Seattle Homeless Muralist -- USAGM
Metadata
- Seattle Homeless Muralist -- USAGM
- June 9, 2022
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English Seattle Homeless Muralist HEADLINE: Artist Who Overcame Dark Past Now Brightens US City TEASER: Murals by Ryan 'Henry' Ward can be found across the city of Seattle, Washington PUBLISHED AT: 6/09/22 at 9:30am BYLINE: Natasha Mozgovaya CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: Seattle VIDEOGRAPHER: Natasha Mozgovaya VIDEO EDITOR: SCRIPT EDITORS: SKS, Reifenrath VIDEO SOURCE (S): All VOA PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_ TRT: 2:54 VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen, MAS TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO)) [[Some of the most popular public art in the Northwest U.S. city of Seattle, Washington, comes from an artist who has battled homelessness and addiction. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya brings us the story of Ryan “Henry” Ward.]] ((NARRATOR)) All over Seattle, Washington, you can find fun, colorful creatures — bears, squirrels, squids, buffaloes and unicorns — celebrating the city’s creative spirit. Muralist Ryan "Henry" Ward’s newest works are lively additions to walls of several small businesses and a local preschool. ((Ryan ‘Henry’ Ward, Seattle Artist)) "I am painting a Sasquatch — and kind of a self-portrait, obviously. He likes his coffee; I like my coffee. And there is a lot of Pacific Northwest and Seattle elements in this painting. So we got Mount Rainier, which is a big volcano close to Seattle, and then there is a Seattle skyline in the background with a Space Needle, and we (Washington state) are the Evergreen State, so I put an evergreen tree in there." ((NARRATOR)) Not only do Ward’s brightly colored wild creations bring joy to the city, but they also celebrate his overcoming a dark period of his life, one that began with pain medication following a four-wheeler accident. ((Ryan ‘Henry’ Ward, Seattle Artist)) “Got addicted to opiates. Got addicted to alcohol and just kind of got into really heavy use of those things so I could originally kind of manage my pain. And then it just kind of shifted into addiction, and that kind of created some mental health crisis in my life." ((NARRATOR)) That addiction led to homelessness. ((Ryan ‘Henry’ Ward, Seattle Artist)) "It’s hard out there, and it’s dangerous out there, and like I saw a lot of brutal things living on the streets. It’s been about 10 years since then, and I just live with a sober mind, and I do all this artwork from a perspective of clarity, I guess. " ((NARRATION)) Ward’s designs are now seen in local gift shops, mini-golf decorations, books — and now an exhibit where visitors are encouraged to touch the art. ((Ryan ‘Henry’ Ward, Seattle Artist)) "I created more of a record-store feel to my place where you can shuffle through art with your hands, and you get to pull out. It allows you to dig in and kind of discover.” ((NARRATOR)) Not all his work is bright. Ward says he still explores the abstract, dark and moody. ((Ryan ‘Henry’ Ward, Seattle Artist)) So, the hair is over his face, and he doesn’t have high-functioning limbs, and the colors are more muted. So, this is kind of pulling on a feeling of like, 'I still want to participate and show up for the day, but I really don’t want that to be around other people. Or I don’t want to be seen.'" ((NARRATOR)) When he is feeling low, Ward says it is the discipline of painting every day that gets him through. ((Natasha Mozgovaya, VOA News, Seattle))
- Transcript/Script Seattle Homeless Muralist HEADLINE: Artist Who Overcame Dark Past Now Brightens US City TEASER: Murals by Ryan 'Henry' Ward can be found across the city of Seattle, Washington PUBLISHED AT: 6/09/22 at 9:30am BYLINE: Natasha Mozgovaya CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: Seattle VIDEOGRAPHER: Natasha Mozgovaya VIDEO EDITOR: SCRIPT EDITORS: SKS, Reifenrath VIDEO SOURCE (S): All VOA PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_ TRT: 2:54 VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen, MAS TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO)) [[Some of the most popular public art in the Northwest U.S. city of Seattle, Washington, comes from an artist who has battled homelessness and addiction. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya brings us the story of Ryan “Henry” Ward.]] ((NARRATOR)) All over Seattle, Washington, you can find fun, colorful creatures — bears, squirrels, squids, buffaloes and unicorns — celebrating the city’s creative spirit. Muralist Ryan "Henry" Ward’s newest works are lively additions to walls of several small businesses and a local preschool. ((Ryan ‘Henry’ Ward, Seattle Artist)) "I am painting a Sasquatch — and kind of a self-portrait, obviously. He likes his coffee; I like my coffee. And there is a lot of Pacific Northwest and Seattle elements in this painting. So we got Mount Rainier, which is a big volcano close to Seattle, and then there is a Seattle skyline in the background with a Space Needle, and we (Washington state) are the Evergreen State, so I put an evergreen tree in there." ((NARRATOR)) Not only do Ward’s brightly colored wild creations bring joy to the city, but they also celebrate his overcoming a dark period of his life, one that began with pain medication following a four-wheeler accident. ((Ryan ‘Henry’ Ward, Seattle Artist)) “Got addicted to opiates. Got addicted to alcohol and just kind of got into really heavy use of those things so I could originally kind of manage my pain. And then it just kind of shifted into addiction, and that kind of created some mental health crisis in my life." ((NARRATOR)) That addiction led to homelessness. ((Ryan ‘Henry’ Ward, Seattle Artist)) "It’s hard out there, and it’s dangerous out there, and like I saw a lot of brutal things living on the streets. It’s been about 10 years since then, and I just live with a sober mind, and I do all this artwork from a perspective of clarity, I guess. " ((NARRATION)) Ward’s designs are now seen in local gift shops, mini-golf decorations, books — and now an exhibit where visitors are encouraged to touch the art. ((Ryan ‘Henry’ Ward, Seattle Artist)) "I created more of a record-store feel to my place where you can shuffle through art with your hands, and you get to pull out. It allows you to dig in and kind of discover.” ((NARRATOR)) Not all his work is bright. Ward says he still explores the abstract, dark and moody. ((Ryan ‘Henry’ Ward, Seattle Artist)) So, the hair is over his face, and he doesn’t have high-functioning limbs, and the colors are more muted. So, this is kind of pulling on a feeling of like, 'I still want to participate and show up for the day, but I really don’t want that to be around other people. Or I don’t want to be seen.'" ((NARRATOR)) When he is feeling low, Ward says it is the discipline of painting every day that gets him through. ((Natasha Mozgovaya, VOA News, Seattle))
- NewsML Media Topics Human Interest
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date June 9, 2022 15:48 EDT
- Description English Some of the most popular public art in the Northwest U.S. city of Seattle, Washington, comes from an artist who has battled homelessness and addiction. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya brings us the story of Ryan “Henry” Ward.
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English