>>> PRODUCTION OF BROAD & HIGH IS FUNDED IN PART BY THE GREATER COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL, CELEBRATING EXPRESSION AND FOSTERING TALENT, CONNECTING THE COMMUNITY TO COLUMBUS ARTISTS, PERFORMANCES, EXPRESSIONS, CONCERTS, PUBLIC ART AND MORE AT COLUMBUSMAKESART.COM.

FROM THESE CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.

>> THIS TIME ON BROAD & HIGH, BUILDING BRIDGES AND STRENGTHENING BONDS THROUGH AN OPPORTUNITY FOR NOT ONLY CULTURAL EXCHANGE BUT COLLABORATION .

THIS AND MORE RIGHT NOW ON BROAD & HIGH .

>>> WELCOME TO BROAD & HIGH, I AM YOUR HOST, KATE QUICKEL.

THERE'S MUCH TO APPRECIATE IN THE COUNTRY OF CUBA AND ITS PEOPLE.

THEY SURVIVED THROUGH MANY YEARS OF ADVERSITY.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE THE OUTCOME OF A PARTNERSHIP THAT HAS ENRICHED THE CULTURAL FABRIC OF TWO SEEMINGLY DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES.

ARTISTS CAN FIND INSPIRATION IN DIVERSE PLACES AND THE MEDIUMS IN WHICH THEY CREATE.

IN CUBA, THIS CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS NOTICING YOUR SURROUNDINGS.

HER BEAUTY IS EVERYWHERE, IN THE ARCHITECTURE, THE COLORS OF BUILDINGS, PLANTS AND BALCONIES, AND IRONWORK.

IT CAN EVEN BE FOUND IN THE CHAPTER PAINT AND STONE WORK THAT TELLS A RICH HISTORY.

PRINTMAKING IN CUBA IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT HISTORY.

AND TO BOTH OLDEST PRINT STUDIO, IT IS AN HONOR TO WORK ALONGSIDE MASTER PRINTERS AT THE EXPERIMENTAL GRAPHICS WORKSHOP.

OHIO ARTISTS DID JUST THAT AND NOT JUST FOR A SINGLE SESSION.

>> [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] AND >> SOMETHING THAT IS AMAZING IN CUBA IS I SPEAK NO SPANISH AND MANY OF THEM PRINTMAKERS I WAS WORKING WITH SPEAK NO ENGLISH BUT IT DIDN'T MATTER.

WE COULD COMMUNICATE THROUGH OUR ART AND WHAT WE WERE DOING.

IN A BROADER SENSE, COUNTRY TO COUNTRY, POLITICIAN TO POLITICIAN, THIS IS OUR CONNECTION.

AND, I THINK THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

IT REALLY HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND ANOTHER CULTURE, ON OTHER PEOPLE, WHERE THEY ARE COMING FROM, WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE AND THEY, IN TURN, UNDERSTAND US.

>> [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] >> YOU KNOW, I'M PART OF A COLLABORATIVE STUDIO AND WHEN I GO INTO THE STUDIO, THERE IS OTHER PEOPLE, THERE ARE NOISE CANCELING HEADPHONES AND PEOPLE ARE IN THEIR BUBBLE WORKING AND IT ALWAYS FEELS LIKE A COMMUNITY, OF COURSE, BUT THE CUBAN ARTISTS THAT I OBSERVED AT THE PRINTMAKING STUDIO, THEY HAVE SUCH GENUINE WARMTH FOR ONE ANOTHER AND THEY ARE SO OPEN AND SO QUICK TO BE IN CONVERSATION, GREETING EACH OTHER, HELPING EACH OTHER AND I JUST THOUGHT OF IT THAT WAS VERY CONVICTING IN A WAY I COMING OUT OF MY WAY TO THE SAME LEVEL THAT THESE ARTISTS ARE SUPPORTING EACH OTHER?

I THINK THAT AMERICAN COMMUNITY IS MORE LIKE, IT IS NOT ALL ON MY TERMS.

I HAVE CALLER ID, I DON'T NEED TO TALK TO YOU IF I DON'T WANT TO.

THE CUBAN ARTISTS TOGETHER, THERE WERE NO BARRIERS BETWEEN THEM.

THEY WERE ALL TOGETHER AND MAKING ART AND SPENDING TIME.

VERY ENERGETIC AND JUST WATCHING THE WAY THEY LAUGHED WITH EACH OTHER.

YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW THAT CUBA HAS SOME OF THE FINANCIAL KINDS OF STRUGGLES THAT IT DOES BY WATCHING THESE ARTISTS, WHO ARE JUST LIKE, YOU WOULD THINK THAT EVERYTHING WAS GREAT IN THE WORLD WHEN YOU WATCHED THE WAY THEY ENJOYED BEING WITH EACH OTHER.

I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST AMAZING.

>> [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] >> THE OHIO ARTISTS WHO WORKED IN THE PRINT STUDIO ALSO MET WITH A WORLD RENOWNED ARTIST KNOWN FOR COMBINING PRINTMAKING AND SCULPTURE IN HIS WORK, OFTEN RESULTING IN A COMMENTARY ON LIFE IN CUBA.

>> ONE OF MY FIRST GOALS IS TO COMMUNICATE THROUGH MY ART.

ART FOR ME WAS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE I WAS LEARNING FROM MY TEACHER THAT ART IS A WAY OF LIFE.

IT IS PART OF MY LIFE, MY CAREER.

FROM THE BEGINNING, THE WAY THAT I USED TO REFLECT THE WORLD, WHAT THE MEANING OF THE WORLD IS.

WHEN I START TRAVELING, MY ART BECOMES FULL OF KNOWLEDGE.

I THINK THE COMMUNICATION MADE MY ART GROW UP IN A DIFFERENT LAYER OF COMMUNICATION TO THE WORLD.

I DON'T SPEAK JAPANESE BUT I SHOW IN JAPAN.

I DON'T SPEAK FRENCH BUT I HAVE THROUGH THE ART, WE CAN COMMUNICATE.

WE CAN GET TOGETHER.

WE CAN FOLLOW DIFFERENT IDEAS.

>> THE STUDIO THAT WE WORKED IN WAS HIS GARAGE .

HE PULLED OUT HIS CAR.

ADJACENT TO THE GARAGE IS THE WORKSHOP.

THE PROCESS PRESENTED TO US IS A CONTINUATION OF A SERIES WHERE HE WOULD USE A BOOMERANG AND THE BOOMERANG REPRESENTS A JOURNEY, LEAVING AND RETURNING.

WE WERE PRESENTED WITH THE QUESTION OF WHAT IMAGES COULD YOU CARVE INTO A BOOMERANG THAT REPRESENTS YOUR VISIT TO CUBA, WHAT ARE YOU BRINGING WITH YOU, WHAT ARE YOU LEAVING IN CUBA, WHAT WILL YOU TAKE FROM CUBA BACK ON YOUR JOURNEY HOME AND SEEING IT AS A DIALOGUE BETWEEN HOME AND CUBA.

IT WAS A SPECIAL EXPERIENCE.

WE TOOK THAT EXPERIENCE HOME TO BRING IT TO OUR RESOLVE.

THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY SPECIAL ABOUT THE TRIP IS WHEN YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT IDEAS IN THE STUDIO AND HOW OTHER ARTISTS RESPOND TO IT, WHAT IT MEANS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY, WHAT IT MEANS TO DEVELOP IDEAS AND BRING IT HOME AND BRING IT TO FRUITION.

IT WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THE TRIP.

>> A LOT OF MY WORK IS HOW I SEE THE WORLD AND I THINK THAT COMES FROM FINDING THE HIDDEN MOMENTS.

MY RELATIONSHIP EITHER WITH MYSELF OR WITH A PAST SELF, MY RELATIONSHIP WITH A CERTAIN PLACE THAT I HAVE BEEN TO.

WE WERE IN OLD HAVANA.

IT WAS AN OLDER PART OF THE CITY.

THINGS ARE BUILT UPWARDS, THERE'S NOT A TON OF SPACE.

PEOPLE LIVE VERY OPENLY, JUST WALKING DOWN THE STREET, PEOPLE ARE OUTSIDE ON THEIR REPORTS, PEOPLE ARE IN THE PARKS, PEOPLE ARE WALKING EVERYWHERE DOWN IN THE STREET.

IT IS VERY OPEN.

AND, YOU ARE VERY OPEN TO EACH OTHER.

IT WAS REALLY INSPIRING, I REALLY LIKED IT.

>> TO BE CREATIVE IS SOMETHING THAT COMES OUT OF YOU SPONTANEOUSLY.

WHEN THESE GROUPS OF ARTIST MEET AND THEY START TALKING AND THEY REALIZE THEY ARE TALKING THE SAME LANGUAGE AND THEY FEEL SO FREE, IT IS INCREDIBLE AND THEY FEEL SO WONDERFUL AND I FEEL BLESSED BECAUSE I WAS THERE.

>> [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] >> GOING IN AND INTERACTING WITH OTHER ARTISTS AND OTHER CULTURES, IT IS A REMINDER OF HOW MUCH THERE IS TO LEARN AND HOW MUCH YOU DON'T KNOW AND HOW WE ALL HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES BECAUSE OF WHERE WE COME FROM BUT IT IS ALSO FUN TO FIND THE ONES THAT ARE THE SAME.

MANUEL IS FROM CUBA AND AN OLDER GENTLEMAN AND I AM 24 AND FROM OHIO AND WE HAVE DIFFERENT PRIORITIES AND FAMILY AT HOME AND WE ARE ABLE TO BOND OVER THAT.

IT IS REALLY COOL TO SEE HIS WORK AND MY WORK HAVE SIMILARITIES BUT BE SO DIFFERENT FROM OUR UPBRINGING AND LIFE EXPERIENCES AND GROW FROM THAT.

>> YOU CAN REALLY SEE IT IN THE ARTWORK, THE CREATIVITY WAS JUST OVERWHELMING.

IT WAS ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMING.

THAT WAS MY TAKE AWAY.

YOU HAVE.

YOU DON'T NEED A LOT, IF YOU HAVE THAT DESIRE AND THAT CREATIVE ENERGY, YOU CAN REALLY MAKE SOME BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK.

ALL OF THE MUSEUMS THAT WE WENT TO, THE ARTWORK WAS PHENOMENAL.

IT WAS JUST REALLY AMAZING.

>> YES, THAT IS WHAT DREW ME IN.

>> THE BIGGEST THING I TOOK FROM CUBA, TIED BACK TO THE SPIRITUAL ASPECT IN MY WORK, I SAW THAT AND EVERYBODY IN CUBA.

THEY HAVE SUCH A STRONG, RESILIENT SPIRIT BECAUSE OF THEIR HISTORY AND EVERYTHING THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH.

LOOKING AT THE PEOPLE ON THE STREETS, THEY ARE ALL CONNECTED, THEY ARE ALL STILL HAPPY IN A WAY.

I STILL HAVE THIS LIGHT ENERGY TO THEM, EVEN THOUGH AROUND AND THINGS ARE FALLING APART AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

IT INSPIRED ME TO CONTINUE WITH THAT RESILIENCE AND TO NOT BE ASHAMED OF WHERE I COME FROM AND THE STRUGGLES I HAVE BEEN THROUGH.

>> I THINK IF EVERY AMERICAN WENT TO CUBA JUST FOR ONE MINUTE, HAD A MOMENT WHERE THEY UNDERSTOOD VULNERABILITY, WHERE THEY UNDERSTOOD HUMANITY, WHERE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT NOT EVERYONE IS GOING TO GET IT BUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP GOING.

I DON'T KNOW.

THAT IS A COMPLICATED QUESTION .

>> THREE WERE LEARNING ABOUT ONE ANOTHER'S STORIES AND SHARING TRADITIONS, WORKS WERE CREATED THAT RESONATE WITH A SHARED HUMANITY.

THE 15th HAVANA BIENNIAL HEALTH EXHIBITIONS ACROSS THE CITY.

THE WORK OF OHIO ARTISTS WAS EXHIBITED IN MANY PLACES, ALL OVER HAVANA, INCLUDING THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS.

THE TITLE OF THE PROJECT, A PLACE WHERE WE ALL LIVE, IS A BEAUTIFUL REPETITION OF WHAT >> [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] >> WE HAVE THE PROJECT, THE NAME OF THE PROJECT IS A TWIST WHERE WE ALL LIVE.

>> [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] >> I WANT TO EXPRESS TO EVERYONE WHOSE HANDS HAVE TOUCHED THIS PROJECT IT IS A LABOR OF LOVE.

WE ARE DEEPLY HONORED TO BE ONE OF TWO AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL EVENT.

THE TALENT AND VISION OF OUR ARTISTS AND THE CUBAN ARTISTS UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL EXCHANGE IN TODAY'S WORLD.

>> I'M FIRST GENERATION AMERICAN OF CUBAN PARENTS.

SO, I AM AMERICAN OF CUBAN DESCENT.

FOR ME, BEING IN CUBA FOR THE FIRST TIME WAS SORT OF LIKE FIGURING OUT MYSELF AND WHO I AM.

AND, THAT WAS AN EXPERIENCE THAT TRANSCENDED THE MUSIC AND THE ARTS.

BEING AN ARTIST MYSELF, I TRANSLATE ALL THAT THROUGH MY ART, THROUGH THE MUSIC I WAS PLAYING.

IT WAS VERY EMOTIONAL FOR ME AS I WAS MAKING MUSIC THERE.

>> PERFORMANCE ARTISTS COLLABORATED IN A DIFFERENT, BUT EQUALLY ENRICHING EXPERIENCE.

THEY FORGED LASTING CONNECTIONS WITH STUDENTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ART AND THE NATIONAL SCHOOL OF ART OF CUBA.

>> FOR ME, IT IS ABOUT CONNECTION.

IT IS ABOUT SHARED HUMANITY AND THAT CONNECTION, THROUGH SOMETHING THAT IS INTRINSIC TO OUR COMMUNITY, LIKE MUSIC, LIKE ART, I MEAN, ARE YOU KIDDING?

THAT IS WHAT MAKES US HUMANS AND NOT JUST ANIMALS.

SO, THAT, TO ME, IS WHAT THIS KIND OF TRADE, THIS KIND OF EXPLORATION, THIS KIND OF BACK AND FORTH REALLY MEANS.

IT MEANS WE GET TO COME TOGETHER AND IT IS NO LONGER POLITICAL AND IT IS NO LONGER FINANCIAL AND SUDDENLY IT IS NOW JUST HUMANS DOING THINGS THAT MAKE HUMANS FEEL LIKE HUMANS.

>> ESPECIALLY IN THIS CLIMATE, WE ARE WE ARE SO DIVIDED AND WE ARE SO BUSY THINKING THAT THIS GROUP IS THE OTHER, THIS GROUP IS THE OTHER, AND WE ARE ALL PEOPLE.

AND OUR CREATIVITY COMES FROM US BEING HUMAN.

WE ARE ALL FLESH AND BLOOD AND IT IS IMPORTANT, IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR US TO GROW AS PEOPLE.

IF I CAN SEE YOUR CREATIVITY AND YOU CAN SEE MY AND AND WE PUT IT TOGETHER, OH MY GOSH, THAT IS A MASTERPIECE RIGHT THERE.

>> THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS WHEN YOU DO STUFF LIKE THIS, TRAVELING, GOING TO PLACES TO LEARN DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, I FEEL LIKE THE BRAIN CRACKED OPEN MORE.

IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MONEY, IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MATERIALISM.

THE MORE YOU TRAVEL AND LEARN DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES OF LIFE AS AN ARTIST, YOU START TO LET YOUR BRAIN OPEN UP TO MORE AND THAT IS THE MOST POWERFUL THING YOU CAN HAVE IS TO SEE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES IN THE WORLD.

DON'T JUST GO TO BE A TOURIST, GO TO UNDERSTAND AND LEARN AND YOU WILL ALSO LEARN HOW YOU CAN DO BETTER.

NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, WHEN YOU GO TO OTHER PLACES IN THE WORLD, ESPECIALLY GOING TO CUBA, IT TAUGHT ME ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS I CAN DO BETTER IN MY DAILY LIFE MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY, THINGS I CAN APPRECIATE A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN I DID RIGHT BEFORE I GOT HERE.

>> MUCH LIKE THE OPENING, THE CLOSING CEREMONIES WERE FILLED WITH SONGS, MUSIC AND DANCE.

>> [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] >> [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] >> [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] >> HI, EVERYONE.

I AM FROM THE COLUMBUS CITY COUNCIL.

WE WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THAT COLUMBUS AND OHIO AND CUBA WOULD HAVE DISCONNECTION AND IT IS SUCH A GREAT HONOR FOR US TO BE HERE.

>> [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] I WAS JUST SAYING IT IS A BEAUTIFUL THING AND A BEAUTIFUL HONORED TO BE HERE, TO SHARE THIS OPPORTUNITY WITH YOU.

[ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] THAT IS WHAT ART DOES, IT BUILDS BRIDGES AND HELPS US UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER.

I AM GOING TO STOP TALKING BECAUSE I'M EMOTIONAL.

WE SHOULD ALL CELEBRATE TOGETHER.

I WANT TO THANK YOU PERSONALLY ALL THE ARTISTS FOR BRINGING THAT HERE AND SHARING THAT WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND FOR BRINGING A LITTLE BIT BACK TO OHIO FROM CUBA.

>> I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT CLAY AND CERAMICS.

CLAY IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT IN OHIO, VERY SIGNIFICANT PRODUCT.

IT IS IN OUR RIVERBEDS IN OHIO.

>> [ SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH ] >> OHIO IS KNOWN FOR ITS CERAMICS SO IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT WE ARE HERE FOR THE CLOSING EVENT.

>> I STARTED BY THINKING ABOUT WHAT MY CONCEPT WAS AND I THOUGHT OF THE IDEA OF WHAT WOULD THE WORLD BE WITHOUT ART?

I WANTED TO MAKE A GRAY WORLD AND ONE CONTINUOUS STREAK, THE IDEA THAT WE ARE ALL TRULY CONNECTED AND SO I PHOTOGRAPHED THE CATHEDRAL SQUARE AND PHOTOGRAPHED A LOT OF THINGS.

WHEN I LOOKED AT THE CATHEDRAL SQUARE AND LOOKED AT THE ARCHES AND LOOKED AT THE STREET, I DECIDED I WANTED TO PHOTOGRAPH SOMETHING THAT WAS SIMILAR TO THAT SO I PHOTOGRAPHED THE ART MUSEUM AND THE LIBRARY AND NOTICE TO THE ARCHES WERE SIMILAR SO I MADE A CONTINUOUS STREET AND NEGATIVE CATHEDRAL AND I MADE IT ALL GRAY.

WITHOUT ART AND THE FLAG BEHIND IT, HAD NO COLOR.

I PUT BUILDINGS BEHIND IT, IT HAD NO COLOR.

THEN I STARTED TO PUT THE ARTISTS IN.

I PUT 11 ARTISTS FROM OHIO AND 11 ARTISTS FROM THE WORKSHOP AND THEY WERE ALL HOLDING UP THEIR ARTWORK AND IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE THEIR WORK, I PUT SOME ARTWORK IN AND IT WAS LIKE WE WERE GIVING GIFTS TO THE WORLD AND TO EACH OTHER AND TO COLLABORATE.

WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GO TO THE MUSEUM AND LEARN ABOUT CUBAN ART AND ALL THE AMAZING PAINTINGS SO I PHOTOGRAPHED THEM AND DECIDED TO PUT THEM ON THE CUBAN SIDE.

I WENT TO THE COLUMBUS ART MUSEUM AND PHOTOGRAPHED THE THINGS THAT WERE THERE AND PUT THE PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE LIBRARY AND THE ART MUSEUM.

I BELIEVE WE SHARE ONE WORLD AND OUR TOPS COMMUNICATE THAT.

THE COMBINATION OF THIS DECADE IN THE MAKING.

WHILE THE 15th HAVANA BIENNIAL HAS ENDED, THESE RELATIONSHIPS WILL CONTINUE.

IT REMINDS US THAT REGARDLESS OF WHERE WE COME FROM, WE SHARE MORE IN COMMON THAN WE REALIZE.

>> THAT IS OUR SHOW.

REMEMBER, YOU CAN FIND ALL OF OUR STORIES ONLINE AT WOSU.ORG AS WELL AS ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

FOR ALL OF US HERE AT WOSU, I AM KATE QUICKEL, THANKS FOR WATCHING.

>> PRODUCTION OF BROAD & HIGH IS FUNDED IN PART BY THE GREATER COLUMBUS ARTS COUNCIL, CELEBRATING EXPRESSION, FOSTERING TALENT AND CONNECTING COMMUNITIES TO COME AS ARTISTS, PERFORMANCES, EXHIBITIONS, CONCERTS, PUBLIC ART AND MORE AT COLUMBUSMAKESART.COM .