We’re back with more YoungArts Presents episodes! This series tells an artist’s story through an artist’s lens. We’re introducing you to artists across the country, all YoungArts award winners, in films created by fellow YoungArts winners. Every artist has a different approach to artmaking, a different way of seeing the world and a shared passion for creativity. Step into the creative worlds of four YoungArts winners below.
Daveed Baptiste (2016 Photography & Visual Arts), Interdisciplinary Artist
Daveed Baptiste is an interdisciplinary artist whose work incorporates fashion, textiles and photography. He draws his inspiration from his migration from Port au-Prince, Haiti to Miami, Florida, to his current home in New York. Last year, Daveed was a designer-in-residence at Materials for the Arts in Long Island City and he developed MFTA’s first ever fashion exhibition, “Soaring High”. This collection explores the metamorphosis of a Haitian immigrant boy, chronicling his journey through the stages of life within urban Black American society. Each look represents a chapter in his story — capturing the desires, aspirations and dreams that shaped his path from adolescence to adulthood. “Soaring High” was supported by a YoungArts Microgrant.
This film was directed and produced by Kai Tomizawa (2020 Film).
Leo Castañeda (2006 Visual Arts), Multimedia Artist & Video Game Designer
Leo Castañeda is a multimedia artist and video game designer exploring Latin American Surrealism in the Digital Age. His artwork primarily takes form in episodic games and immersive installations that meld atmospheric paintings, video, mixed reality, wearables, and sculpture. In 2024, Leo was named a YoungArts Artist Technology Fellow supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. As part of the fellowship, Leo presented his hand-painted episodic exploration video game Camoflux: Levels & Bosses at Florida Supercon, collaborating with fashion designers and dancers to bring his vision to life.
This film was directed and produced by JeanCarlo Ramirez (2012 Film).
Sawyer Rabin (2023 Voice & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), Songwriter & Producer
Sawyer Rabin is an artist, songwriter, producer, session musician, music director, and arranger based in Los Angeles. Immersed in music by his family from the day he was born, Sawyer loves nothing more than offering his unique voice and expertise to help artistic and musical visions come to life. By blending uniquely honest lyrics with catchy pop melodies, his music remains accessible while still expressing vulnerability. Sawyer is a two-time GRAMMY Camp alumni and is currently a student at the USC Thornton School of Music, where he is pursuing degrees in both Popular Music Performance and Music Industry.
This film was directed and produced by Dusan Brown (2020 Film & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts).
Talia Suskauer (2015 Theater), Singer & Actor
Talia Suskauer has been living her dream as a Broadway singer performing as Elphaba in Wicked, understudying all the principal women roles in Be More Chill and currently starring in the touring production of Parade. Last year, YoungArts in partnership with Joe’s Pub gave Talia the opportunity to push her creative boundaries and assume an on-stage role she’s never played before: herself.
“I find that it’s easier to step into the shoes of that character [Elphaba] and bring myself to it but standing on stage as a solo performance was something I had not really done before,” Talia reflected. “Who am I outside of this show and this role?”
For this unique opportunity, Talia created a 16-song solo show that allowed her to embrace vulnerability and explore who she was outside the mold of a scripted character—and to great success. On the gratifying experience of sharing her show with audiences, she remarked: “When you put yourself out there and do it, it’s the scariest thing in the world. But then when people embrace you and love it and love what you’ve created, it’s the coolest feeling in the world.”
This film was directed and produced by Holly Fischer (2012 Photography).