FREDERICK HAMMERSLEY FUND, NEW MEXICO PBS GREAT SOUTHWESTERN ARTS & EDUCATION ENDOWMENT FUND, AND THE NELLITA E. WALKER FUND FOR KNME-TV AT THE ALBUQUERQUE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION NEW MEXICO ARTS, A DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, AND BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU APS ART TEACHER OF THE YEAR, LISA GILLETT TEACHES MORE THAN JEWELRY MAKING AT ALBUQUERQUE HIGH.

SHE INSPIRES STUDENTS TO FIND THEIR ARTISTIC VOICE.

- I think their learning about perseverance and resilience and patience and kindness and forgiveness -- FROM A SMALL-TOWN MUSIC STUDENT TO A WORLD RENOWNED OPERA SINGER, MARGARET CHALKER’S JOURNEY COMES FULL CIRCLE AS SHE RETURNS HOME TO INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION OF VOCALISTS HOMELESS, LIVING IN A VAN, ARTIST AND MUSICIAN RAMBLIN’ RANDY, TRAVELS PLACE TO PLACE, SEEKING OPPORTUNITIES AND A HOMEBASE.

IT'S ALL AHEAD ON COLORES!

FEARLESSLY CREATE >>Faith: How do you help your students discover their unique creative voice?

>>Lisa: I think -- like I don't do anything cookie-cutter.

I want them to have their own vision.

So, like, any assignment we do, like there's always an overarching theme, but they choose the design, the direction, and I never talk them out of anything.

Sometimes they'll do something that seems really complicated and my inside voice is like, "Oh my God, that's going to take a really long time.

Or I don't know if they can," but I'm always like, "sure, let's do it."

And then we figure it out as they go.

>>Faith: Yeah.

It's like not discouraging them from being ambitious, even if they have a really ambitious idea, right?

>>Lisa: And then the projects take so long, right?

So, you know, they might be used to finishing something in a day or a week.

But for jewelry, I really give them time to finish.

>>Faith: When your students are in the zone making jewelry, what does it feel like to see them like that?

>>Lisa: Well, it feels so good.

I think what really stands out to me is when they're asking each other for advice and how to do things and, like, what they think they should do next.

So they sort of form these mini communities within the classroom and they end up, like, teaching each other and learning from one another.

And for me, that is when I feel like I'm doing my job is when they don't need me as much.

>>Faith: So it's kind of like teaching them more than just making jewelry.

It's teaching them life skills, like teamwork, right?

>>Lisa: Right.

>>Faith: Yeah, absolutely.

Like what other life skills do you think it's teaching them?

>>Lisa: Well, I think they're learning about perseverance and resilience and patience and kindness and forgiveness... to be vulnerable and that it's okay.

And I think a big theme for me this year, especially working with adults teaching jewelry, is when they say, "I have no idea what I'm doing."

And it's like, isn't that great?

Because I think to not know what you're doing is such a gift to not just the maker, but also the people around them, cause you're like, "yeah, I don't know what I'm doing either."

And then you figure it out and then you have this other skill that you know how to do.

>>Faith: How have you seen the students react when they are done with a piece and they, like, have made what they envisioned reality?

>>Lisa: I think they're just really proud of themselves.

And there's also a bit of loss there too.

You spend so much time with something and then you're finished.

And then maybe there's, like, even a little bit of sadness there because it's like, "oh, like this thing I was loving and spending so much time with, is over."

But mostly I think they're proud and then they move on to the next thing.

And then, you know, the great thing about art and Albuquerque Public Schools and Scholastics, like there's opportunities to showcase their work.

So then they see it out of the classroom and it's in a case or it's in a photograph, or it's on a screen and it's being celebrated that way.

So I think that's also very empowering.

I do have some students who really are making this their life's goal.

Some of them have already started jewelry businesses, some of them are going to art school.

So to see that I am not just setting them up for success in life, but, like, that this could be their career.

That's something beautiful to witness.

>>Faith: What have you learned from your students?

>>Lisa: So this idea that things don't work out right away, you know, it takes time.

And I think that's what jewelry teaches them, is to just like... to just be patient with what comes their way and to go after things, right, to be fearless.

And so I think showing up even when you are afraid, when you are apprehensive, when you are sad, and also sharing your joy and your successes and your examples, you know, they show me what's possible, and I think that's why we've been able to do what we're doing.

It's because it is joy and who doesn't want to be a part of that?

Find your Voice My name is Margaret Chalker and I am an assistant professor of Voice at Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York.

Margaret Chalker: I went to college to be a music educator, coming from a family of music educators, but while there I had a very good teacher and my voice developed each year so that by my junior year, I got a very good role, The Countess in the Marriage of Figaro, which has been one of the most important operas in my whole life.

And really like the Hollywood stories, there was an agent in the audience on opening night, and he said, "Come to New York.

I'll make you a star," and my parents said, "You can go for the weekend."

But I got the bug.

I loved being on stage, and I was very fortunate.

Everything really fell into place.

I had quite a winding career because I was so expecting to be what a girl from the '50s is supposed to be, married, children, and I was going to be a teacher.

Narrator: After singing in venues across the United States, Margaret decided she needed a more stable life for her family.

Margaret Chalker: ...so I went to Europe and was extremely fortunate, and got into one of the best companies right off, and in Germany I was able to have my daughter, and all the performances were in that city, and I could sing, and go home, kiss her goodnight, and it was a very nice life.

And after that two years in Germany, I went to Switzerland, and I stayed there 25 years.

I was singing opera with the Opera House of Zurich, and it was a fabulous, fabulous place to be.

It's one of the top opera houses in the world, and I sang with people who are famous now, Piotr Beczala who's singing Rigoletto at the MET, Thomas Hampson and I stood on stage.

The experience was heavenly.

A world-class orchestra, world-class colleagues, world-class chorus.

It's really like being carried on hands, really because we had coaches, and people that make sure the part is ready before the directors arrive.

The directors, the conductors that I got there were world class.

Narrator: As an opera singer, Margaret has performed in a variety of different languages.

Margaret Chalker: The typical ones are German, French, Italian of course, and then I did get to sing in Russian, and I've sung in Czech.

I've sung in Hebrew and so far, that's about all for me.

Narrator: At age 62, Margaret retired from the Zurich Opera House.

She moved to the North Country of New York to be closer to daughter, who teaches first grade in Massena, and to her granddaughters.

Margaret Chalker: I love the North Country, and St. Lawrence River, and I live on the Grass River, and I stayed in Massena.

The first four years, I was just being grandmother.

I drove my granddaughters around to their dance lessons in school, and I was at their concerts, and then an opening came up here, and it offered me a brand-new life.

I was able to take this job, and I'm in my fifth year now, and there's been a lot for me to learn to be in academia.

But I wouldn't trade it.

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I feel like my whole life has been a completed circle at this point because I started out teaching, wanted to perform.

I’ve, I've always done both and I'm lucky.

I'm very, very fortunate.

Narrator: Margaret is an Assistant Professor at the Crane School of Music at The State University of New York at Potsdam, where she teaches voice to approximately 24 students.

Margaret Chalker: We have to teach the voice because it's very easy for people to sing in a way that after a while may ruin their voice, or not allow it to bloom as much as it should.

And of course, the thing about opera singing, or classically People don't like these terms so much anymore, but what we consider classical music for voice is very demanding with louds, with softs, with highs, and lows, and fast coloratura, which is fast-moving notes, or long, sustained notes.

Those don't happen without training.

With singing opera, you're on stage with an orchestra of about 100 often in the pit, and you sing without any microphone, so a lot of the study is to get the voice so that it projects freely, equally, if you're singing pianissimo or forte, soft or loud so that it carries to the last seat in the house, and that takes instruction.

You have to know what you really want.

When I was 22 and got married, I remember saying to my husband, "Well, I have to sing."

I made no more instruction on that than that, but I have to sing.

And when I finished my masters, I said, "I want to be as good a singer as I can be in as good a house with as good an orchestra as possible," and that happened.

So if you can be clear about your goals and know who you are, I think that will get you a long way.

♪No one here to guide you♪ ♪Now you're on your own♪ ♪Only me beside you♪ ♪Still, you're not alone♪ ♪No one is alone♪ ♪Truly♪ ♪No one is alone♪ ♪Sometimes people leave you♪ ♪Halfway through the wood♪ ♪Others may deceive you♪ ♪You decide what's good♪ ♪You decide alone♪ ♪But no one is alone♪ ♪People make mistakes♪ ♪Fathers, Mothers, People make mistakes, Holding to their own,♪ ♪Thinking they're alone♪ ♪Honor their mistakes.

Everybody makes One another's terrible♪ ♪mistakes.♪ ♪Witches can be right, Giants can be good♪ ♪You decide what's right you decide what's good Just♪ ♪remember; Someone is on your side Someone else is not♪ ♪While you're seeing your side♪ ♪Maybe you forgot♪ ♪They are not alone♪ ♪No one is alone.♪ ♪Hard to see the light now.♪ ♪Just don't let it go♪ ♪Things will come out right now♪ ♪We can make it so♪ ♪Someone is on your side♪ ♪ No one is alone♪ RAMBLIN’ I'm an artist.

That's how I make my livin', that's all I do to make a livin', that's all I wanna do.

It's all I think about.

I dream about it.

- Randy came by my store about a little over a month ago, walked in and said, "I'd like to do some painting for you."

And I said, "I don't need anyone to paint.

"Show me something that you do."

And he said, "I'm homeless.

"I have nothing to show you."

He was crossing the street and he looked quite forlorn, to say the least, his head was down, and nobody wanted him to work and I started screaming at him, "Come back, come back.

"I want you to do my windows."

He said, "Give me a picture of something and I'll paint it."

And I gave him some pictures of hydrangeas and this is what he did, and I said, "I want butterflies.

"I want them to be kind of scattered around my window."

And he started painting the butterflies, everything was free hand and little by little, I have found business owners who have been really excited to have him do their windows, do their murals on their buildings.

He's a true artist.

- She keeps getting me work and I keep saying, "Why?"

And she says, I'm her project.

I was homeless and I touched her heart and I didn't try to, I just wanted a job, man.

I'm Randy Battaglia and I am an artist, musician, writer, inventor.

I can do anything in art: acrylics, oils and oil pastels, pastel pencils, pen, ink.

I'm back on my feet and back working.

I like to work.

I don't like sittin' behind the truck or in a truck or in a van all day.

And I came here to start over.

I'm a rambler, my name is Ramblin' Randy and it's in my bones to travel around.

I need some adventure in my life, but I'm sittin' in this truck most of the time.

And you know, when you're living in your vehicle, unless you're in a campground or something, you can't really move around.

This is how I begin my prayers.

I think of prayers like incense to God, the same with smudging.

The split feather, you know, I'd take it out, it's very important and I'll tap it on the back sometimes to wanna bring, you know, kind of like a little drum beat type thing.

The spirit world is very slow.

You pray and sometimes your prayers are guaranteed if you're praying promises to God but some of 'em may take, heck, weeks or even years.

But as long as you don't give up, it's guaranteed.

We're in Virginia Beach.

This is a mural I painted here for a buddy of mine named Jeff.

He said he wanted the streets of Philadelphia and then he started explaining to me what it was kind of like and all, we didn't have any real photos.

So I just kinda thought of Philly in my head and this is what I came up with.

And a lot of these things on here, like The Beloved Theater and Isis Beauty Salon and Oil Supply and all these things are pretty much real places or at least were at one time.

Ah, favorite part is the dog.

I like the dog.

Second favorite, I guess, is just the center part there.

I like that center part with the line coming out of Philadelphia Cold Cuts and whatnot and it's got a lot of folks and you got cops and you got the corners of the streets and there's a lot of action there.

There's a lot more action everywhere else here and there, but that's like the center.

But I go to all my murals eventually and just remember what it was like and seeing what came out of my mind.

I like it.

I really do appreciate Jeff for doing that for me.

It was a pretty hard time in my life.

I cried every day when I was in here.

He was always there, putting his arm around me and gave me a prayer.

I guess, in a way, it's kind of a heartbreaking mural only because of the time, but you make it through.

Pain doesn't ever leave, you just get used to it.

I'm tired of travelin' but I don't know how to settle down either, that's the thing.

I think about leaving every day and goin' somewhere else and gettin' on the road again.

But if I do, I don't think I'll ever get a place to stay.

Come out here to paint, I don't have a place to paint so I'm painting under this here shed out in the woods.

And I like the woods.

I look in the woods out here and I see nothin' but just heaven.

I want to be in 'em.

There.

There.

Yeah, that's your world you've created.

And it's all up to your discipline as to how quick it's done or how good it's done.

As you can see, I'm building on the shadow here, but you can overdo it so quickly and you're setting up with this dark here so that you can come back in with the lights in the dark to show the depth of the petals and then even under the lips of the petals, you might wanna go a little darker.

Truly a canvas is your world.

There are people who don't know how to paint at all, but they can grab a brush and they can go to town.

As long as you got a little bit of depth and light and dark, you can make a painting, might be famous like Grandma Moses.

Art is, it's the biggest part of my life but music is a part of me, too, so I have to do it.

♪ I get up in the morning, I don't have a care ♪ ♪ I don't even read about combin' my hair♪ It gives me a chance to be with people and they kind of accept me a little bit.

It's kind of weird, it's kinda like my only time where I'm able to really kind of fit in and talk to people.

♪ I don't want me no house or no automobile ♪ ♪ I don't like the way pills make me feel ♪ ♪ I'm not chasin' after the American dream ♪ ♪ I'm livin' it all for real ♪ It's a very lonely life living like this.

When you are like me and you just don't fit in.

I want to but it's very hard.

Homeless people can be some of the kindest people that you ever saw.

They're homeless, they stink and their hair's all matted and hungry all the time and as far as sticking with you, homeless people will stick with you wherever you go.

♪ Goin' to anywhere ♪ ♪ When I get to where I end a pilot for a friend ♪ ♪ He or she, too, will have a road with no end ♪ I don't know, about three years now, I've been gradually going up in drinking, it's been increasing.

And I just, I can't stand to drink but I'm drinkin' anyway.

Maybe homelessness has, you know, the loneliness it has a lot to do with that, maybe.

I know that when I do drink, the first couple of drinks, I feel great and I'm happy and then after that, it's just kind of like, it's no longer a happy thing and I'm drinking just to drink.

And it's kinda scary.

I'm not afraid of anything but that I'm kind of afraid of.

You gotta love them jets.

They're my backup.

That's the only band I got at the moment.

I'm tired of ramblin'.

I am Ramblin' Randy the original and I love rambling and I'm gonna ramble, I'm a vagabond!

Eventually I'll ramble again but I gotta have a home base.

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Funding for COLORES was provided in part by: Frederick Hammersley Fund, New Mexico PBS Great Southwestern Arts & Education Endowment Fund, and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNME-TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts and Viewers Like You.