing opportunities than what they have right now today.

[slow melancholic music] - [Narrator] And now the artists quote of the week.

[upbeat instrumental music] In Islamorada, Florida, artists, Nadine & Glenn Lahti rendered nautical artwork out of lobster trap wood.

With nature as their partner, they repurposed what comes out of the water to make one of a kind frames.

[slow reggae beat] - I'm Nadine Lahti, this is my husband, Glenn Lahti.

- We're here at the Lobster Trap Art Gallery in Islamorada.

[upbeat reggae music] My wife and I retired back in 1996, I believe and bought a home in the Keys.

And we just didn't do much other than fish snorkel, relax and then one day I was walking and I picked up some lobster trap wood on road.

I said, "I'm going to make some frames for our family."

So we made them lobster trap frames and they go, "These are great, you could sell these."

And I go, "You think?"

and this is what happened.

[upbeat music] Every year when they take all of the lobster traps out of the water, they repair them.

And what we do is we collect about 100 truckloads of used traps that they can't repair.

Some of it is very weathered some of it has barnacles, we leave the staples on, nails, we leave the shells, everything.

Just like it was a working trap.

And then we use the lobster trap rope to highlight the frame.

the larger pieces, we put a lobster trap tag to give it authenticity.

We always say, we collaborate with nature.

We have different mediums that we put in each frame.

We started off painting, showed our work in art shows, Robbie's where they feed the Tarpon, and he started to get very popular with people.

My wife does mainly the the animal paintings, turtles, manatees, birds, lobster and I do the landscapes and seascapes.

So anything with a Palm tree, a beach scene or lighthouse is one of my main things.

- Well, I just love the animals, the sea creatures, the birds, I mean, they're just so beautiful down here and people get a memory of the Keys.

[upbeat music] And then we started doing underwater photography in depth about 3 years ago.

And we've taken probably hundreds of thousands of pictures.

Everything is shot in the Caribbean.

Most of it, you're in the Keys.

It's all Caribbean fish, Caribbean lobster, Caribbean octopus vivid colors.

We have a lot of turtles and then unusual things like octopus, people are like, "whoa, where did you get?"

You know, it's really unusual.

[upbeat music] So it would be... - Keysy?

- We call it Keysy.

I don't know if that's even a word Keysy or Caribbean or tropical art.

We just love what we do, we love enjoying it.

We can't wait to get back on the water, take more pictures.

And we love that people love it.

- [Narrator] To see more of their creations, head to lobstertrapart.com.

Now here's a look at this month's fun fact.

[upbeat music] The Center for Performance Arts and Learning in Wixom, Michigan, provides individuals with an inclusive space to explore the arts and its many facets.

No matter your background, everyone is invited to express themselves, take a look.

[upbeat music] - Nothing holds me back, if I can dance, I'll do it.

This is the center for performance arts and learning.

This is where cultural diversity comes together.

This is where 6 To 600 our new hashtag.

age is not our remedial, ethnicity is not our remedial.

gender is not going to hold you back.

Your beliefs don't hold you back.

- We strive to bring an all-inclusive and safe environment for any walk of life.

Any human being that wants to be an artist can come here and be welcomed here and be a part of what feels like a family.

Nandita has a great heart for people and she pushes we want everybody to be comfortable and we want everybody to try something they've never tried before.

So this is a very unique place.

- We are actually right at the border of Nova and with some, we were looking for something which was easily accessible.

But I think when we walked in, it sounds cliche but, the space just seemed right.

This is basically a springboard for young instructors, for young artists, for people who want to learn and they can be at a very safe space.

- It is so important for people to learn about other art forms because it's the same way about learning history or learning math or learning reading.

It creates a holistic view of the world.

- In the dance world or in the music world, a lot of what is competitive leads to broken self-esteem, leads to broken dreams so we're trying in our own little way, trying to build people back up, I guess.

- I think what really causes confidence to grow here is that nurturing environment.

So you see people walking in who have never taken this class before, go from complete beginner to very, very fluent in the motions.

And it's so cool to see that really positive, really nurturing environment, really helping inspire people to succeed.

We have 4 basic areas, dance music, art, along with creative expression.

Creative expression includes languages, speech classes, communication classes, musical course coverage, your drums and guitar.

That was the 4 basic areas we started working with, drum, guitar, voice, and keyboard.

Now we've expanded into viola, violin, flute, we are talking to a cello instructor as well.

- I teach voice and I'm going to be the one directing the community choir.

That's going to be an incredibly wide age range which I find to be very unique.

You don't really see a lot of community choirs anywhere that have age ranges from early high school or even middle school to middle age.

It really doesn't matter what age you are.

- We do have a student who has actually been invited to sing for the pistons.

He's going to be singing the national Anthem for pistons in March.

- It makes me proud to see them thriving.

- Dance classes cover your ballet, tap jazz, international dance styles, classical dance styles, aerial arts, we just introduced a mixed aerial arts class and then fitness.

- Some of the really unique ones that we have are the aerial silks classes or the Lira classes.

- Our aerial program has grown over the last year a lot because of the commitment that I've made for it and what the vision that I've wanted for it and Nandita has backed me up all the way, which is great.

We went from having 2 straight fabrics to now all these other apparatuses and all these different things that these students can learn.

- I like the fact that it takes a lot of strength and it's a very difficult discipline.

I want the students to leave every week, how I felt when I first started which was, when I got in my car, I didn't want to leave, I wanted to go back in and just keep playing.

- It's a great stress reliever, it's a workout.

I mean, if you're on that apparatus for 45 minutes to an hour, even if you're on and off of it, you're burning calories, you're building muscle, you're building confidence.

- There's a lot of Bollywood style dance classes that we have that you really can't find at a lot of places nearby.

- 1, 2, I teach Bollywood classes.

I teach both classical semi classical and you know your contemporary Bollywood music based classes.

- If an instructor has a passion for it, we can tell.

- Our biggest strength is our instructors.

They're all qualified, they're all passionate teachers.

That is what makes them so unique.

- I just love it because she's seen what I can do and we get along really well and can communicate just fine.

And she kind of just has thrown the ball in my court.

Allows me to create my own syllabus, allows me to just be creative with the students, set goals with them.

- This is the most comfortable way to step out of your comfort zone.

There are things you can do here that you'd never thought you would do, but it's the most comfortable way to do it.

- If you're sitting there watching this, just do it.

There is nothing holding you back.

We are here and we want to have you here.

We want to help you succeed here.

- When we started about 2 years ago, we just started with this one building, pure dance classes, today we are sitting at 2 different studios with about 23 different classes we offer.

The goal is still to work with as many people as possible.

It's very satisfying.

It makes us happy to see that we are able to do what we are able to do.

- I want to bring love to the community, a smile at the very least and something that they fall in love with at the most because at the end of the day, I truly feel like art is what makes us human and when we love art, we're able to love people.

So I want to kind of share that with the world.

I want to share that with every person that walks in these doors - [Narrator] To learn more, go to cen4pal.net.

And here's a look at this week's art history.

[upbeat music] The classically trained French painter Stephan Cellier, melts past and present in his art.

Using a technique from the 15th century, he paints eye catching modern subjects.

We traveled to Virginia city, Nevada to find out more [smooth slow music] - I'm Stephane Cellier and I'm an artist, I'm a painter.

I came from France like it was 7 years ago now because I love United States.

So I sold everything I had in France and came here.

So I paint, I use technique from the master, the French master from the 15th century to know like the glazing I'm using a matte one, the multiple glazing with transparency.

So like the grease, I had painted black and white first and add the colors on the top with transparency, some different kinds of techniques like that.

I worked on the wood panel and usually I paint subjects that are more modern with classical techniques.

So it looks really classical.

But when you take the time to watch it, it's a little bit different.

I get that training in France when I was in the French National Finance School.

- [inaudible]It's the creation of the design.

So I've got some images that appears in my brain, that's why my wife thinks I'm nuts, she's probably right.

I look at pictures, I try to find picture, to see how I can create my own composition and first step to create the design so I can create my design.

And after that, I start to draw.

I just draw and painting, painting, painting.

So I will start with a dead layer to put the very quickly the light and shadow, how it will look.

And after that I got layers and layers and layers and I built the painting.

It builds almost like a spiritual, you are layers and layers and layers to build the shape because everything we see it's because of the light.

So the shape is created by the light.

So you need to add layers and layers and layers to create all the small differences in the light that create the shape.

It's a long, long process.

I would add layers with transparency, a little bit like when you use sunglasses, different kind of colors so that we'd blend together like filters and you change till you obtain the transparency and the texture of the skin.

Sometime there is like this one, there is around 50 different layers to create the texture on this and on the transparency, the light inside.

It's hard to stop because when you are in this process, you are in another world.

There is nothing else around you and your work with the inside of yourself, of your deep soul.

It's just a conversation with your soul, that's all.

You are with yourself and you talk to yourself and you want to have a message in that painting.

You want to put the emotion, you feel when you paint on the pallet and on the painting.

It's really a meditation process.

In my painting, I try to express something that disturbs me or something I like.

And sometime what I like it, when the people who will, the viewer who will see the painting, they will try to find a message about me but usually they will find something about themselves.

That's what I like.

So it reflects more what people think about it about the message I really put in that because my vision is completely different, probably, all of you will have an opinion, a different opinion of that painting, that's my goal.

So it's more like a mirror.

They can see what they, a real deep thought and how they are.

So I want people to feel something, even if they don't like it and they say, "Oh, it's disgusting."

It's okay, there is an emotion, it works.

So, yeah, that's what I want.

[intense music] - [Narrator] You can view more of his artwork at stephane-cellier.com - That wraps it up for this edition of WLIW Arts Beat.

We'd like to hear what you think.

So like us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter and visit our webpage for features and to watch episodes of the show.

We hope to see you next time.

I'm Diane Masciale, thank you for watching WLIW Arts Beat.

Funding for WLIW Arts Beat was made possible by viewers like you, thank you.

[Slow music]