(light airy music) (upbeat inspirational music) - [Narrator] Go back in time with the historical paintings of Len Tantillo.

Ben Williams explains how art builds confidence at the Connect Center for Youth.

And catch a performance from Rhoseway.

It's all ahead on this episode of "AHA, A House for Arts."

- [Announcer] Funding for AHA has been provided by your contribution and by contributions to the WHMT Venture Fund.

Contributors include the Leo Cox Beach Philanthropic Foundation, Chet and Karen Opalka, Robert and Doris Fischer Malesardi, and The Robison Family Foundation.

- At M & T Bank, we understand that the vitality of our communities is crucial to our continued success.

That's why we take an active role in our community.

M & T Bank is pleased to support WMHT programming that highlights the arts, and we invite you to do the same.

(upbeat inspirational music) - Hi, I'm Jade Warrick, and this is "AHA, A House For Arts."

A place for all things creative.

Let's send it right over to Matt Rogowicz with today's studio visit.

(light airy music) - Today we're gonna take a step back in time, through the historical paintings of artist Len Tantillo.

Follow me.

- [Len] For the last 40 to 45 years, I've been painting New York State historical subjects and marine paintings.

The history of New York State in particular, is an epic story.

I think the thing that I found so intriguing about history as a subject, is that I could go anywhere with it.

I can go anywhere in time with it.

I can go anywhere in space with it.

I can deal with all manner of activity.

The construction of cities, the evolution of watercraft, the effects of mechanized transportation system when the railroad gets built.

It's been an incredibly exciting adventure for me.

(gentle hopeful music) My mother was pretty artistic.

She wasn't a painter, but she was interested in art and she encouraged me to draw.

What I was looking for then, and maybe even what I'm seeking now, I've said this to my friends who were professional artists, we want our moms to take our pictures and put them on the refrigerator.

That's a big deal.

And whether you're talking about a museum today, it's that validation of someone, who is out there interested in what you're doing.

So I think because my mother did that, I got my my rewards and my incentive to make another one.

And I don't know, there's probably still a little of that lingering.

I'm sure it's in here someplace in the studio.

(gentle calming music) We seem to have a historical inferiority complex.

Oh, when I say an inferiority complex, I mean that the great moments of American history happened somewhere else.

They happened in Philadelphia, they happened in New York, they happened in Boston.

But in actuality, history happened everywhere.

I kept thinking about how could you break through and make people proud of where they lived?

I felt that the way that I could contribute to that feeling, would be to create images of the world right around us, right under our feet, right in the places that are so familiar to us.

If it was possible for time travel, that we could go back and look at the 17th century, the 18th century, the 19th century, maybe we'd have a greater appreciation for where we live.

When I'm creating a painting of a specific historical setting, I want it to be the most credible image that it can be.

So when I start a project, it's frightening.

It's like staring into this abyss and stepping off into it.

I start to grab the component pieces of it.

This was written, this might have been sketched by somebody, this was found in the ground.

I try to learn as much as I can about the sight.

So I get the lay of the land.

Is it hilly, is there a river, is there a stream?

Is there a lake?

And then I start to think about, like the people, who are these people?

I was probably most challenged when I was depicting my first few Native American scenes.

I don't know anything about the cultural experience of being a Native American.

What do I know?

I know how a father can love his children.

I know how a mother can be a teacher.

I know how cold it gets in New York state.

I know what it's like when it's 10 or 20 below 0, and the snow comes up to your knees.

So those are the things I know I can build into that picture, that relate to us all as human beings.

Once I've done the research, this is a big part of creating a painting, is how do I compose this?

I would build models.

I would build models out of cardboard.

Then I could sort of move it around and try to judge what was the best angle to depict this subject.

I was working on a project that involved a vessel that the Scarano brothers were building in Albany at their boatyard.

One of their designers there, he was working with a 3D program.

And he had a 3D model of the vessel they had just finished.

And I thought, "Wow, I've gotta learn how to do this."

The outcome of that was, I wasn't limited by space anymore.

So I built enormous models.

The next big component is color.

In addition to composition, that's the next most important thing because people have an emotional response to an image based on that.

That's actually, it's their first impression.

It's not the composition, it's what these colors are doing.

I used to go to museums and just watch people walk through galleries, and just to see how much time they would spend looking at each painting as they walk through the gallery, and where they stopped.

Why did they stop on that picture?

What was it about that picture that made them pause and really take it in?

And it was usually the dynamics of its color.

An atmosphere that reminds us, that can bring us to that experience on a dreary, rainy day, or that experience of some majestic space, you know, where you can see out miles in all directions.

This is how you could manipulate someone's attention.

And if I could get their attention, and the composition was strong enough, then I could tell you a story, and that's when I could get to the history.

And maybe what you would come away with is, you learned something about this place where you live.

(bright upbeat music) - [Matt] So, have you found your validation?

Do you feel- - [Len] Oh, did my mom put the pictures on the refrigerator yet?

Almost.

You are always striving for that, you know, and I mean, God, I've been at this for such a long time, and it seems like each time you're starting over again, right from that same place.

You know, the blank piece of paper and the pencil, and you know, what's this gonna be?

And in the end, maybe, mommy will like it.

(laughs) - The Connect Center for Youth, located in Cohoes, New York, is a facility designed to empower youth by providing afterschool programs and services that encourage creativity and build confidence.

I sat down with Connect Center's Executive Director, Ben Williams, to see how art plays a role in helping youth discover their full potential.

Hey, Ben, welcome to A House for Art.

Excited to talk to you today.

- Thank you for having me.

- Yeah, well, who is Ben?

And how would you describe yourself creatively?

- Ah, man, Ben Williams is a creative at heart.

I was a chef in my former life, so I love the culinary arts.

I was a musician before that, been a musician all my life pretty much.

So I love the musical arts and I studied business and marketing in college, and I like to think that I bring some creativity to those endeavors as well.

And especially the work that I'm doing at the Connect Center has really been a creative process the whole way.

- I can only imagine.

- [Ben] Yeah.

- Well, let's dive into the Connect Center a little bit.

So what is the connect center- - [Ben] Yes.

- And what's the history of it?

- The Connect Center was a project that was started by my folks in 2012, by my late father the Reverend Wendell Williams and my mother, Donna Williams.

It was basically an outreach to the youth of Cohoes.

My dad saw them walking home from school.

Cohoes is a really high needs area.

He would drag the grill out, and literally hand out hotdogs and hamburgers to the kids on their way home.

And you know, it just kind of progressed from there.

He went on to try to secure funding for it and figured out that people didn't wanna give money to a church.

So formed the Connect Center in 2012 and broke ground on a space in the former St. Agnes Cathedral in Cohoes.

And it's a 10,000 square foot space that we now occupy in the ground level.

It's got a music studio, a full kitchen, a maker space that we call the tech hub.

And we offer a wide variety of programming to kids after school and over the summer.

All of our programming is free, it's all STEAM based.

So STEAM's an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math.

So anything from 3D printing to coding, to computer building, to music.

Yeah, it's just a really fun space.

Really meant for engaging the kids in informal learning.

So they get to explore these areas in STEAM and potentially spark a interest in a career in STEAM.

- That's amazing.

And you have an emphasis on like the art part of STEAM?

There's a part?

- [Ben] Yeah, absolutely.

Art is life, you know, art's a reflection of life.

It's the expression of life.

And it goes into everything that we design.

You know, take a video game, for example, the artwork in the game, the actual design of the console, the design of the handles and the paddles.

Like it's all art, the music, everything that goes into it.

It's art.

- It's very true.

- [Ben] Yeah.

- Hey, gamers out there, you heard it, (both laugh) from Ben.

So how is Connect Center different, in your opinion, from the average youth center?

What do you guys do differently?

- Sure.

We're starting to get into workforce development in areas surrounding those STEAM fields.

Our first workforce development program is our e-sports accelerator program called Warp Zone.

And it teaches kids the whole environment of gaming and e-sports, from brand development to brand management, to coding, to the music, to the hardware.

Besides our really cool afterschool programs, we offer community support programs like a food pantry.

We partner with the regional food bank and their backpack program.

We offer some little free libraries.

We're really trying to break down the barriers to getting to the next level for these kids.

So creating lots of access as well.

- Now, why is creating the access for today's youth?

I think I feel, personally I'm a youth worker, and I feel like today's youth are going through a lot of struggles.

- Yes.

- Struggles that I can't even relate to, because I didn't have those.

And they require new structures and support systems.

- [Ben] Yeah.

- So why do you think it's important for youth to have spaces, like Connect Youth involved, in your opinion?

- Yeah, I mean creating a safe space is number one for us.

But having a space where the kids can express themselves safely, is like ultra important because it increases engagement in whatever they're doing.

If they feel safe in the space, they'll feel more engaged in the informal learning activities that they're doing.

Also with some of the STEAM and tech-based stuff that we're doing, creating access to machines, access to internet, digital equity is really like kind of forefront to fighting poverty.

You know, we're seeing big deserts of internet access, even still in this day.

And you know, kind of bridging those gaps.

It will help the generations to come.

- And I wanna talk a little bit, 'cause as a muralist, I wanna talk about the mural that you guys have- - [Ben] Yes.

- In Connect Youth.

- Yes.

- Because you also focus a little bit on traditional arts, such as painting, and drawing, and sketching, et cetera.

So give us a little bit of detail- - [Ben] Yes.

- About how that mural came to be.

- That mural was a project that the Albany Center Gallery did with some of our local students.

They brought some pro artist by, talked to the kids about art, talked about what the Connect Center was and then created this beautiful mural that just screams hope and safety, and inclusivity to me.

And that's what we're all about and it was amazing.

- How old do you have to be to be involved in these Connect Center programs?

- The Connect Center serves grades 6 through 12.

- Okay.

- We are open to any student in the capital district that can get there.

All they need is a permission slip from their folks and they can find that online at connectcenterforyouth.org.

- What kind of events do you have coming up that the audience should know about?

- I'm glad you asked.

We have our annual fundraiser "Tacos For Life" coming up Friday, July 7th, and that's from 6:00 to 10:00 PM at the Connect Center, 49 Johnston Ave in Cohoes.

It is a blast.

It's the anti-gala taco party.

Last year I had my DJ friends spinning tunes with the kids.

I was cooking tacos with my taco camp kids.

We had a nacho fountain.

(Jade laughs) There was game tournaments going on, and this year it's gonna be even bigger and better.

- All right, well folks, you heard it.

Try to make sure you get to this fundraiser to keep supporting amazing initiatives and organization like Ben has been doing.

Thank you.

- [Jade] Thank you, Ben.

I appreciate it.

- Thanks, Jade.

- Please welcome, Rhoseway.

(gentle melancholy guitar tunes) (gentle melancholy guitar tunes continue) ♪ River flows, leaves behind ♪ ♪ Bonded through incision lines ♪ ♪ Rejuvenate these roots of blood ♪ ♪ Dig myself through changing tides ♪ ♪ Grieving, still, our passing lives ♪ ♪ Must we let this current flood ♪ ♪ Where is your rising sun ♪ ♪ My sweet no one ♪ (gentle melancholy guitar tunes) (gentle melancholy guitar tunes continue) ♪ Discarding all the memories ♪ ♪ Grains of fading enemies ♪ ♪ I saw you in a brand new light ♪ ♪ But Where is your rising sun ♪ ♪ My sweet no one ♪ (gentle melancholy guitar tunes) (gentle melancholy guitar tunes continue) (gentle melancholy guitar tunes continue) (gentle melancholy guitar tunes continue) ♪ Walk along this trail of tears ♪ ♪ Rise decaying moon ♪ ♪ Drifting, passing through ♪ ♪ To wish this last forever ♪ ♪ I'm with you, light and dark ♪ ♪ Meadow of vibrant hearts ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ (gentle melancholy guitar tunes) (gentle melancholy guitar tunes continue) (gentle melancholy guitar tunes continue) (gentle melancholy guitar tunes continue) (gentle melancholy guitar tunes continue) (gentle melancholy guitar tunes continue) (gentle melancholy guitar tunes continue) ("Drop Your Guard") (gentle hopeful guitar tunes) ♪ Can you hear me ♪ ♪ I'm setting with the sun ♪ ♪ It's a terrifying feeling ♪ ♪ Knowing that you're gone my only one ♪ ♪ Throw like a stone in the river bed ♪ ♪ Your aluminum stare ♪ ♪ Shall we celebrate the end ♪ ♪ I saw the shade in your roses ♪ ♪ A blanket in my garden heart ♪ ♪ Here again, this golden arm's race ♪ ♪ I'll wait for you to drop your guard ♪ ♪ The memory's fleeting ♪ ♪ Are you building me anew ♪ ♪ The intoxicating feeling ♪ ♪ When I slip into your heart of gloom ♪ ♪ Show me the words from your spine heart ♪ ♪ And I'll navigate the tone ♪ ♪ With a rosetta spark ♪ ♪ I saw the shade in your roses ♪ ♪ A blanket in my garden heart ♪ ♪ Here again, this golden arm's race ♪ ♪ I'll wait for you to drop your guard ♪ (gentle hopeful guitar tunes) (gentle hopeful guitar tunes continue) (gentle hopeful guitar tunes continue) ♪ A thousand shades of blue ♪ ♪ My heart's diffused ♪ ♪ The ocean in my eyes ♪ ♪ Tie my hands around your wedding bands ♪ ♪ This muse of monochrome ♪ ♪ My eyes are closed ♪ ♪ You saved me from below ♪ ♪ I resolve to see through it all ♪ (gentle hopeful guitar tunes continue) (gentle hopeful guitar tunes continue) (gentle hopeful guitar tunes continue) (gentle hopeful guitar tunes continue) (gentle hopeful guitar tunes continue) (gentle hopeful guitar tunes) (gentle hopeful guitar tunes continue) ♪ Show me the words on your spine heart ♪ ♪ And I'll navigate the tone with a rosetta spark ♪ ♪ Throw like a stone in the river bed ♪ ♪ Your aluminum stare, shall we celebrate the end ♪ ♪ I saw the shade in your roses ♪ ♪ A blanket in my garden heart ♪ ♪ Here again, this golden arm's race ♪ ♪ I'll wait for you to drop your guard ♪ ♪ I saw the shade in your roses ♪ ♪ A blanket in my garden heart ♪ ♪ Here again, this golden arm's race ♪ ♪ I'll wait for you to drop your guard ♪ (gentle melancholy guitar tunes) (gentle ethereal music) - Thanks for joining us.

For more arts, visit wmht.org/aha, and be sure to connect with us on social.

I'm Jade Warrick and thanks for watching.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - [Narrator] Funding for AHA has been provided by your contribution and by contributions to the WMHT Venture Fund.

Contributors include the Leo Cox Beach Philanthropic Foundation, Chet and Karen Opalka, Robert and Doris Fischer Malesardi, and the Robison Family Foundation.

- At M & T Bank, we understand that the vitality of our communities is crucial to our continued success.

That's why we take an active role in our community.

M & T Bank is pleased to support WMHT programming that highlights the arts, and we invite you to do the same.