1. Art in the Twenty-First Century
The only series on television in the U.S. to focus exclusively on contemporary visual art and artists, Art in the Twenty-First Century is a Peabody Award-winning biennial program that allows viewers to observe the artists at work, watch as they transform inspiration into art, and hear how they struggle with both the physical and visual challenges of achieving their visions.
Lilian Thomas Burwell recounts the life story of her aunt, unsung artist and educator Hilda Wilkinson Brown, and the influence she had on Burwell’s own career as an abstract expressionist artist. Their lives, works of art and sources of inspiration are presented against the backdrop of a segregated society where marginalized Black artists created their own venues to exhibit their work.
3. Georgia O’Keefe: A Woman on Paper
Explore artist Georgia O’Keefe’s time spent in Columbia, S.C. as an art instructor at Columbia College as she found her voice with a series of innovative abstract charcoal drawings that led her career in a new direction. Collectively titled “Specials,” the drawings made her one of the first American artists to practice pure abstraction and established her as one of the country’s leading artists.
After an exhilarating national journey of artistic discovery, 100 under-recognized American artists were selected for one unforgettable exhibition. State of the Art, a one-hour documentary, captures the personal stories of seven diverse artists from Crystal Bridges’ groundbreaking exhibit who are redefining the American aesthetic.
Craft in America explores the vitality, history and significance of the craft movement in the United States and its impact on our nation’s rich cultural heritage. Capturing the beauty, creativity and originality of craftsmanship, the film highlights artists and explores the inter-relationships of what they do, how they do it and why they have chosen a life of creating art.
6. James McNeill Whistler and the Case for Beauty
The original art star, Whistler had a caustic wit and was a man-about-town. For the first time, a film examines the biography of the man and the course of his career. Best known for his painting popularly called “Whistler’s Mother,” by his death, Whistler was one of the most recognized artists in Europe and is today placed in the first rank of modern painters.
#PBSForTheArts is a multiplatform campaign celebrating the resiliency of the arts in America during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown and reopening. The campaign features a variety of programming across broadcast and digital platforms to showcase the devastating impact of the pandemic to the arts industry.
8. Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World
Go on an epic journey across nine countries and over 1,400 years of history to explore the stories behind the masterworks of Islamic art and architecture. See the richness of Islamic art in objects big and small. From great ornamented palaces and the play of light in monumental mosques, to the exquisite beauty of ceramics, carved boxes, paintings, and metal work.
Featuring video interviews and hands-on demonstrations with contemporary visual and performing artists, discover new ways to be creative with KQED Art School. From lettering artistry to logo design, neo-folk art, punk rock quilting and more, you’ll learn about new art forms and perhaps find inspiration along the way.
10. Mending Walls: The Documentary
In this documentary, artist Hamilton Glass challenges 30 artists from different cultural backgrounds to collaborate on 16 murals about race, status, and experiences. Using real-time footage and testimonials, Mending Walls: The Documentary shows how the artists get to know each other through difficult conversations and how working together ultimately opens their eyes and hearts to our differences.
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To learn more or sign up for Passport, visit idahoptv.org/passport.
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