A New Season of State of the Arts

On our first new episode, we met Artist-Catalyst and composer DBR (Daniel Roumain Bernard) in residence with the New Jersey Symphony. We explored Philip Roth’s Newark over three days at NJPAC, including a visit to his boyhood home. And, we went to Camden Rep’s immersive production of the Black Arts classic, Unfinished Women Cry In No Man’s Land While A Bird Dies In A Gilded Cage.

Trenton Circus Squad, photographed by Steve Sarafian

Next month, three more short films will premiere. Find out how the Trenton Circus Squad is training a new generation of trapeze artists and clowns, and changing lives. Meet an infamous duo of nonconformist artists from the Soviet Union—Komar & Melamid in America is a new retrospective at the Zimmerli Art Museum that brings their personal and professional journey into focus. And go with Heather Palecek as she makes her mysterious and beautiful solargraphs, with exposures that last weeks or even months. Her work is part of a new exhibition, A Pinelands Portrait: Art of the Pine Barrens, at Stockton Art Gallery.

Double Self-Portrait from the Sots Arts Series, Komar and Melamid

And that’s just the beginning!

There are so many ways to find State of the Arts, beginning with our website. Episodes air and stream on NJ PBS, WNET/THIRTEEN, and ALL ARTS. Online, full half-hour episodes and individual stories can be found on PBS.org. On the State of the Arts YouTube channel, you can watch, share, and comment on over ten years of our short documentary films! There are hundreds. It’s an unparalleled trove of material, including breakthrough performances, great artists, and moving stories about the power of the arts to transform. State of the Arts is made possible by a co-production of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Stockton University, in cooperation with PCK Media. Additional funding comes from the Friends of State of the Arts. Consider joining us!