>>> AMERICA, WE ARE A NATION OF

IMMIGRANTS, A MELTING POT OF

CULTURAL EXCHANGES, A PLACE

WHERE IDEAS AND FREEDOM PROSPER.

BUT SINCE THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL

ELECTION, THERE'S BEEN A

PALPABLE SHIFT IN PUBLIC OPINION

THAT'S GIVEN RISE TO INTOLERANCE

AND XENOPHOBIA ACROSS THE

COUNTRY.

ONE ARTIST IS NOW HOPING TO

CHALLENGE MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT

FOREIGNERS AND RESHAPE OUR

PERCEPTION OF WHAT IT TRULY

MEANS TO BE AMERICAN.

AS PART OF OUR ONGOING

INITIATIVE, "CHASING THE DREAM,"

WHICH TACKLES POVERTY AND

OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA, WE

INTRODUCE YOU TO ARTIST BETSY

ASHTON, WHO BRINGS TO US

PORTRAITS OF IMMIGRANTS, A

COLLECTION OF ART INSPIRED BY

OUR NATION.

BETSY, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

>> MY PLEASURE TO BE HERE,

JENNA.

THANK YOU.

>> SO FIRST OF ALL, WHAT DREW

YOU TO THIS?

BECAUSE WHAT I WAS SO INTRIGUED

BY, AS I SAID IN THE INTRO, IS

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN.

>> WELL, IT'S -- WHAT HAPPENED

WAS, I SPENT THE LAST 11 YEARS

ON MY SECOND CAREER DOING

PORTRAITS OF THE RICH AND

ACCOMPLISHED, AND EARNING MONEY.

IT WAS FUN.

>> I REMEMBER SEEING PORTRAITS

OF THEM.

>> AND I LOVE PUSHING P ING PAI

AROUND, BUT THEN CAME THE

ELECTION.

HERE I LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY,

WHICH HAS THE GREATEST NUMBER OF

FOREIGN BORN PEOPLE THAN ANY ONE

ON THE PLANET.

I'M HEARING THIS STUFF COME OUT

ABOUT RAPISTS AND MURDERERS AND

THESE ARE IMMIGRANTING.

AND I'M SAYING WAIT A MINUTE,

THAT'S NOT ANYTHING LIKE THE

STORY.

BECAUSE I PROBABLY SEE HUNDREDS

OF IMMIGRANTS A DAY.

I LIVE AND WORK AMONG THEM, AND

I INTERACT WITH THEM.

AND THAT'S NOT THE STORY.

THE PEOPLE THAT I SEE ARE

CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIETY.

AND THIS IS JUST -- THIS IS JUST

TRUE.

I LIVE HERE, I SEE THEM, AND IF

THERE'S A LITTLE BIT THAT'S

PROBLEMATIC, YEAH, IT'S KIND OF

LIKE THAT BIT ON MY FINGERNAIL

THAT'S GOING TO GET TAKEN OFF.

BUT THE REST OF ME IS THE STORY.

SO I JUST DECIDED -- I WAS ALSO

SITTING IN CHURCH, I MUST SAY.

>> OH.

>> YOU KNOW THAT BISHOP THAT

GAVE THE ROYAL SERMON OVER THERE

AT THE WEDDING?

I'M SITTING IN CHUMP AND

LEARNING ABOUT GOD IS LOVE, LOVE

THY NEIGHBOR, BE KIND TO

STRANGERS, AND I'M SAYING, I

THINK I'M GOING TO HAVE TO DO

SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.

AND ALSO MY JOURNALISM

BACKGROUND, I WAS TAUGHT TO SEEK

TRUTH, AS MOST JOURNALISTS ARE.

I THINK EVEN STILL TODAY, MOST

ARE.

AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT

TO DO THE STORY AS I SEE IT, AND

GO OUT.

I'M GOING TO PAINT AND INTERVIEW

THE IMMIGRANTS, BEGINNING WITH

THE PEOPLE I KNOW.

>> SO WHEN YOU'RE DOING THESE

PORTRAITS, I'M WONDERING WHAT IS

IT THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO CAPTURE

TO CONVEY?

BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE

HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY IS

PART OF THE PROBLEM IS THAT SO

MANY DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF

INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WHERE THEY

KNOW PEOPLE WHO ARE FOREIGN BORN

IMMIGRANTS IN THE COUNTRY.

SO IT'S A LOT EASIER TO BE

AFRAID OF WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW.

SO WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO

CAPTURE WITH THESE PORTRAITS?

>> I'M DOING PORTRAITS THAT ARE

LIFE-SIZE, AND THAT YOU'RE

LOOKING AT THEM SO THAT PEOPLE

CAN WALK INTO THE GALLERY AND

COMMUNICATE AND SEE THE SPIRIT.

I REALLY GO FOR THE SPIRIT AND

THE CHARACTER AND SOUL OF A

PERSON WHEN I PAINT THEM.

FIRST OF ALL, I DO A BIG

INTERVIEW AND I'LL TALK TO THEM

FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES TO GET

THE BASIC STORY ABOUT THEM, AND

I'M SKETCHING AT THE SAME TIME.

I DO LIVE PICTURES AND A BIG

PHOTO SHOOT AND I'LL TAKE

HUNDREDS OF PHOTOS AND GO BACK

AND LOOK AT THE GESTURES AND

THINGS THAT SEEM TO BRING OUT

THAT PERSON'S CHARACTER.

AND MY WHOLE POINT OF THIS IS

I'M TRYING TO DO DIFFERENT

PEOPLE FROM COUNTRIES AND

CULTURES.

SOME HAVE BEEN HERE 10, 20

YEARS, SOME HAVE JUST ARRIVED.

SO YOU GET A FEEL OF WHO TODAY'S

IMMIGRANTS REALLY ARE.

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE, THIS IS

WHY THEY CAME HERE, THIS IS WHAT

GETTING HERE WAS LIKE AND THE

SETTLING IF WAS LIKE, WHICH IN

SOME CASES WAS VERY DIFFICULT.

AND WHO THEY ARE, AND WHAT

THEY'RE CONTRIBUTING, WHAT THEIR

STRUGGLES AND THEIR LOVES AND

THEIR BELIEFS, AND I HAVE TO

TELL YOU, THE STORIES THAT I'M

GETTING ARE AS GOOD AS THE ONES

WE CELEBRATE FROM YEARS PAST.

>> SO DO YOU SEE THIS AS MORE OF

A POLITICAL STATEMENT OR MORE

ABOUT THE ARTWORK OF THE

PORTRAITS?

DOES ONE WEIGH MORE THAN THE

OTHER FOR YOU?

>> IT'S KIND OF SMUSHING IT ALL

TOGETHER, BUT IT'S NOT INTENDED

TO BE POLITICAL.

I DIDN'T THINK THAT THE STORY OF

IMMIGRATION IN AMERICA WAS A

TERRIBLY POLITICAL STORY.

I SUPPOSE THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN

CASES WHERE IMMIGRANTS HAVE BEEN

NOT WELCOMED.

THE IRISH DIDN'T USED TO BE

WANTED, AND THE ITALIANS, AND

WHATEVER.

>> YEAH.

>> AND TODAY, I THINK AMERICANS

WHO DON'T LIVE AMONG IMMIGRANTS

AS I DO, WILL BE SURPRISED TO

FIND OUT TO FIND OUT THAT THEY

ARE, IN MANY WAYS, AS AMERICAN

AS THEY ARE.

THAT THEY HAVE THE SAME HOPES,

SOME OF THEM CAME HERE FOR MORE

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, BECAUSE

THE COUNTRIES CAME HERE DON'T

HAVE IT.

SOME OF THEM REALLY CAME TO HELP

THEIR CHILDREN, AND NOT HAVE

MORE OPPORTUNITY.

SOME ACTUALLY WERE REFUGEES

FLEEING TERRIBLE STRIFE AND

ECONOMIC COLLAPSE IN OTHER

PLACES.

AND SO THEY WILL FIND THAT -- I

THINK TODAY'S IMMIGRANTS ARE THE

SAME AS IMMIGRANTS THAT ALWAYS

BEEN.

>> LISTEN, BETSY, THANK YOU SO

MUCH FOR THE SHOW.

>> THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME TO

BRING IT BEFORE THE PUBLIC.

>> ABSOLUTELY.