¡Colores!; Mural: Tools for Change

KNME-TV (Television station : Albuquerque, N.M.) · May 16, 2001

Today’s youth have many opportunities to do the wrong things and take paths that lead them to tragedy. Their cultural heritage is a mystery to them, their talents are undiscovered and underdeveloped because of a lack of guidance. Mike Ipiotes was one of these youths. He lived the gangster life and knew first-hand how difficult breaking the cycle of delinquency can be. He dedicated his life’s work to helping troubled youth to reinvent themselves as artists, musicians, dancers, and poets. He champions the beauty of their forgotten cultural heritage and traditions. He demonstrates the importance of knowing the past to bring about self-confidence and a healthy future. He has stood where they stand, and he is a voice of hope in a world that has given up on them and they listen. Mural: Tools for Change follows Mike with a group of troubled youth through the birth and completion of the largest public mural in New Mexico. He Paints scenes of historical importance featuring people that have been instrumental in New Mexico’s cultural development. He takes a wall that separated people and transforms it into a bridge to the past, uniting generations and building self-confidence in the participants. This is just one of the many tools Mike uses to help troubled youth. Through music, dance, poetry, and art he reaches the unreachable. He helps open their eyes to all the tools they can use to improve their lives, giving them choices where before there were none. Guests: Ahn Pham (Co-lead Artist), Gerald Ortiz (Director of Family and Community Services), Delilah Montoya (Photographer), Kinji Neskahi (Administrative Manager-TortugaProject.org), Albert Rosales, Joseph Otero, Joe Klemens, Diana Dorn-Jones (Director United South Broadway Corporation), Eva Encinias-Sandoval (Associate Professor of Dance-UNM), Nshyiah Stevens, Pricilla Stevens, Juan Pacheco. Original Music by Mike 360 Ipiotes. Funded in part by New Mexico Arts.