 | In conjunction with National Arts & Humanities Month, the Department of Art will screen season five of Art:21 – Art in the Twenty-First Century, the only prime time national television series that focuses exclusively on contemporary art. The Brown Bag Lunch screening will be followed by discussions led by University of Memphis faculty, graduate students, and guest artists.The events are scheduled on September 29, October 8, October 15, and October 22, 2009 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in Jones Hall room 214; screenings and discussions are free and open to the public.  | Carrie Mae Weems.
Production still © Art21, Inc. 2009 |
The four new episode of the Peabody Award-winning series spans five continents and focuses on 14 of today’s most accomplished artists, such as Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, John Baldessari, Carrie Mae Weems, and William Kentridge. The audience will observe the artists as they create works that reflect important and timely global issues, tackle complextopics, ask tough questions, and create works that delight, amaze, and sometimes unsettle audiences worldwide. About Art21
Over the past ten years, Art21 has established itself as the preeminent chronicler of contemporary art and artists through its Peabody Award-winning biennial television series Art:21—Art in the Twenty-First Century. It 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 the premiere of the new short-format documentary series Art21–Exclusive on multiple online platforms and expansion of the Art21 Blog. New programs are in the works, including a feature film as well as Art21 Educators, an ongoing professional development program for teachers.
University of Memphis Screening Schedule
Fantasy
September 29, 2009
This episode presents four artists whose works or personal stories transport viewers to imaginary worlds and altered states of consciousness. With works that seem at times hallucinatory, irreverent, and sublime, each of these artists pursue a vision first held in the mind’s eye. The episode’s featured artists are: Jeff Koons, Mary Heilmann, Florian Maier-Aichen, and Cao Fei.
Discussion led by: Beth Edwards, Chase Malone, Greely Myatt, and Raleigh Rodgers
Systems
October 8, 2009
Artists invent new processes to convey the attitudes of today’s supercharged, information-based society, examining why we find comfort in some systems while rebelling against others. Systems features artists who realize complex projects through acts of appropriation or accumulation. In some instances, they create projects vast in scope, which almost elude comprehension. The episode’s featured artists are: Julie Mehretu, John Baldessari, Kimsooja, and Allan McCollum.
Discussion led by: Jonathan Brilliant, Jennifer Hornby, Jed Jackson, and Cedar Nordbye
Compassion
October 15, 2009
This episode features artists whose works explore the possibility of understanding and reconciling past and present, while exposing injustice and expressing tolerance for others. The episode’s featured artists are: William Kentridge, Carrie Mae Weems, and Doris Salcedo.
Discussion led by: Chantal Drake, Earnestine Jenkins, Richard Lou, and Wanda Rushing
Transformation
October 22, 2009
Whether observing and satirizing society or reinventing icons of literature, art history, and popular culture, the artists featured in Transformation capture sensibilities of our age while at times inhabiting the characters the have created. The episode’s featured artists are: Yinka Shonibare MBE, Cindy Sherman, Paul McCarthy.
Discussion led by: Sarah Boyce, Michael Darough, Leslie Luebbers, Todd Richardson |
