good evening from los angeles i'm tavis smiley. tonight a conversation with one of the world's most renown architects, frank gary. just days before celebrating his 88th birthday he joins us to talk about his upcoming online master's class and what he is doing to help children with art and creativivit in schools. glad you have joined us. frank gary in just a moment. ♪

>> frank gehry has been called the most important architect of our age and it's hard to disagree with is that. throughout his career he's had a awe-inspiring destinations. in spring will teach his first online course. i'm happy to have you back on the program. >> great to be here. >> yeah great to you have.

when i saw think i was shocked you would reveal some of your trade secrets. just because you say it doesn't mean i can do it. why do a master's class. >> i have no clue these nice people asked me to do it and it sounded interesting. >> what makes it interesting to you? appeal sng. >> the candor of it. let it all hang out. they ask good questions. >> yeah. >> and i love teaching. >> yeah. >> i've always done that. >> yeah. what is it about the teaching that you enjoy? >> opening other people's minds. you could see the immediate results. it's kind of great that you're having impact. >> obviously the master class, the online class will unveil all of this, but what are, give me

two or three thing that's are important for you to get across to students as you're teaching it. what is it about your profession, the way you do what you do, two or three things you will delve into this course. >> well my profession is supposed to be a creative profession. >> uh-huh. >> and that means it's an art. of some kind. it's history of architect, geoto was a paren painter and became architect many great painters became architects, so the tradition is as an art and as an art it's personal. >> uh-huh. >> and if it's personal how do you find yourlf. and that's tough. >> yeah. >> the system doesn't generate that. so i try to get kids to

understand that they have something that's themselves. and i do it a lot of times guys having them write their signatures. you get ten kids to write their signatures they all look different. look that's you, that's you, that's you, you did it intuitively. now do that from now on. don't look back. and find yourselves. when you do you're the only expert in it. right. so, people can say whatever they want, they may not like it, but you're the expert and that's your expertise and that's your art. >> some of the questions you raised almost make this sound like it could be a philosophy course 16. >> well it is. in a way. it's created about your own personal feelings about the world and life and what's going on around you. i think -- i always believe

architect was a profession to make things better for people. >> yeah. >> not just do better but to just open some doors. >> yeah. there are two issues you raise i want to go back and pick up. two minutes ago you said my profession architect is supposed to be a creative profession. >> oh, god you picked up on that. >> yeah i heard that. you do your job ultimately well i do mine reasonably well, when you say something like that don't think i didn't hear that. so unpack that for me. >> okay. so it's become different than that. it's the art of architect has not been celebrated like maybe it should be. i don't know. it's not -- it's a diminished importance. so you see all of the buildings built in all of the cities around the world, nothing in

them speaks of the art of architect. >> what do you see? >> they're just benal. >> yeah. >> and so their economic constructs, god bless them, the developers, you know, that's their model, that's their business. but bringing architect, which is one click stop more, it's not that big a deal, does what we were able to do in bill bow, which very inexpensive building, earned a few hundred billion euros since its opened. it's powerful when it's done right. and history of architect shows the power of it. >> i heard you talk about this before, certainly in our personal and private conversations you've raised this

issue a wander if you would share it now, this relationship as you see it between architect and humanity, what's that relationship for you? >> well it's -- in my world, i'm optimistic. it's a gesture of optimism. i'm trying to make something that engages people like the bill bow did. i don't sit and say i'm going to do this. i'm a little insecure. i'm not sure. i'm a little shleppy. it's not a big ego, in that sense, it's something i know how to do. and when somebody has a problem, a building to make, i try to

make it best i can and make it engaging so people feel good. like the best accomplished at city hall is how much people love going there and the orchestra feels amazing. if i could, i'd do that the rest of my life. >> when you said moments ago you are insecure, i think every one of us, i say blessed, to succeed at whatever level, at some level, if we're honest we will admit every one of us has certain insecurities, fair? >> yes i think that's a good thing. >> i do too. i was about to ask you, tell me how your insecurities in your mind have aided and abetted the success of frank gehry. >> it makes me question everything i do probably more carefully.

what is the benefit of doing this? is it delivering what i want it to deliver? the feelings, and the uplifting making a place that people like to be in, makes them feel good, makes them want to come back, that has a presence that the community is proud of, so it's a sense of pride and all those things. so that doesn't come in the first round, you got to keep goigo going at it and then all of a sudden some meiracle happens an you go that's it and you let it go and you hide in the corner. >> i want to talk about these kids you've been helping and what you will do with the proceeds to help these kids in california. first let ask you a question that's going to make

uncomfortable, i know how you are in your own humility but i will ask anyway. seems there's a number of professions that come to mind immediately to where in my mind at least it's impossible for a person in this said arena to not think about his or her legacy alongside the work they do. for example, if i'm the president of the united states, i have to believe that with everything you do you know everything you do is part of history and you have to be concerned not just in the last year or so but throughout your term, you ought to be at least considering how is this going to play historically even though i want to do the right thing in the moment. as i architect i put you in that field because what you do will last forever and offer. last forever and ever. they do tear stuff down. >> i've had five buildings torn down. >> i will come back to this,

how's it feel when you put your heart and blood and spirit into a building and they tear it down how do you process it. >> well it depends what they tear down at the school of engineering, they had to expand and they just for it down and built a new scoreboahool. >> would you have felt better if they said we're tearing it down will you design a new one for us. >> maybe. i ask that because when you build something and put all your stuff into it and they tear it down that's got to be -- >> funny thing for me, every once in while, in hollywood, we'll be trying to build a building and it's a bank building and there's a big up cry to save it. it's a decent building. i don't know it's a milestone in the history of architect. >> right. >> and i just wondered why

weren't these guys out to save my building. >> i could only imagine how it must feel when you put yourself into something and they tear it down. where i was going initially, how do you process what you think or hope your legacy will be he will be as you are designing the stuff you think. or do you not think about it. >> i don't know. i don't think about it so much. i mean, i've collected, i saved all of the models, i have a storage, i must be thinking about it unconsciously. >> yeah. >> so to say i'm not thinking about it would be probably not true. >> yeah. >> but, i don't go out of my way about it to prompt oat it about it to promote it, or show

it. and i have to look forward. i can't -- there's only so much time. >> yeah. >> around you just focus on full-speed ahead and what you're doing. >> let me ask you a uncomfortable question i will lean on our friendship and hope you will endulge me you're about to turn 88 happy birthday. >> thank you. >> if your demise came sooner or later are you happy, are you content with the body of work you have created. >> i don't think about that that much. i do think about 88 frand how lg after 88 could you hang around, i have a model still hanging around. >> i just talked to sidney

portier and he turned 90 and bellafonte about to turn 90. >> and they're still going. let's go. >> let's talk about these kids. whatever proceeds you will make from the online class you will help the kids in california. tell me about the program what you're doing with these kids? >> so a long time ago 40 to 50 years ago i was curious what happens to kids in the ghetto schools so i volunteered and went to few of them with cardboard boxes and tell them i'm going to build a city. well when i went to the classroom the kids couldn't careless whether i was there or not and they were sort of, i don't know what they were thinking. i got paints and stuff, i got one or two of them painting a box. that's city hall. this is the library.

pretty soon they were all doing it. and we put it on the table. we made a city i taught them how to use the surveying equipment therefore the protactor, they got it all on the table and i said it's beautiful let's calculate the area of it. so what's that mean? so i was teaching math. and then when they got through with that i said who runs this place? who runs the city and they started to talk about mayor and we could get into civics and you could expand it. so i realized how important the arts were in engaging kids' minds. since then i've been part of, kind of part of the elsystema that is got close to million kids in a country that's having plenty of difficulties but little kids from four years old are in a music program, i've

witnessed it, it's a turn on and they get excited. they're kids who are mentally impaired playing the orchestra, they have gongs and bliennd kid all kinds, rich, poor, everything, it's one of the most amazing arts education programs. so i was having dinner with alyssa shriver who invented philanthropy, their whole family, and i told her about elsystema and i said i'd like to do something now with the schools. she hooked me up with michelle obama's turn around school program. and i hired her to run our california section and we now have 16 schools. we go in, we get a hundred

thousand a year per school, it's a three-year commitment. and we facilitate an arts program to get the kids turned on to -- it engages them. and it keeps them in the school and they graduate and they keep going. which is great because the drop out numbers are horrific and the prisons are preparing for the drop out numbers. so we bring artists to the school. like i brought david hockney to one. smokey robinson my favorite. >> let me jump in what did hockney teach them. >> we went to menlo park where 60% of kids are homeless. and david came in.

went over to the flower vase. started to do it in front of the kids. we gave them each a tab let. they each picked a thing. and they each duplicated what he was doing on their own. with their own voice. >> right. >> and some of them you couldn't get them involved. some of them did. at the end 30 or 40 kids stood up with these drawings next to david hockney to have their picture taken. we're going to have those enlarged and put them in the building as art and bring in the kids to see the art with david hockney. and david said this is the

greatest thing. >> it all started with hockney teaching them how to paint on the tab let. >> and chad smith, chili peppers drummer comes in and teaches how drumming is math. >> i feel it don't just hear it, i feel it coming out of you. at this point of your life given all you've accomplished and accolade you've received tell me about the joy you get spending time with these kids and bringing in artists with these kids. >> it's like going to hefrn. >> it's like going to heaven. >> yeah. >> there's this one kid that goes to the indian reservation i go to and this kid wouldn't talk. i brought him down to my office and he wouldn't talk, i went over to him and said you're not learning anything right. he said nope.

you should have stayed home, right. he said yep. i said come here. took him over to a table where guys were working on some building, i said i got to go take a phone call, i'll be right back. gave it about 20 minutes, came back, he was cutting paper with the guys. then he followed me the rest of the time. the teacher asked him what he was doing he said i'm working for frank. [ laughter ] i said now that kid went on to high school and i'm dieing to connect with him again. >> are you. and there's ten stories like that. >> and see part of what i am enjoyed when i hear you share these stories about what you and david hockney and other private citizens giving of your time, and treasure quite frankly and are doing it in part because as a society we've deemed art

education less important as it used to be. >> why? >> i was about to ask you that question. >> i don't know. it's embarrassing. it's reading, writing, amath. it's like business mentality prevails, like what's going on in washington. back to that. it's like denial of feeling. it erases feelings from its numbers. that's too bad we got to fight that. >> speaking of washington, i read that you got past that roosevelt drama, i'm sorry i meant to say eisenhower, so caught up in this conversation. so that issue is done and over? >> yeah we had some great people. people i never met before. guy named fairncot big shot in the republican party.

>> he was the co-chair of the republican commission. >> he helped us. and jim baker helped us and finally it all got turned around and looks like we're going. it was weird. >> yeah. it's about time. >> it was a weird fight. >> i raise that because i am glad it's behind you and they picked the right person to do it. it also says to me, in your business especially, people don't really appreciate how many changes, how many not re-writes. >> same thing. >> but it takes a while to get the projects right before stuff ever goes to the ground. >> yeah. >> where do you find the patience? >> well we've on the cost control and all of that we've maintained. we've figured out a way to do that so our buildings come in right on budget or close. which isn't known. when someone looks at our

building they assume it's more expensive. disney hall hard cost were $207 million that was the budget. there was a lot of cost to add to it, the problems that cost them money had nothing to do with me. but i any it's important to be real. maintain a reality when you build a building. people's clients have a reality, understand that. so i think we can work with those tough developers and if they can build "x" for $100 million and be profitable, we can build our building for the same price and be more beautiful and engaging. i've proven that a lot of times. but somehow can't make that happen. >> yeah. i hope i'm not violating a personal confidence but i raise this because the academy awards

happens in just a few days. >> i'm getting an academy award. [ laughter ] >> no, no you're not and neither am i. but you whispered in my ear, when you walked on set, your favorite documentary of the year. i jumped up because it's my favorite documentary of the year tell me why you love "i am not your negro" so much. >> i was around and lived through those days when baltimore was around. it was so powerful that two-minute segment where dick cavet had a yale professor and talked to baldwin and said look doesn't matter you're black, you're black writer i'm a white writer, we're friends and he just missed the point and

baldwin took him out so straight and clearly about the reality of being black. and that was powerful and a i think that should be shown to everybody. everybody should be required to see that. >> speaking of powerful your work is powerful. always honored to have you here. safe travels. see you soon. >> hope so. >> that's our show tonight with frank gehry. thanks for watching. and as always keep the faith. ♪ >> announcer: for more information on today's show visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. >> join me next time with oscar nominated film maker about his oscar nominated film "i am not your negro". we'll see you then. ♪

and by contributions from your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

good evening from los angeles, i'm tavis smiley, tonight we'll catch up with world famous violinist and conductor, itzhak perlman. he'll talk about his historic studio album with piano legend and upcoming trip to israel to conduct the philharmonic there and we'll find out how he's using a $3 million fund called the genesis prize to provide people with disabilities better access to classical music. glad you've joined us, itzhak perlman in just a moment.