State of the Arts crew with producer Susan Wallner, interviewing photographer and filmmaker Steve Siegel on Ellis Island, 2024
State of the Arts is one of the longest running programs about the arts in the country. Wednesday, September 18, 2024 is our 43rd season premiere on NJ PBS—both streaming and on air—at 8:30 pm. A lot has changed since 1981, when State of the Arts was a side project for one of the news anchors on New Jersey Public Television, but looking back at some of our earliest stories, it’s clear that some things have stayed the same.
Poet Allen Ginsberg with producer Nila Aronow, 1986
New Jersey is still a place where some of the most creative artists, writers, and performers make their home and ply their skills. And the people who make State of the Arts—the producers who go out, meet the artists, deal with the red tape or the bad weather, and who work hard to distill a meeting or an experience into a meaningful 5 or 10 minute story—are still dedicated to the arts.
The three stories in our first new half-hour episode this fall each feature incredible talents, both in front of and behind the camera.
Ricky Boscarino’s Luna Parc
Producer Sam Vladimirsky’s story about Luna Parc, a whimsical museum in the forest of Sussex County, surprises as it delights. Producer Tom Miller brings his background in professional theater to a behind-the-scenes look at the hot new production of Empire Records: The Musical. And producer/videographer Nate Reininga creates a visually beautiful profile of abstract painter Maureen Chatfield.
The company of Empire Records: The Musical | Photo by Daniel Rader
State of the Arts has been nominated for four New York Emmys this year, and over the years the series and its producers have won many. Before the ceremony on October 26, you’ll have the chance to form your own opinion! Our stories about Layqa at the Newark Airport, DBR with the New Jersey Symphony, The Wild Baskets of Steven R. Carty, as well as our full episode featuring Komar & Melamid, the Trenton Circus Squad, and Heather Palecek’s Solargraphs are all scheduled to air, and they can always be seen online.
Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), the New Jersey Symphony’s Resident Artistic Catalyst
In October and November, two special editions of State of the Arts focus on an amazing array of traditional artists—each a keeper of an age-old art form. From an African-American storyteller, to a South Jersey basketmaker, to a couple who are masters of Puerto Rican Bomba y Plena, the ten featured artists are the first-ever class of New Jersey Heritage Fellows honored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Juan Cartagena and Nanette Hernández of Segunda Quimbamba, masters of Puerto Rican Bomba y Plena
In the coming weeks, State of the Arts producers and crews will be on the ground at the Jersey City Artist Studio Tour, the Paterson Poetry Festival, the Birdhouse Center for the Arts in Lambertville, and many, many more locations! And please, send us your ideas for stories—we’re always looking.
State of the Arts, going on location with the most creative people in New Jersey. Hope to see you there!
![Truckdriver after a Run, Ohio, Sol Libsohn, 1945 [ICP]](https://stateoftheartsnj.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/libsohn_sol_156_1983_411582_displaysize.jpg)
