- In this edition of ARTEFFECTS.

Art and history in the palm of your hand.

pocket but do we really know history of how they're made what goes to make up a coin?

(upbeat jazzy music) tiniest of details.

(upbeat jazzy music) - [Scott] I work with repurposing old clocks, cameras, radios and TV's.

the last 10 years, I have probably built close to about, maybe 3,000 pieces, all different shapes and sizes.

(upbeat jazzy music) - [Beth] Introspective illustration.

interested in finding that, kbetween our inner worldsp in a larger society.

(upbeat jazzy music) impact of the blues.

(upbeat jazzy music) - [Selwyn] You know, we get out and travel and go through all the hardships associated with this sometimes because this is what we wanna do.

(upbeat jazzy music) - It's all ahead on this edition of ARTEFFECTS.

(upbeat jazzy music) - [Narrator] Funding for ARTEFFECTS is made possible by, the June S. Wisham Estate, Nell J. Redfield Foundation, of PBS Reno members and by.

(uplifting music) -and welcome to ARTEFFECTS., filled with history and the Nevada State Museum is of artifacts.eds One of the museum's highlights, Coin Press No.

1.

Since 1870, this impressive machine has produced millions of coins and medallions, fusing art and history in the palm of your hand.

(calming piano music) is located in Carson City.

The main building was originally the Carson City Branch Mint.

This is the beautiful sandstone building yand so what you see today,t up to hold the many stories Nevada's history.

One of the most amazing artifacts in the State Museum is Coin Press No.

1.

- Coin Press No.

1, boy, part of this museum.

Ahistory of the U.S. Mint.t 1 was the first coin press in the Carson City Mint.

Coin Press No.

1 was also the only coin press for the first five years of the Mint's operation.

Eventually there were three presses here.

was brand new it could do from 80 to 100 silver dollars a minute and smaller denominational coins, it could do even more.

have the equipment that automated the activity.

So we mint each one by hand.

We operate it where we make (hums), maybe one per minute.

(whimsical xylophone music) minting the planchet is to put it into the collar.

So a planchet is another word for a coin blank.

It's simply a piece of metal that's ready press, ready to be minted.

(coin clangs on coin press) So I put in on the table of the coin press and I slide it into the opening and it drops into the collar push the two run buttons.

Now they make you use two hands, squite separated.e And that's purposeful so your hands are separated so you don't end up leaving a finger in under the coin press and losing part of it.

hands to start the press.

It's a six ton machine.

We operate Coin Press No.

1 at about 110 tons of pressure to make the half dollar sized medallions.

So coins or medallions are made from dies.

Timpression on the coins.e Wehas the reverse image,ich athe obverse image awhich inside has reeding, that you see on the edges of your quarters and half dollars and dollars and so that's inside the collar.

So when that wedge comes down and pushes those dies together, alin one action.ens So, that complete coin in made in a second.

(gentle xylophone music) working with Tom Rogers,f a former sculptor and engraver for the United States Mint.

of the dies for us.

We work with people who actually used to work for the Mint absolutely the most professional experience we can to make the dies for Coin Press No.

1.

- When they're designing these, and these are original works of, really art.

Thatare excited about,ctors the quality of those asculpting comes ine and it works hand in hand.

(calming piano music) history in action.

the original Mint building and you're working with the actual Coin Press andthe very first oneing, that was here at the museum.

blanks, silver planchets, just like they did back in they 1870s and '80s.

-there, many collectors,t they just focus on the Carson City medallions historic Coin Press No.

1. about connections.

Connecting people with stories so that they, not only understand, but they feel a real link to the time.

And so, Coin Press No.

1 is a perfect example of how that works.

of how that works.

- To learn more about Coin Press No.

1 and the Nevada State Museum, visit carsonnvmuseum.org CHildebrandt builds magical, miniature worlds.

In repurposing vintage and antique items, he creates playful, special scenes on a very small scale.

His work has even earned him the nickname, Mister Christmas.

(fast-paced violin music) my art is different and fun at the same time.

the pieces light up and then it's fun to see their faces light up and I see their imagination light up, and it's really kind of a fun thing to sit back and watch.

humbling experience to hear people tell me about how it moves them and the feelings that it invokes in them.

the world like it.

It feels wonderful.

(gentle guitar music) Mand I'm a miniature artistt andold clocks, cameras,sing radios and TVs.

the last 10 years, I have probably built close to about, maybe 3,000 pieces, all different shapes and sizes.

Nothing is really off limits.

Anairplane salvage.y So, this is an old wheel cover from an old landing gear, an old Cessna 182.

(camera reel whirs) The love of miniatures probably started when I was close to six or seven.

My grandfather used to put up his old train set from when he was a boy.

Aawe of how beautiful it was and how it ran and all the little miniatures tjust fascinated with it.as And as I got older, I would build models.

And I loved the scale of trying to recreate miniature format.

This is an old hardback case and there's a little switch on the bottom.

you can put them somewhere, have a nice little display.

- Oh my gosh!

(laughing) - [Sis a term or a namemas probably about 10 years ago when I first started doing this.

- [Blonde Customer] It's very creative what you've done.

- Thank you, I appreciate that.

- Beautiful work.r] - I focused on vintage Christmas pieces and my first piece that I ever made actually was a lthat was under glass.ge People took interest in that style of art.

sort of absorbedt the name Mister Christmas.

I would describe the personality of my work as more whimsical.

I think miniatures in general reminds adults that sometimes you repress and put away and it brings you back to a really good place in your life that you remember when you were younger.

safe place and it creates tthat people love.s - Where do you source your antiques?

- Um, I go to a lot of estate sales and flea markets, uh, garage sales.

weekend for me was, is thrifting (chuckles).

A fun weekend like that will turn into fun weeks finding these pieces and then getting a chance to, to build into 'em.

working, a motor burned out.

repurpose the face.

I never put people inside of my artwork.

Icreates a wonder or mystery and I want the focus to be on the quaintness of the scene itself, and that you can imagine yourself maybe there.

The thing that really inspires me to continue with my art create somethingo that connects people together and that's also challenge to me to be able to create something that I could imagine.

satisfying than to be able that you've thought about.

It's just such a form of accomplishment, and it's so satisfying that it kind of makes me feel complete as an artist.

- [Interviewer] Do you title all your pieces?

- I try to.

- What wou- Um,u call it?

"A Clear Sunset".

(laughing) I can't imagine not doing it.

It's part of my life part of who I am.

Hildebrandt's work, clevermisterchristmas.com.

Now, let's take a look at this week's art quiz.

"Frankenstein"; or, "The Modern Prometheus" by Mary Shelley, is one of the most famous works Gothic literature.

Hobegan to write the novel?e Is the answer A, 18 years old, B, 24 years old, C, 35 years old, or D, 43 years old.

(upbeat jazzy music) AA, 18 years old., In Albany, New York, illustrator Cara Hanley creates artworks that encourage people to get in touch witand emotions,hts and to be aware of themselves and their surroundings.

(silly guitar music) - I consider myself on the introverted side of the spectrum.

(silly guitar music) Folife I have livedt in some kind of city setting and I've always really enjoyed and needed those times of finding space alone wimy thoughts awayth of the city life.

(slow bass music) So I really am interested in finding that kind of like relationship between our inner worlds in a larger society.

The contrast there is very interesting to me and I think it's super important we kinda live dual lives, in terms of what's going on inside of here and the time we spend being connected with our surroundings and the people around us.

(slow bass music) psychology and art history in undergrad up in Montreal, which I loved.

to graduate school for clinical social work.

(calm chiming music) Ipiece being my side job,rt outside of my full-time career as a mental health therapist.

And about seven months ago I left my position therapist to pursue my art career full-time.

(calm piano music) before leaving my day job.

Soyears I was selling art,ee doing commissioned work, working markets, for local companies or publications on the side.

I did a book on the side, while I was still at my day job.

And then it just kinda got to this point where the opportunities were growing and my time was limiting my ability to pursue as many as I wanted to of that.

(calm piano music) (happy piano music) I use primarily watercolor and gouache.

Gouache is like a combination band a watercolor.

and pen line-drawing to create definition.

subject matter tends to be oof the spectrum.de (upguitar music)ric Ijust like randomly.

heightened emotional state, some kind of a vision will come.

Currently I'm working on a piece that's going to incorporate an anatomical heart so feeling kind of the, or there needs to be mothen feeling that pullingd might create another image of either a road leading there or some kind of path there.

Twith a thumbnail sketcht and then I sketch out a rough sketch of where everything is going to be on the piece.

But most of the process is with the watercolor and the piece evolves of it's own accord too, while I'm painting and it never comes out lwhat I expected ite to look like in the beginning.

(whimsical violin plucking) Zipper, oh my gosh.

Zipper is like the best thing that's ever (joyous laughter) I adopted Zipper about three years ago.

to the Mohawk Humane Society and just look at the cats there.

And there were two cats there.

and there was Mario.

And Mario was thever seen in my life.ve Tin the corner of his cage.g a total loving cat, immediately jumped on my lap and I was like, to take her home".

It's just so interesting to have another living organism bearing witness to your life.

So sometimes I kind of think about that (humorous laughter).

Like life through the lens of Zipper the cat.

(flowing saxophone music) Ito return in some capacityg to an office environment.

balance is really important andamount of timeted artwork actually, I think, increases my creativity and my motivation.

(whimsical violin music) I feel a very special when somebody sayst that they relate to a piece.

would want to hang something is really crazy and awesome.

It's like a really interesting way to relate to people.

(flowing saxophone music) - Dwork on her website,ey's carahanley.com.

blues is undeniable, with its distinct sound being heard across an array of music genres.

In this segment, we meet a blues musician from Orlando, Florida.

With a guitar, lap steel, and an emotive, powerful voice, hfor all to hear.s (guitar strings plucking) off of blues music thfeel that I get't from any other style of music.

(guitar strings plucking) ♪ Whiskey you aint no good story, you know,r sometimes say their prayer in their song.

♪ I declare declare I'm through with you ♪ Sso relatable that I thinkd has drawn me to it, and I think that's why people enjoy it so much.

(guitar string plucking) ♪ You know I'll declare declare I'm through with you ♪ (guitar strings plucking) ♪my money babe ♪l ♪ And you took my woman too I I was about 12 years old.n I learned just listening to records and stuff, teachers, I guess.

Muand John Lee Hooker,ng, just fell in love with music it going ever since.

Wanna hear what this lap steel sounds like?

- [Audience] Yeah!

- Too bad.

(laughing) This is the one.

(lap steel strings plucking) I actually got into playing lap steel guitar through a mentor of mine named Sunny Rhodes.

Wpicked me up in his band.e Ihim and I playedet about a half a song for him.

his bass player and smiledt do you have a passport?

", And I said, "Yeah."

(upbeat blues music) and to my surprise ♪ ♪with that alligator smile ♪ ♪ And said I'll spare your life boy ♪ ♪ Let's see what you got ♪ There's only one thing there out of that pot ♪ wanted to find my own voice matter what I was learning, out a way to make it my own.

way with writing.

I would do a lot of poetry, and what would eventually become songs.

And I used to do it just sort of as a relaxation, meditation and, you know, sometimes even get frustrations out sort of thing good outlet for me.

So, eventually it turned into more song writing.

I don't have a specific process every time.

It's always different.

Sowhen I'm playing guitarnd or a chord that I think might make a good song or telling a storyne a word sounds coolt and I'll try to work around that or a saying that someone has and, you know, it's always different.

So, I just try to always keep my ears open.

You know what?

- [Audience] What?

- [Selwyn] You know what?

- [Audience] What!

♪I just like the taste ♪, ♪rolls them every day ♪r, ♪ I don't like a game, I just like to play ♪ ♪ I don't care for strangers, but I dig the strange ♪ ♪ And I don't know what else to tell ya ♪ guilty pleasures ♪ guilty pleasures ♪ is pretty much life.

We spend the winter time, for the most part, around Florida, just kinda dodging snow.

♪ All by myself ♪ Talkin' to myselves ♪ know the shape of bein' ♪t I did two tours in the snow and I said that I would never do it again.

♪left doing that question ♪o ♪my head again ♪n ♪ Are we crazy ya know Mband that's on my record.e - We're like brothers, you know.

We joke each other.

We all got thick skin.

So we, we're pretty rough but we're gentle at the same time.

fun, love to laugh.

Saxophonist Reggie Oliver, he's a graduate of Berkeley College of Music, so he brings a jazz influence.

Donald Huff Wright, the blues scene for, I think over 20 years.

R&B and church background, a lot of funk bands.

(upbeat blues music) - My first record with Alligator that we released in 2014 Call No Ambulance", and we actually ended up winning the Blues Music Award fAlbum that year.st It was amazing, you know, it feels like you're 10 feet tall.

they're playing your song,d you know, while you're walking up to the stage, sort of a surreal moment.

(upbeat blues music) the happiest you'll see me, pretty much.

You know, I don't do this because I'm trying and get a hit somewhere.s travel and go through all the hardships associated with this sometimes because this is what we wanna do, this is our passion, this is our joy,, get on the stage, that's what we wanna share with everybody.

(upbeat blues music) Well, you always hope for a positive reaction.

and take, you know, off of the stagey and they give it right back and it's sort of a cool thing when it can be a shared experience like that.

My mom and my sister used to always get on me and yell at me all the time 'cause I'd always be barefoot.

People ask me if I can feel the vibrations of the music and, to the energy of the music I wish that was the answer.

I kind of wanna go with that instead of just, "I don't like shoes" (laughing).

But that's the truth.

the best music that I can, perform it the best way I can, and get it out everybody as I can.

And I feel like if I do that, that everything else will fall into place.

(upbeat blues music) - To learn more, visit selwynbirchwood.com.

this edition of ARTEFFECTS.

and to watch past episodes, visit pbsreno.org/arteffects.

I'm Beth MacMillan.

Thanks for watching.

- [Narrator] Funding for ARTEFFECTS is made possible by, The June S. Wisham Estate, Nell J. Redfield Foundation, of PBS Reno members and by.

(uplifting music) (upbeat jazzy music)