(dramatic music) - [Matt] Explore the sculptures, assemblages and totems by artist Leslie Yolen.

Hear from Voice Actor Nicole DamaPoleto, and catch a performance from Novus Cantus.

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

- [Announcer] 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.

(upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Matt Rogowicz, and this is "AHA, A House for Arts," a place for all things creative.

Recently I took a trip to the Schoharie Economic Enterprise Corporation to meet with artist Leslie Yolen, who is showing her work in the gallery there alongside the work of artist Jeanne Strausman in a show called "Remnants and Relics."

(dramatic music) - Currently, I am working on a series of sculptural paintings.

They are collage like and assemblage like.

And I collect these materials just because, you know, it starts as a kid, you find these, picks up rocks, you pick up acorns.

Put 'em in your pocket on your walk, and you take 'em home and you're like, they're from this beautiful place that you were in.

And they talked to me about the cycles of life and impermanence and how things change.

(dramatic music) All of this comes into just object.

And when you put objects together, they start to tell different stories.

(dramatic music) I have been working most of my life in clay.

Clay just could speak anything I wanted it to say practically.

I remember an early series of clay masks that went on the wall with doors with hinges that opened up and had this mixed media material going on behind them.

I did become a little bit unsatisfied with that because the doors in the masks were so small.

I wanted to play more with these materials that were speaking to each other.

I built a torso that had doors that opened here, so I had a bigger area to work with inside.

Masks are in general a covering.

They're also a way to hide.

So the openings were also about going into the subconscious and sharing the things that we usually don't.

One of the beautiful things about working with clay, but one of the problematic issues about working with clay is that it is very demanding in terms of timing.

Certain things have to happen when it's ready.

I found myself trying to keep these things from freezing or drying out, hoping I could get to them on the weekend.

And I was at an art teacher's conference, someone was demonstrating encaustic, and they're, you know, melting beeswax, which has this wonderful smell that I have great associations with from my childhood.

I bought some stuff on sale and set it up in my studio.

It's very similar to clay in that it can be additive and subtractive.

It's also transformed by heat, the same way that clay is, through firings, that there's a certain amount of serendipity that you have to go with the flow.

And I guess I like that.

(dramatic music) Initially I was just playing with wax and seeing what it could do and working very abstractly.

And then I went straight into this long series of landscapes, really focused on trees.

Then I retired, and then things opened up for me.

I took some time right off and raised myself a puppy, which was wonderfully distracting.

And I brought my gardens back to a place of better control.

I finished a long season in the garden, and I'd been putting all these things in my studio, and I got to my studio in the fall, and, oh wow, I really needed to clean up here somehow.

And I started cataloging and categorizing and putting things into drawers that I have.

And then I just started like, oh no.

I started putting things together in a new way.

Something spoke to each other, and I would put them together and there would be a new synergy there.

Then somewhere along the line, finished encaustic pieces, came into that I think with this piece over here.

And where I'm at now is working in this totem series, which incorporates everything.

(dramatic music) Art brings me to my very core and center.

When I am involved in the making, I'm having a dialogue with the materials.

A lot of these larger pieces have a sense of being about them.

This one in particular, River Totem, I really like its contrast with the other ones in that its much softer.

Its colors are a little cooler.

Its much more feminine compared to the strong masculinity of say Primal Dance.

I like what I'm seeing in that elements of work that I've done all my life are coming together, and it's exciting.

(dramatic music) - Nicole DamaPoleto always wanted to be a voice actor, and five years ago, COVID gave her the perfect opportunity to start.

Jade Warrick sat down with Nicole to learn how she made her dream a reality, and to get some voice acting tips.

- Welcome, Nicole.

Welcome to A House for Arts.

- Thank you for having me.

Honored to be here.

- Yeah, I'm honored to have you here.

So I know you're a voice artist, voice actor, and I want to dive into a little bit of that career and have folks really understand what it takes, what is the world, what is the life of a voice artist and a voice actor.

So to begin, I wanna ask, what is your origin story with voice acting?

Like how did you get into this field?

- So I've loved it since I was a little girl, and it started with, I grew up with my grandparents and my mom, and my grandpa would always listen to Louis Armstrong, and I would like mimic it for him.

I'd be like, it don't mean a thing, and he would laugh, and I was like, oh, this is really fun.

I love this.

And in elementary school they did a performance outside, and they let me be the voice of the color green.

And I just, I loved it.

It's so fun, and it's very versatile.

And during the pandemic, like everyone, I reflected on life, and I went for it.

I just sought out community and found classes and folks from all over the country, and I've jumped in.

It's very fun.

- That was a big thing during Covid I've noticed.

It was actually ironically a growing spurt for a lot of artists because we had nothing to do but focus on our art.

So that's a beautiful, a beautiful origin story.

So in your opinion, what makes a great voice actor and why is diversity and authenticity important to this field?

- Two very good questions.

- Right?

- A good voice actor has to be disciplined because many times, like other artists, you're isolated.

I think that many people like myself when I jumped in and was like you're gonna be going to a studio, but I've heard of voice actors being like, oh, I'm in a hotel under a laundry basket trying to get an audition in right now while on vacation with my family.

So you have to be able to keep to it.

There's a lot of auditions and a lot of rejection.

So there's discipline, but also being coachable because you're gonna get a lot of feedback, and if you can't necessarily take that feedback, it's gonna hurt you from growing.

And be willing to have fun.

Because many times I've been in a closet trying to audition for like a chocolate, a little chocolate commercial, and I'm just like, in between meetings or something, I'm like, I have to get excited.

You have to be excited.

And one of the great things a coach told me is like talk like you're talking to your best friend.

How would you say this to your best friend?

You're like, you would wanna eat this chocolate.

Like, but you wouldn't say it like you want eat this chocolate.

That's just.

- Yeah.

- Be willing to have fun.

Yeah, that's a big one.

And then you asked about diversity - And authenticity.

Like why is that important to the field?

- Oh, oh my goodness.

I'll say that a lot of people have not been able to tell their stories, and they should get to voice their stories.

They should get to voice, someone who's truly there.

And many times in the past, even with the best of intentions, if someone is voicing someone who's not their culture, their identity, it can come across with stereotypes and mockery.

And it doesn't make people feel good, but even with the best of intentions.

But it's really important for people to be able to tell their own story, and for people who have that identity to share it because also a thing in voiceover is they want you to be yourself, speak as yourself.

You're not speaking as someone else sometimes.

I mean, depending if you're doing medical narration or something or you're talking as like an ogre, but you should be speaking with your natural tone because many times they're gonna ask can you do this for three hours?

Can you talk in a grated voice for three hours?

Can you talk like this for three hours?

You have to be able to be consistent.

So if it's not you, authenticity, it's gonna waver.

- It's gonna waver.

- [Nicole] Yeah.

- And I like how you mentioned, you said, I think voiceover is medical.

So what are all the, I don't know if a lot of people understand how broad voice acting is.

You know, when I think of voice acting, I think of things that I play games, and I watch cartoons, but there are so many varying, I guess, fields, and I guess a spectrum.

So what are some like, I guess, could you explain that to us a little bit?

Like what is the spectrum of voice acting?

- Oh my goodness.

When I learned how much you could do, I realized that's why people are so welcoming in the voiceover community because there's a space for everybody.

- Mm.

- If you're interested in romance books, you can go down that lane.

If you are interested in accessibility or you have a disability background, you could do audio description for movies.

If you have a medical background, you could do medical narration and training videos.

I mean, think about in your daily life when you hear voiceover in the car, public transportation, at work.

I mean, I mean ultimately, you know, you want to get to the cartoons or.

- Yeah, - I wanna, that's really fun, the movie stuff.

But there's so many different routes that people can take in voiceover.

I mean, besides any kind of book, but podcasting, this and that.

It's just, it's very rich in opportunities for people.

And I had no idea.

It's very cool.

- Yeah, that is awesome.

- [Nicole] Yeah.

- So I know voice acting is very similar to traditional acting.

Lots of auditions, lots of rejections, lots of auditions, lots of rejections.

- Yes.

- It can be kind of a whirly-dorly kind of art field.

So how do you get yourself through those challenges and some of the stressors that come with that?

Because it has to be challenging.

- Yeah, I've actually, that's interesting you say that.

'cause I feel like I'm in a, not to say a break right now, but like you do get a lot of nos before you get a yes.

And you do have to keep putting yourself out there and hoping that you're gonna connect or find the right route.

But it's just, you have to keep believing in yourself and also have good coaches to be like, okay, like let's find where you're aligned.

Let's find something that really works for you.

Because you might be like, I really wanna do cartoons or video games.

But you might find, oh, okay, I actually really wanna be an audiobook narrator because it is smooth, and you can also market directly to authors that you like that have interest in, but you just gotta keep going.

- Yeah.

- Because many times voice actors will be like, oh, I've been in this for 10 years, and I just got a video, my first video game.

- Wow.

- Like major video game.

I mean, there are smaller studios and whatnot and lots of opportunities, but it's an investment financially, and it's an investment of your time and creativeness.

So you have to fill your own cup.

You have to stay disciplined to yourself.

And many times you'll be like, am I actually a voice actor if I'm not landing things?

But think about the actors that you know that they're not necessarily in a movie, but they're still an actor.

- Yeah.

- You're not necessarily in a play right now, but you're still an actor, and you have to remind yourself that, yes, no, I'm not the voice of Cheerios.

No, I'm not the voice of A, B, and C, but I'm still a voice actor.

I can still share.

- Yes, oh, that's beautiful.

I love that.

Now here's the controversial statement.

- Okay, here we go.

- AI, I know artists either hate AI or they love AI.

There's usually, I've not really heard a in between.

So what are your thoughts on AI and its impact on the voice acting community?

And is it a negative and why?

- AI, I mean, it's going to be a part of our lives forever.

I mean it's, I don't think I realized that AI's been a part of my life.

I use Siri all the time.

- That's true.

- And I've used AI to edit materials at work like for my communications job.

But you don't have any rights as an American to your voice and your likeness.

- Mm.

- And so there's an association called the National Association of Voice Actors, NAVA, that's working to fight that, the No Fakes Act.

But for me it's really tough because I saw all those cool AI pictures that people did of their profile pictures, and I was like, this is really cool.

But I also have a lot of friends who are artists who would love those commissions, who would love to support.

So I couldn't do it because I was like, why would I pay when I could pay someone else who's working on this?

And I've seen other colleagues like use fake voices, and I'm like, I could help you.

Is it really gonna convey the actual emotion that you want?

- Yeah.

- No, and I mean, I personally, I don't want AI voices used, and I don't want, because my name and my likeness is used, I don't want someone to put a couple of my videos into some kind of software and then mimic my voice to say things.

- Yeah.

- It's just very dangerous and scary.

But I know it's gonna be a part of our lives - At the end of the interview, I wanna ask you, what is the most rewarding part of your voice artist journey so far?

What brings you the joy the most about this?

- Honoring little me.

- Yeah.

- Little me loved voice acting and loved pretend, and didn't have a lot of opportunities.

I grew up in like a very small town, and I feel like I'm honoring her and things she enjoyed because I work for a nonprofit, and it's great, and I'm passionate about it, but I feel like this is fun.

And also honoring those, the questions of what do you wanna be when you grow up?

What could you be if you couldn't fail?

And it's fun.

- Yeah.

- Like I found a lot of joy in doing this 'cause you can try different things, and if it doesn't make it, it doesn't make it, but you tried something different.

You can try on a new personality or a new voice.

It's a really fun thing, yeah.

- Yeah, that's awesome Nicole.

Well, thank you for joining us today.

I hope folks can learn more about this beautiful art form of voice acting.

And thank you again for being here.

- Thank you for having me.

- Please welcome Novus Cantus.

(upbeat music) ♪ What lies beneath and what lives above ♪ ♪ Heaven and earth and what lies beyond ♪ ♪ The veil of darkness hidden by the rising sun ♪ ♪ The curtain of the night is beyond the star ♪ ♪ Are telling everything that is ♪ ♪ And guiding all that was ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Ancient sages have longed to understand ♪ ♪ Searching in their hearts for the pearl within the sand ♪ ♪ The answer to the riddle of the mystery ♪ ♪ The everlasting rock beneath the sea ♪ ♪ And visions that cannot be seen ♪ ♪ Past the realm of infinity ♪ ♪ I long to see you outside ♪ ♪ Hear your voice in every song ♪ ♪ How I contemplate you as I speak ♪ ♪ Dream of you as I lay down ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Ah, ya, Sofia ♪ ♪ Ah, ya, Sofia ♪ (upbeat music and singing) (gentle guitar music) ♪ What lies beneath and what lies above ♪ ♪ Heaven and earth and what lies beyond ♪ ♪ Shall I behold your beauty ♪ ♪ Ahh ♪ (gentle music) ♪ Listen to every beat of the cosmic dance ♪ ♪ As constellations move and meet ♪ ♪ Caught up in the trance ♪ ♪ Feel the energy of life moving through this bar ♪ ♪ Decapturing soul and life with your glory ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Ah ya, Sofia ♪ ♪ Ah ya, Sofia ♪ (upbeat music and singing) (gentle guitar music) - Thanks for joining us.

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

I'm Matt Rogowicz.

Thanks for watching.

(dramatic music) - [Announcer] 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.