On May 10, Helen Day Art Center, in partnership with Art21 as part of its Access '12 initiative, presents a sneak preview in advance of the premiere of the sixth season of Art in the Twenty-First Century, the only prime time national television series focused exclusively on contemporary art. The event features a preview of Art21 Season Six: Change. This event is free and open to the public.
Art21 Access '12 events are being hosted by museums, schools, libraries, art spaces, community centers, and universities worldwide. Each event features an exclusive advance screening of one or two episodes from Season Six of the documentary, as well as an educational component, such as talks by local, regional, and national artists; lectures; panel discussions; interactive art-making projects and question-and-answer sessions.
The following episode(s) will be screened during the May 10th event:
Episode 1: Change
This episode features artists who bear witness, through their work, to transformation—cultural, material, and aesthetic—and actively engage communities as collaborators and subjects. Ai Weiwei, El Anatsui, and Catherine Opie are featured.
MAY 24th:
Episode 4: Balance
Through sculpture, paintings, and installations, the artists in this hour grapple with equilibrium and disequilibrium as they create highly structured works that challenge conventional notions of perception and representation. Rackstraw Downes, Robert Mangold, and Sarah Sze are featured.
JUNE 7th:
Episode 3: History
In this episode, artists play with historical events, explore and expose commonly held assumptions about historic 'truth', and create narratives based on personal experiences. Marina Abramovic', Glenn Ligon, and Mary Reid Kelley are featured.
JUNE 21st:
Episode 2: Boundaries
This episode presents artists who synthesize disparate aesthetic traditions, present taboo subject matter, discover innovative uses of media, and explore the shape-shifting potential of the human figure. David Altmejd, assume vivid astro focus, Lynda Benglis, and Tabaimo are featured.
ABOUT ART21
Over the last decade, Art21 has established itself as the preeminent chronicler of contemporary art and artists through its Peabody Award-winning biennial television series Art in the Twenty-First Century. The organization has used the power of digital media to expose millions of people of all ages to contemporary art and artists and has created a new paradigm for teaching and learning about the creative process.
In addition to its PBS series and year-round series-based education and public programs efforts, Art21 has expanded its film production and educational efforts in recent years. Several new initiatives have been launched in the past year including New York Close Up, a new documentary series on Art and Life in New York City, and the premiere of Art21's first feature film, William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible. Art21 also offers Art21 Educators, an ongoing professional development program for teachers now entering its fourth year.
