 | |
April 21, 2011
| |
|
Make a gift to Art21 today  | | April started on a high note in the Art21 offices, as we learned that we are among the recipients of the 70th Annual Peabody Awards for our recent film, William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible. This, our second Peabody, is truly an honor, and we want to share that joy. Read on for more about this achievement.
The Art21 Blog is also approaching a landmark, celebrating four years of serving as a platform for critical reflection and conversation about contemporary art. This month, we reach out to readers to help us support our writers, who continue to make the Art21 Blog a key destination for art journalism. Read on for more about the "Blog Party" campaign and how you can help us reach our goal.
Finally, rarely does Art21 comment on artists that we are in the process of working with. However, the recent detention of artist Ai Weiwei is of great concern to the international arts community. Art21 joins the community in support of Ai Weiwei and all artistic expression. More information on to join the community of supporters is below.
 In this issue:
A Message from Art21 on the Detention of Ai Weiwei "William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible" Wins A Peabody New Videos: Carrie Mae Weems, Cindy Sherman, and Cao Fei Highlights from the Art21 Blog Blog Party: Support the Art21 Blog Shop Art21 |
Banner: Doris Salcedo in her Bogota, Colombia studio, 2008. Production still from the series Art in the Twenty-First Century, Season 5, Episode: Compassion. © Art21, Inc. 2009. Left: Janine Antoni in her New York City studio, 2002. Production still from from the series Art in the Twenty-First Century, Season 2, Episode: Loss & Desire. © Art21, Inc. 2003.
|
| A Message from Art21 on the Detention of Ai Weiwei |
Art21, a long-standing supporter of free artistic expression and presenter of artists speaking in their own words, joins the international art community in calling for the immediate release of artist Ai Weiwei. Our ongoing relationship with artists, students, and the general public in China--where we filmed the artist Cao Fei and recently committed to filming with Ai Weiwei--is important to our mission of fostering contemporary art, and education through art, worldwide. We stand committed to supporting the voices of all artists, including Ai Weiwei.
Please consider joining the community of supporters by signing an online petition calling for Ai Weiwei's release.
PHOTO: BBC
BACK TO TOP
|
| "William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible" Wins A Peabody |
Art21 is honored to be among the recipients of the 70th Annual Peabody Awards--the premiere international prize in electronic media--for the film, William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible.
The Peabody board recognized William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible as "a veritable all-access pass to [William Kentridge's] mind and work process" given to Art21 by an artist whom they describe as "creativity personified" and "a one-man seminar."
This is the second Peabody award for Art21. The organization received its first Peabody award for the fourth season (2007) of the biennial PBS television series, Art in the Twenty-First Century.
To celebrate, we are giving away "Double Peabody" packs containing both award-winning DVDs. Visit the William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible film site for details on how to enter the drawing.
BACK TO TOP
|
| New Videos: Carrie Mae Weems, Cindy Sherman, and Cao Fei |
| | Carrie Mae Weems: "The Kitchen Table Series"
Exclusive Episode #138: Filmed in her Syracuse studio, artist Carrie Mae Weems discusses the impetus for her work "The Kitchen Table Series" (1990), a photographic investigation of a single domestic space in which the artist staged scenes of "the battle around the family" between women and men, friends and lovers, parents and children.
|
| | Cindy Sherman: Characters
Exclusive Episode #139: Cindy Sherman reveals how dressing up in character began as a kind of performance and evolved into her earliest photographic series such as "Bus Riders" (1976), "Untitled Film Stills" (1977-1980), and the untitled rear screen projections (1980).
|
| | Cao Fei: "PRD Anti-Heroes"
Exclusive Episode #140: Artist Cao Fei discusses her multi-media theatrical work "PRD Anti-Heroes" (2005), a play performed by non-professional actors. Investigating the "anonymous and unsung heroes" of the Pearl River Delta or "the factory of the world," Cao's production incorporates elements of traditional Chinese legends, Hong Kong soap operas, and Cantonese farces.
|
Keep up with the Exclusive series on the Art21 Blog, or subscribe to the series via RSS or iTunes (note: link opens in iTunes). A blend of newly-shot original filming and previously unreleased archival footage, videos from the weekly Exclusive series focus on singular aspects of an artist's process, significant individual works and exhibitions, provocative ideas, and biographical anecdotes.
BACK TO TOP
|
Highlights from the Art21 Blog
|
Want to write for the Art21 Blog? Email interest and writing samples to blog [at] art21 [dot] org.
IMAGES (from top): Robert Whitman, Passport, 2011; Rehearsal photo, Hudson River, Beacon, NY, November 2010; Photo: Ben Bloom. Richard Long, River Avon Mud Circle, 2011, exhibition view, Hamburger Bahnhof; Photo: Anna Milandri. Tania Bruguera, Tatlin's Whispers #5, 2008; Medium: Decontextualization of an action; Year: 2008; Materials: Mounted police, crowd control techniques, audience; Dimensions: Variable Performance view at UBS; Openings: Live The Living Currency, Tate Modern; Photo: Sheila Burnett; Courtesy Tate Modern.
BACK TO TOP
|
| Blog Party: Support the Art21 Blog |
The Art21 Blog is celebrating its four-year anniversary. To honor this important milestone, Art21 is dedicating the next four weeks to raising enough funds to compensate all of our writers. A small group of visionary donors have started the party, building a strong foundation for reaching our goal. We hope that you will add your name to the list.
A donation of $5, $10, or $50 makes a difference.
- 10 people giving $5 will pay for 1 blog post
- 10 people giving $10 will pay for a guest blogger's honorarium
- 100 people giving $50 will pay for a year's worth of Open Enrollment posts written by graduate students
- A single donation of $600 underwrites an entire column for a year!
All Blog Party participants are listed on the Art21 website. Join the Blog Party today!
BACK TO TOP
|
| Shop Art21 |
William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible
Art21's Peabody Award-winning feature film provides an in-depth portrait of South African artist William Kentridge as he creates a series of new works, including a staging of Shostakovich's The Nose at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible is available on DVD from ShopPBS and other retailers.
Art in the Twenty-First Century
Miss a season? Looking for a particular artist's segment? All five seasons of Art in the Twenty-First Century are available on DVD and digital download, giving you first-hand access to today's most compelling artists and thought-provoking themes. (Season 5 is also available in high-definition Blu-ray.)
Companion books
Spanning all five seasons, the Art in the Twenty-First Century companion books feature in-depth interviews with all 86 series-featured artists, high-quality images, and essays from Art21 Executive Director Susan Sollins.
Visit ShopPBS.org to view all available products from Art21.
BACK TO TOP
|
|
|
|
|
|
_____________________________________________________________________
Want to do more? |
Art21 is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization; all donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Donations to Art21 support the production of Art21's PBS series, multimedia and internet-based education resources, film archive, and public programs. |
|
|
|
|
