Art21 Television Series

Art:21 -- Art in the Twenty-First Century is a groundbreaking documentary television series focusing exclusively on contemporary visual art by artists working in the United States today. The series provides behind-the-scenes views of the artists in their studios, homes, and communities. The artists speak directly to the audience, in their own words, about how, why, and what they create.

The Art21 television series is available for purchase on home video at ShopPBS.org. Click here for more information on the series.

Teaching with Art21

Art21 creates a variety of curricular resources in conjunction with each season of the series. Art21 Educators' Guides provide background information on featured artists, suggested discussion questions and hands-on activities, and additional resources on contemporary art and artists. Toolkits and the Art21 Online Lesson Library provide further suggestions for using Art21 materials in educational contexts. Art21's interdisciplinary materials provide connections to many subject areas, including the Performing Arts, Language Arts, and Social Studies. Educational materials are available for download on this website and are prominently featured on PBS TeacherSource.

Art21 also provides Educators’ Workshops led by senior Art21 education program staff modeling the use of contemporary artists' ideas, working processes, and concepts in the classroom. Each workshop (focused on a specific artist, theme, or subject area) teaches educators to make connections between Art21 materials and their own teaching experiences.

Art21 public programs & outreach

Screening-based public programs and outreach events increase the accessibility of the series, bringing Art:21 -- Art in the Twenty-First Century into museums, libraries, schools, and community programs. Art21 events designed by and for local and regional audiences encourage individuals and organizations to celebrate the arts in their communities, and to extend conversations inspired by the series. Ongoing Art21 Public Programs include the organization of Preview Screenings and local station-sponsored events in conjunction with the series broadcast, as well as various other community events.

Pictures of past events can be viewed here; Art21 news can be found on the Art21 Blog.

Art21 online

Each month the Art:21 web site on PBS averages 1.8 million hits by 200,000 visitors. A comprehensive companion to the television series, the site currently features over 200 in-depth artist biographies and interviews, 300 streaming video clips, and more than 3,000 photographs of artwork and production stills of artists at work. In addition to Art21's PBS-hosted website, the Art21 Blog features daily news, updates, and new videos. Art21 also has an extended life on popular sites such as YouTube, Del.icio.us, and Flickr. Art21 is currently in the process of creating a new, interactive website and online programs devoted to the exploration and discussion of contemporary art and artists.

Art21 books

A fully illustrated companion publication – a catalogue for each season - is published by Harry N. Abrams in conjunction with the series biennial broadcast. Introduced by curator and executive producer, Susan Sollins and featuring edited transcripts of interviews, full-color reproductions of artwork, and biographical information on featured artists, Art21’s books are available for purchase at ShopPBS.org.

Your tax-deductible donation provides crucial support for Art21 projects.