A 19‑YEAR‑OLD SAN DIEGO ARTIST WHOSE LIFE STRUGGLES WERE IN THE FILM BEARING HER NAME
AND HER IS A CLIP FROM THE DOCUMENTARY.
>> BECAUSE I'M HOMELESS DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T HAVE A LIFE BECAUSE I DO HAVE A LIFE.
I AM A GIRL WHO LIKES TO JUMP IN PUDDLES AND LIKES FLOWERS.
WHEN I PAINT I FEEL HAPPY, SO IT'S A GOOD WAY TO START MY MONK, JUST PAINT ON SOMETHING.
WHAT BETTER PLACE THAN MY SPACE.
>> IT'S MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME INOCENTE IZUCAR AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE ON EVENING EDITION.
YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL ON STAGE BUT YOU WERE CRYING AND TEARFUL, I WAS WATCHING YOU, WHAT
DID THE WIN IN THE FILM MEAN TO YOU?
>> IT WAS JUST LIFE CHANGING.
I MEAN, I'M SO EXCITED, I WAS JUST SO EXCITED.
I'M STILL REALLY EXCITED, I STILL THINK AND SOMETIMES GOOGLE IT TO SEE IF IT'S REAL.
>> REPORTER: YOU WATCH IT.
>> YEAH.
>> REPORTER: THEY SHOWED A CLIP OF YOUR ARTWORK WITH A HEART WITH THE ARTWORK YOU DID, WAS
IT GREAT TO SEE IT ON A SCREEN LIKE THAT?
>> I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE IN FRONT OF ALL THOSE PEOPLE.
>> REPORTER: YOU DID A GREAT JOB.
YOU HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED AS A SHY ARTIST.
AND SINCE THE OSCARS AND THE FILM'S RELEASE YOU HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF PUBLIC WORK,
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE THEN?
>> A LOT OF SCREENINGS AND JUST KIND OF SPREADING THE WORD AND KIND OF TRYING TO INSPIRE PEOPLE
AND SHOWING PEOPLE THAT IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY.
BECAUSE THIS YEAR I WANT TO DO ADVOCACY.
>> REPORTER: TELL US ABOUT THAT.
SO WHO DO YOU WANT TO ADVOCATE FOR?
ARTIST?
HOMELESS, WHO ARE YOUR FOCUSED ON THIS WITH?
>> ALL THREE ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT TO ME, HOMELESSNESS AND IMMIGRATION AND OF COURSE
THE ARTS.
THEY ALL HAVE THEIR STRUGGLES.
AND ALL OF THEM NEED TO BE PUT ON THE SPOTLIGHT SO THIS YEAR I WANT TO DO ADVOCACY FOR ALL
THREE OF THEM.
>> REPORTER: YOUR FAMILY WAS UNDOCUMENTED, YOU YOUR MOTHER AND TWO BROTHERS I UNDERSTAND
WERE HOMELESS FOR MANY YEARS.
HOW DID THAT IMPACT YOUR DESIRE TO DO ART AND HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO THE THAT IN THAT LIFESTYLE?
>> I THINK EVERYBODY FINDS A WAY TO COPE.
AND MY COPING MECHANISM WAS ART AND INSTEAD OF DOING DRUGS OR GETTING IN TROUBLE I WOULD
DO ART.
>> REPORTER: HOW DID YOU DO IT?
DID YOU HAVE TIME TO FIND SOMETHING TO DRAW?
>> I WOULD COLOR AND STUFF AND DRAW BUT DIDN'T START PAINTING UNTIL I STARTED GOING TO THE
ART CENTER, A REASON TO SURVIVE ARTS.
AND THEY KIND OF INTRODUCED ME TO PAINT AND CANVAS AND I WAS ABLE TO EXPRESS MYSELF.
>> REPORTER: LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT, THAT IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION AND HOST 200 KIDS
A WEEK AND SEE 4,000 KIDS EACH YEAR.
HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO FIND ART?
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THAT?
>> I WAS GOING TO MONARCH WHICH IS A SCHOOL FOR HOMELESS KIDS AND THEY HAD AN AFTER SCHOOL
PROGRAM, SO I WOULD TAKE THAT AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM AND GO TO ARTS BECAUSE IT'S CALLED
VANGO AND THEY WOULD PICK US UP AND I TAKE THE CLASS AND I FELL IN LOVE WITH THEIR PROGRAM
SO I STARTED GOING MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK.
>> REPORTER: WE SAW IN THE FILM YOUR FACE WAS PAINTED AND YOU HAVE SOME BEAUTIFUL MAKEUP
ON LIKE HERE TODAY.
WHY PAINT YOUR FACE AS WELL AS CANVASS?
>> I JUST FEEL LIKE IN THE MONK IT WAS A GOOD WAY TO START OFF.
IT WAS KIND OF LETTING GO A LITTLE BIT OF THE ARTISTIC.
IT WAS JUST LIKE THE NIGHT BEFORE I WAS PROBABLY FEELING REALLY ARTISTIC AND THE NEXT MONK
IS KIND OF LIKE THERE, I JUST HAD TO PAINT MY FACE.
>> REPORTER: WELL, YOU WOULD HAVE THAT SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR A CANVAS THERE.
TOMORROW THE CITY WILL PROCLAIM THE DAY AS INOCENTE IZUCAR DAY, THAT HAS TO FEEL SO GOOD.
>> IT FEELS AMAZING.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE I HAVE TO THANK.
I WOULD NOT BE HERE IF IT WERE NOT FOR EVERYBODY WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THE FILM OR THE ART CENTER.
>> REPORTER: YOU HAVE BEEN VERY GRACIOUS ABOUT THAT AND LIKE YOU SAY YOU ARE USING THE NOTORIETY
TO BE AN ADVOCATE.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE, WILL YOU GO TO ART SCHOOL?
CONTINUE WITH ADVOCACY, WHAT DO YOU SEE IN YOUR FUTURE?
>> A LOT OF ADVOCACY AND PEOPLE HAVE CONNECTED US ABOUT GOING TO CONFERENCES OR SPEAKING
AT THEIR SCHOOLS.
SO THIS YEAR I'M FOCUSING ON THAT AND HOPEFULLY BY THE END OF THE YEAR I WILL START LOOKING
INTO SCHOOLS, MAYBE NOT NECESSARILY ART SCHOOL BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE COLLEGE IS A PLACE TO
EXPERIENCE NEW THINGS SO I WILL SEE.
>> REPORTER: AND THANK YOU INOCENTE IZUCAR FOR SHARING YOUR STORY.
>> THANK YOU.