- In this edition of "ARTEFFECTS," the dazzling possibilities of sequins.

- When people really stop and connect with a piece, I always know it's because it's making them think of something in their own past.

(gentle upbeat music) - [Beth] A printmaker pushes the boundaries of her craft.

(gentle music) - [Christie] Within Mexican culture, printmaking has that historical component.

(gentle music) It's tied to being able to amplify the voices socially and politically.

(upbeat music) - [Beth] And preserving a historic Frank Lloyd Wright home.

(upbeat music) - [Marta] As far as the house is concerned, it was a final moment where the damage that happened could be reversed.

(upbeat music) - That's all coming up on this edition of "ARTEFFECTS."

(upbeat music) (upbeat music fades) (bright upbeat music) - [Narrator] Funding for "ARTEFFECTS" is made possible by Sandy Raffealli with Bill Pearce Motors, Heidimarie Rochlin, in memory of Sue McDowell, The Carol Franc Buck Foundation, and by the annual contributions of PBS Reno Members.

(bright upbeat music) - Hello, I'm Beth Macmillian, and welcome to "ARTEFFECTS."

In our featured segment, we explore the dazzling and infinite potential of the sequin.

Beth Baumann is a self-taught artist who creates one-of-a-kind sculptures adorned with thousands upon thousands of sequins.

Let's head to Baumann's studio in South Reno, where she meticulously and patiently creates sculptures that lead to conversations and memories.

(bright upbeat music) - At its most basic, a sequin is a very tiny little disc of plastic with a hole punched in, and on its own, a sequin is nothing.

It's so inconsequential, you barely would even notice it.

But the power of sequins are when they are combined into the hundreds and thousands and millions, and all of a sudden, they dazzle us.

(bright upbeat music) My name is Beck Baumann, and I make original sculptures that are entirely covered in sequins.

(bright upbeat music) Generally, I focus on themes that are everyday objects, like a pencil or a piece of candy or a brain or a television set.

These are just the things that we live with every day, and I don't know why, but I am totally fascinated by these objects.

And so I love seeing them, and I love seeing them covered with sequins because then they become transformed into something special, something that people wanna live with.

And I think that they kind of see it the way I see it, that these little everyday items that are so mundane, suddenly, we treasure the part that they play in our life.

(bright upbeat music) I like the connections that I get where people get excited to see a sequined boombox because like me, maybe they remember getting one as a kid.

They have memories of taking it to the beach in Santa Monica in the summertime.

They remember the tapes that they used to play on it and the music, and they go, "Gosh, where'd all that go?

It's gone.

Probably don't have it anymore."

What about mix tapes?

Oh my gosh, that's like an entire category of regret.

How did I not keep every mix tape I ever made or had or was gifted?

Those were precious things.

And so I feel like sometimes my art does talk to that, those just super happy, concentrated, like, moments that we've all had.

(bright upbeat music) I sketch every day.

What I'll do is I'll write down a little note, and then later that evening, I'll sit with my sketchbook after dinner.

I usually pop on an audiobook so I've got something in my ears, and I'm just sketching for a couple hours to try and then take it from that concept to then something more tangible because once it's on the page, I feel kind of safe.

It's like locked in at that point.

(bright music) The two main things I use for my under structures are wood and styrofoam.

That allows me to build so far anything that comes to mind.

(bright music) I will cut the styrofoam.

Generally, I have to sand it at that point.

(bright music) Then I bring it inside, and I give it a foam coat, which gives it a little bit of durability.

I don't want it to be rock hard, but I wanna try and stiffen it and coat it and seal it as much as I can.

Then I paint it.

I always paint my work because no matter how good you are at putting sequins on an object, there's always, like, little gaps.

There's little ways that it can show through, and so you never want that under color to show.

My favorite part of the entire process is putting on the sequins.

(gentle upbeat music) Sequins come in many different forms, and when I first started working with them, I only worked with them loose, which means that it's one sequin, one pin that holds it in place, and that is how you build the piece.

And so all of my earliest work is simply built out of sequins one by one by one by one.

(bright music) Then I learned about sequin trims, where, okay, now the sequins are sewn onto a string, sometimes in multiple rows, sometimes in single rows.

So then I was kind of like painting with the string.

(gentle upbeat music) And then I got into stretchy trim, and from there, then it's like, okay, what about fabric?

(gentle upbeat music) (scissors snipping) Jumping to fabrics was really exciting because then it brought in this new component, where I love to go to thrift stores, and what do you see in thrift stores?

Often sequined clothing because a lot of people will buy an outfit for a really special day.

They'll wear it, but then they don't have a place to wear it again.

Like, often a sequined outfit is a one-time thing.

(gentle upbeat music) (scissors snipping) I love to pick them apart, cut them apart, and I reincorporate them into my artwork.

And the fabrics that I get from the clothing are usually twice as interesting or fancy or special as things that I can just buy as fabric.

So it's a really fun addition now to everything I do.

(gentle upbeat music) I like to hear what people feel and think about and remember when they look at the work.

(upbeat music) That is always going to be a far more interesting story than whatever I use to come up with the artwork.

So we each have completely different kind of memories and ideas, but we're meeting in the middle because we're both connecting with the artwork.

I remember I had a client who came, and she was so lovely, a very elderly woman.

She had a little dog tucked up under her arm, and she really kind of resonated with the work I was doing.

And she said it was because it reminded her of an experience.

When she was a child, she got to go to the movies, and there was a movie where they had these glass animals, and they were sparkling in the movie.

And it was just something that had really stuck with her imagination, and so seeing my artwork, that was exactly the memory that it brought right to the surface for her.

And it's just kind of a powerful thing when you can pull a memory out of the dustbin of your mind because sometimes they're lost.

And so I like to hear when people really stop and connect with a piece, I always know it's because it's making them think of something in their own past.

It's their own story that's more interesting to me than mine.

(upbeat music) I never get asked what my inspiration is, and I think it's because people don't even need to ask.

They just see it on the wall.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music fades) - To learn more, visit beckbaumann.com.

Now it's time for this week's Art Quiz.

In the 1930s, Herbert Lieberman pioneered sequin production and created sequins using which material from Eastman Kodak?

Is the answer A, acetate, B, gelatin, C, silver bromide, or D, aluminum foil?

(upbeat music) And the answer is A, acetate.

(upbeat music) Interdisciplinary artist Christie Tirado studied the art of printmaking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The printmaking program at the renowned university is one of the best in the world, accepting only two people into its program each year.

For her MFA thesis exhibition, "Cultivating Histories," Tirado explores her family history of labor and tradition.

(machines humming) (palette knife scrapes) - Printmaking is very versatile.

(machines humming) (palette knife scrapes) (roller scratches) The process is very immersive.

It's very tactile.

(roller scratching) So as you are carving a relief block, there's that automatic connection with material, but also the idea of being able to create stories.

(hand scrapes) (gentle music) (hand scrapes) (gentle music) Within Mexican culture, printmaking has that historical component.

It's tied to being able to amplify the voices socially and politically.

Labor is a theme in my work from what I'm capturing in the stories that I'm telling, but also the act of printing.

(gentle music) Printmaking in general is very labor intensive.

You have the act of carving multiple layers on a block, running it through a press.

(press clicking) All of that feeds into the underlying theme of my work.

(bright music) - I'm Jacobo Lovo, managing artistic director at Latino Arts.

When I was first introduced to Christie's work, she was early in her program at UW Madison but right away, I could tell that the direction she was going with her body of work was something very interesting.

The exhibit is titled "Cultivating Histories," which is "Cosechando Historias."

We always have our eyes open for Hispanic Latino artists that are interacting with our community or being cultivated within our community.

Christie, the way she is presenting her work is really a, a beautiful way to tell story.

And those stories come from her cultural background, but also from her family stories, relationships with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and also godparents.

And it's a really beautiful way to interweave not only her artistic practice and cultural heritage with very traditional printmaking methods, but also incorporating technology.

And I think this just shows the caliber of artist that she is, where she is not only mastering traditional methods, but also looking ways to expand that conversation within that medium.

(machine whirring) - I decided to push the boundaries and I think it was about time, especially with scale.

(roller scratching) Specifically relief print, you kind of max out at the size of the printing press.

One of the things that I've always wanted to do was to make these pieces large scale, larger than life or, you know, about life size.

(gentle music) In the exhibition, you'll be able to find a series of prints.

On the walls, you'll be able to see some larger scale laser cuts.

And those laser cuts, they all derived from prints that I've created.

So when you're looking at a print or something behind a plexiglass, you have that connection, that specific moment in time that you spend with that image right then and there.

Then you walk away, and then you're onto the next.

(gentle music) Whereas an installation, you can immerse yourself in this narrative, in this story, and you can walk through, and you can see all of the different movement that's happening, and you can just unpack the story as you're walking by it, essentially walk into a print.

In my work, you'll notice that I'm very selective with color, and specifically, in the installation, you'll see color on the butterflies, and you'll see color in this little symbol.

It's like a little spiral symbol, and that's actually a Tlatoli in Nahuatl, and it's been used to emphasize somebody speaking.

Those two, the butterflies and the Tlatoli, have color specifically in this exhibition because some of the themes that I'm exploring here have to do with migration and the way we transmit those stories from one generation to another.

(gentle music) The butterfly serves as a symbol of migration, and the tlatoli is the way family members pass on some of those cultural traditions to the next generation.

(gentle music) I think those are all things that are very important to just think about and also be able to share with those around here.

(gentle music) (gentle music fades) - To learn more, visit christietiradoarte.com.

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright's historic Westcott House is located in the heart of Springfield, Ohio.

The house's story is a full circle one.

Completed in 1908, it underwent major alterations in the 1940s before being painstakingly restored in 2005 to its original glory.

The house's history spans over a century, and it's thanks to a team of preservationists that it's still standing and thriving as a community hub.

To learn more about the landmark, let's sit down with executive director Marta Wojcik and Rodney Veal, the host of "The Art Show" in Southwest Ohio.

(gentle upbeat music) (birds chirping) (gentle upbeat music continues) (gentle upbeat music continues) - Marta, every great house begins with a bold idea from the people who imagined it into being.

Burton and Orpha Westcott made the remarkable decision to commission Frank Lloyd Wright to design the home.

What do you know about the Westcotts, and what might have inspired them to bring a great designed house to Springfield in the first place?

- Burton and Orpha both were really interested in new technology, so it's kind of fascinating to look at the story as much as we can tell.

When they were working with Frank Lloyd Wright, having conversations about a new home, they were actively also discussing producing a Westcott car, first in Richmond, Indiana, and then they moved it eventually to Springfield, Ohio.

So they were all about creating new experiences for themselves and their guests, a new way of living.

I think that Frank Lloyd Wright is famous today because he had some really bold visionaries who recognized that he has tremendous potential, that he can present them with something very different than their neighbors had, and they wanted it.

I think he just pushed the envelope while at the same time not losing the sight of human experience and importance of human comfort.

- The story of the Westcott House is a remarkable story of survival.

Can you take us back to the moment when people realized this architectural treasure might be lost, and the community stepped in to save it?

- The quality of Westcott's restoration was really in part of partnership that happened between the local community and Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.

And it's really wonderful to have a national partner of this kind because they are devoted to really actively monitoring what is happening with the Frank Lloyd Wright properties around the country and really raising alarm if there is any of those in danger.

(camera shutter clicks) We are one of the youngest public sites, but this partnership really allowed to intervene when they really felt that this was about, as far as the house concerned, it was a final moment where the damage that happened could be reversed.

And they stepped in and helped to coordinate, to identify architects, top-notch craftsmen who made this house the beautiful home that it is today.

I moved to Springfield in May 2005 when the house was almost ready to receive first guests, and it looked wonderful.

I was really impressed with restoration.

What I did not know, I only could learn from photos and videos of the process of restoration and how terrible the house was.

First thought was, "How did they save it?

How did they believe that this house can be saved?"

Because it kind of looked beyond repair, quite honestly.

The whole process that it took over the course of about four years of intense work to bring this house back to its original appearance, which we're going to be always grateful to the original team to have that imagination that this could actually happen.

- Now, historic preservation is rarely easy.

What were some of the biggest challenges faced during the restoration process?

- After World War II, the house was divided into apartments.

It was due to housing crisis in the community.

It was kind of a practical thing to do.

At the time too, the owner, I'm sure, appreciated the house, but didn't necessarily understand the value of it as we do today, of course.

(camera shutter clicks) So over time, original elements were misplaced.

(camera shutter clicks) The walls were painted many, many times.

(camera shutter clicks) Woodwork was painted.

(camera shutter clicks) There were additional walls that were built to accommodate all these apartments.

(camera shutter clicks) The floors were damaged.

There was a lot of water and termite damage, so the foundations were in really poor shape.

One of the remarkable features of this house are sleeping porches, and they create this beautiful effect with deep overhang of the roof that has this unique Asian feel.

That's because Wright was heavily experienced by his trip to Japan.

They boxed in the sleeping porches.

They created kitchens for those apartments upstairs.

You no longer see this remarkable feat of engineering there.

You just see a room like everything else.

So that created really a shell of what Frank Lloyd Wright intended for this place to be.

And this restoration would not be possible if not for a set of original architectural drawings that were found in Frank Lloyd Wright archives, because there were so very few photos, it would be just impossible to decipher the arrangements that Wright had in mind.

- Today, the Westcott House is much more than a historic home.

It has become a gathering place for art, design, and conversations.

How do you think Wright's philosophy supports the ideas of the house as a living cultural space?

- This is important to us.

It's been important from the very beginning.

How can we do things in the spirit of Westcotts?

How can we do things in the spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright?

And I've been here for over 20 years, and I think that at the beginning, we were trying to find our way.

The house was beautifully restored, but it was missing number of key furniture pieces.

There was a lot of things that we still had unanswered.

So I think there was kind of a sense of inferiority complex, you know, comparing with some other more established Frank Lloyd Wright sites.

And we were trying to make things up in a sense that, okay, let's bring a contemporary artist, and let's bring a musician.

Let's make it a living house.

Let's put contemporary art on the walls of this house.

And as I look back, I'm thinking we truly experimented.

And not all the experiments worked, but that was really essential to finding our own identity as a Frank Lloyd Wright site.

- Standing inside the remarkable prairie-style home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, what do you think the house is still trying to communicate to us more than a century after it was built, and what does it mean for Springfield to be home to one of Wright's designs?

- It is incredible that we have a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Springfield, and it is so unique for Springfield, but it's also unique for the region and for the state.

And it was so close to us losing it.

I think also to have a home, this used to be a private home of a family, to have it turn into public site, a site that can be a resource to people, whoever wishes to come by and take a tour or attend an event or a program is welcome to come and explore the house, there is nothing better than see it for yourself, to experience it, to be in the space and feel it.

It is a gift that I think the Frank Lloyd Wright community gives to the world because it's an impressive number of actually public sites that are currently open around the United States, and we are part of that bigger family.

(gentle music) - To learn more, visit westcotthouse.org, and that wraps it up for this edition of "ARTEFFECTS."

Remember, if you want to watch new "ARTEFFECTS" segments early, make sure you subscribe to the PBS Reno YouTube channel, and don't forget to visit pbsreno.org to watch complete episodes of "ARTEFFECTS."

Until next week, I'm Beth Macmillian.

Thanks for watching.

(upbeat music fades) (bright upbeat music) - Funding for ARTEFFECTS is made possible by Sandy Raffealli with Bill Pearce Motors, Heidimarie Rochlin, in memory of Sue McDowell, (bright upbeat music) The Carol Franc Buck Foundation, and by the annual contributions of PBS Reno Members.

(gentle upbeat music fades) (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues)