Art21 News
February 16, 2012
 

Production still from the episode,


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 As we draw closer to the broadcast premiere of Art21's latest season, we continue to line up initiatives giving audiences greater access to the season's artists, ideas, and resources. Through exclusive preview materials, community screenings, educator resources and programs, and intimate artist conversations, we hope you are able to join us in celebrating the new season.

This month, we also celebrate Black History Month with two new videos featuring artists Yinka Shonibare MBE and LaToya Ruby Frazier.

Finally, we pay special tribute to artist Mike Kelley, who passed away at the beginning of February. Always an artist who affected us as much with his words as he did with his work, we remember his life and work through a special tribute on Art21.org.

topIn this issue:  

In Memoriam: Mike Kelley (1954-2012) 

Exclusive Previews of the New Season 

Access '12: Screenings in Your Community 

Programming for Educators 

New Videos: Yinka Shonibare MBE and LaToya Ruby Frazier 

Highlights from the Art21 Blog 

The Art21 Salon Series 

Support Art21 and Receive a Special Gift 

Shop Art21 

Banner: Production still from the series Art in the Twenty-First Century, Season 6; Episode: Change; Segment: El Anatsui. � Art21, Inc. 2012. Left: Production still from the series Art in the Twenty-First Century, Season 5; Episode: Transformation; Segment: Yinka Shonibare MBE. � Art21, Inc. 2012.
mikekelleyIn Memoriam: Mike Kelley (1954-2012)
In Memoriam: Mike Kelley (1954-2012)
We at Art21 were very saddened to hear the news about artist Mike Kelley's passing on February 1, 2012. We had the privilege of working with the artist in 2004 and 2005 for a segment in Season 3 of Art in the Twenty-First Century, and he remained a beloved friend of the organization since.

"I knew by the time I was a teenager that I was going to be an artist. There was no doubt about that. There was nothing else for me to be."
--Mike Kelley in the Art in the Twenty-First Century episode, Memory
Though we mourn the loss of a great artist, we celebrate with much joy his impact on art and culture at large, knowing that his work will continue to touch, inspire, and challenge all viewers who come across it.

Join us in remembering Mike Kelley through our tribute to the life and work of the artist, which includes a previously-unreleased interview with the artist from 2008.

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seasonsixExclusive Previews of the New Season
New Season of
Each week, in anticipation of the forthcoming new season, we put the spotlight on a featured artist from the season, including an exclusive preview video, as well as images of artwork and production stills.

Seven artists have been previewed so far, with the remaining artists to come throughout the following weeks. Catch up with each artist, and be sure to keep an eye out each week for additional previews. Be sure to also watch the Season Six trailer for a preview of the entire season.

Ai Weiwei: Preview videos | Images

Catherine Opie: Preview video | Images

El Anatsui: Preview video | Images

David Altmejd: Preview video | Images

Tabaimo: Preview video | Images

assume vivid astro focus: Preview video | Images

Lynda Benglis: Preview video | Images

Season Six premieres nationally Friday, April 13 at 9:00 p.m. (ET) on PBS.

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accessAccess '12: Screenings in Your Community
Art21 Access '12
Art21's first Access '12 event took place on January 23, 2012 at the Lincoln Corner in Karachi, Pakistan. In collaboration with the VM Art Gallery, episodes of Season Six were screened during an exhibition of work by local artists. Read a full recap of the event, with photos, at the Art21 Blog.

Additional Access '12 screenings are planned for the month of April and throughout 2012. Art21 invites you to join over 200 partners to broaden and inspire a diverse exchange of ideas and perspectives by hosting free public screenings and events celebrating the premiere of Season Six of Art in the Twenty-First Century. Every venue is welcome! Access partners receive a free screening tool kit including a DVD, screening guide, and press materials.

Visit the Art21 website to learn more about Access '12, including information on how to host a screening or to attend a screening in your community. Interested participants may also contact the Access Coordinator at access [AT] art21.org.

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eduProgramming for Educators
Art21 News for Educators
Year four of Art21 Educators kicks off this July, and we are now accepting applications for the new year. Applications are due on March 11, so be sure to download the application worksheet today!

Art21 at NAEA 2012 in New York City, March 2-4: Art21 is presenting a collection of artist presentations, workshops, panel conversations, and parties at the upcoming NAEA convention. Join us in New York City on March 2-4 as Oliver Herring leads a conference-wide TASK Party and Janine Antoni leads a performative workshop that focuses on the body as a tool for exploration. See the full list of Art21's offerings at our website, and we hope to see you there.

For more details about these events, new educational resources and films, and more, sign up for the Art21 Education email list to receive regular updates.

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videoNew Videos: Yinka Shonibare MBE and LaToya Ruby Frazier

Yinka Shonibare MBE: Black Artists
 Yinka Shonibare MBE: Black Artists
As Yinka Shonibare MBE installs his 2008 solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia, he discusses his experience as a black artist living and working in the United Kingdom. With few black artist role models from the previous generation to follow in the path of, Shonibare describes his motivation and strategy for getting his work into the art system.

LaToya Ruby Frazier Makes Moving Pictures
 LaToya Ruby Frazier Makes Moving Pictures
What makes a documentary radical? In this film, artist LaToya Ruby Frazier reveals the personal story behind a series of videos and photographs of her family in Braddock, Pennsylvania, a selection of which were exhibited in Video Studio: Changing Same at the Studio Museum in Harlem.
Keep up with the New York Close Up series at the project website. Keep up with the Exclusive series on Art21.org, or subscribe to the series via RSS or iTunes (note: link opens in iTunes).

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 Highlights from the Art21 Blog
Cairo in Context: Art and Change in the Middle East
 New column: Cairo in Context: Art and Change in the Middle East
Written by Ania Szremski, a researcher, writer and curator based in Cairo, this monthly column looks at the dynamic role that the visual arts play in Egypt and other Middle East regions in the wake of the Arab Spring.

Theo Solnik's Anna Pavlova Lives in Berlin
 From Our Columns
Looking at Los Angeles columnist Catherine Wagley remembers the late Mike Kelley; No Preservatives' Richard McCoy talks to Tom Learner, senior scientist at the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and organizer of the Pacific Standard Time exhibition From Start to Finish: De Wain Valentine's Gray Column; and Ali Fitzgerald of Lives and Works in Berlin reviews Theo Solnik's Anna Pavlova Lives in Berlin, a poignant filmic portrayal of a freespirited young clubgoer.

Guest blogger, Aldrin Valdez
 Guest Bloggers
Aldrin Valdez, a New York-based artist and a fellow at Queer/Art/Mentorship (Q/A/M), a program bringing together emerging and established queer-identified artists, writes about queer identity and the past and present of the AIDS crisis; Chicago-based writer and educator Monica Westin examines the role that writing and research practices play in contemporary art.

Want to write for the Art21 Blog? We're looking for guest bloggers with interesting professional backgrounds in the arts, excellent writing skills, and strong points of view. Email interest and writing samples to blog [at] art21 [dot] org.

IMAGES (from top): Cairo street artist Ganzeer's "Mask of Freedom" sticker. Film still from "Anna Pavlova" (2011), directed by Theo Solnik; Courtesy the artist. Guest blogger Aldrin Valdez, New York-based artist and writer.

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art21salonThe Art21 Salon Series
Support Art21: Join Us for Art21 Salon
Art21 Salon is a series of intimate screening events with Art in the Twenty-First Century featured artists. Hosted in New York City, these annual fundraising evenings raise critical funds that support Art21 films and educational programs.

This year, Art21 Salon presents premiere/preview screenings for Season Six and features discussions with the featured artists and filmmakers.

We invite you to join us for these very special celebrations on March 12, April 2, and April 30. Reserve your seats today, as tickets are selling quickly.

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supportart21Support Art21 and Receive a Special Gift
Support Art21
This month, especially for our newsletter subscribers, we are offering Season Six DVDs as a thank you gift for contributors $20 and above.

Art21's Annual Fund raises critical funds that keep Art21's resources free and make new programs possible. We invite you, as a champion of Art21, to contribute today.

Thank you for supporting Art21!

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shopShop Art21 
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.

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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.