GPB Education is not the only part of the Georgia Public Broadcasting organization that is invested in promoting the arts. GPB Television and Education recently collaborated on an important new arts initiative called State of the Arts. As part of that effort, GPB Television recently launched a brand new original series entitled State of the Arts, a magazine-format program featuring a variety of art forms and artists across Georgia.
While the Georgia Department of Education's curriculum standards call for courses in dance, music, theater arts, and visual arts, the funding these areas continues to diminish. State of the Arts examines art in each of its manifestations, thereby supporting a comprehensive Fine Arts curriculum for students and teachers as well as adding value to instruction by highlighting Georgia artists, performing arts groups, and cultural institutions.
The first episode of the quarterly series took viewers through Georgia's rich arts community to learn more about the Telfair Museum of Art, the oldest museum in the South; The Mark of the Potter, Georgia's oldest craft gallery; the artwork of Former First Lady Betty Foy Sanders; Peachtree Battle, the longest running theater production in Atlanta history; the creation of the G-8 Conference table; and the fascinating Chihuly exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Future episodes will include The Atlanta Ballet, the oldest ballet company in the nation; the Morris Museum, the South's only museum dedicated to art and artists from the South; West African drumming performed by Georgia drummers; a sneak peak at the upcoming GPB Television series The Fabulous Fox; and more. Once each episode of State of the Arts airs on GPB Television, it will be available for encore viewing online at www.gpb.org as well as via the education satellite.
In addition to creating this ground-breaking video series, Georgia Public Broadcasting has partnered with the Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) to develop a dynamic companion website that offers visitors the chance to view the program online, learn more about the program and its production staff, and link to additional resources about each of the pieces, places, and artists explored in the show. The State of the Arts website is also equipped with a calendar of arts-related events scheduled all around Georgia. Sponsored by the GCA, this interactive calendar allows users to search for events by category, region, city, and even zip code. GPB Education staff are working diligently to develop educational resources for classroom use to be integrated into the website as well.
Tune in to the second installment of State of the Arts on GPB Television in mid-October. If you missed the broadcast premiere of the show in June or simply want more information, go to www.gpb.org to view State of the Arts online, research one of the show's segments, or find arts events planned in your area.
