Videographer Jack Stawowczyk on assignment in New Orleans

The State of the Arts production team has been busy lately, working on a wide variety of stories coming up in the next few months! In New Orleans, the weekend before the Superbowl was a big one—producer Jessica Dotson and videographer Jack Stawowcyzk were in town for the closing celebration of the future is present, the harbinger is home, an exhibition by Deborah Jack at the UNO Gallery.

Deborah Jack in the future is present, the harbinger is home, UNO Gallery

Deborah Jack in the future is present, the harbinger is home, UNO Gallery

At the closing, Deborah read her poetry, accompanied by a live performance of the musical score of her immersive video installation, which filled the gallery. Deborah is a St. Maarten- and Jersey City-based multimedia artist working at the intersection of environmental and personal histories.

Find out more about Deborah Jack, winner of NJSCA and Soros Art fellowships, on our April premiere.

Lt. Governor Tahesha Way in her office at the New Jersey State House

Lt. Governor Tahesha Way in her office at the New Jersey State House

Closer to home, I interviewed Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way for a story about the portraits and other remarkable works of art found in the New Jersey State House. Lt. Governor Way made some moving observations about the art in her office—including a bust of the educator and activist Mary McLeod Bethune created by the Harlem Renaissance sculptor Selma Burke.

Our story about the art of the New Jersey State House premieres in June.

Artist Clifford Ward

Artist Clifford Ward

And, coming up very soon, the latest story from producer Sam Vladimirsky, winner of our most recent New York Emmy. It’s about artist Clifford Ward and his two-part retrospective: I’ll Make Me A World. The “prologue” exhibition, currently at Artworks, celebrates Clifford’s groundbreaking artistic journey, which helped bring Afrofuturism into the mainstream. It’s followed by a more extensive show opening in May at Grounds for Sculpture.

Our story about the visionary work of artist Clifford Ward premieres on March 26.

This is just a taste of what’s in production—stay tuned!

We hope you caught our most recent show, featuring the transformative power of the arts for building community. If you missed the broadcast or livestream, you can watch the episode here at PBS.org.

State of the Arts is honored to be focusing on the most creative people in New Jersey, and we thank you for joining us.