ArtBeat Nation

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PHOENIX…October 5, 2012…An innovative sharing of video and Web content among major PBS stations across the U.S. is the inspiration for ArtBeat Nation, a new local half-hour weekly arts series from Eight, Arizona PBS. Drawing on the best-of-the-best performing and visual arts stories from its sister PBS stations, and its own, Eight will bring together a unique and geographically diverse arts experience for viewers every week. The show premieres Sunday, October 14 at 12:30 p.m.

“Eight is Arizona’s biggest stage, and it just got larger,” said Eight General Manager Kelly McCullough. “This partnership with other PBS member stations gives our viewers an exclusive portal into what artists, writers, composers and performers are creating in other communities, as well as our own. It’s an unprecedented, coast-to-coast cultural exchange that will enrich the lives of our Arizona audience.”

Eight’s own all-Arizona arts series, Arizona ArtBeat, has aired regularly for years on its award-winning public affairs program, Arizona Horizon. This local multi-media project presents artists, creators, producers and venues shaping Arizona’s cultural past and present.

As part of the new content-sharing arrangement, Eight will submit its best Arizona ArtBeat segments for consideration by other PBS stations in putting together their own local versions of the weekly series. For example, Eight has shared a recent Arizona ArtBeat segment, 100 Years, 100 Ranchers, with the cross-market arts platform in search of a national audience.

The popular Arizona ArtBeat segment follows Scott Baxter as he photographs the Amado family at their southern Arizona ranch – part of his Arizona Centennial project to photograph 100 ranchers whose families have ranched in the state since 1912 or earlier. The show garnered an Emmy Award nomination for Arizona Horizon Executive Producer David Majure.

In the ArtBeat Nation series, topics will cover myriad aspects of the arts, including theatre, dance, drama, fine arts, music, performance, sculpture and literature. In addition to Eight’s 100 Years, 100 Ranchers, here are some other segments featured in upcoming programs:

  • A walk down memory lane with one of America’s top hitmakers – Bobby Vee
  • How one artist creates masterpieces from plywood – David Knopp
  • The origin of pop culture’s most nonsensical word ‘Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious’ – Richard Sherman
  • A beat boxer who is turning the tables on traditional art forms – Shodekeh
  • A photographer who has documented the most iconic political figures – Terry Gydesen
  • A fashion icon continues to evolve her style after decades in the business – Diane VonFurstenberg
  • An Iraqi painter who left his country in search of the American ideal – Farooq Hassan
  • A multi-talented and multi-tasking musician – Nathan Bell

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Scott Baxter

Eight, Arizona PBS premieres its new weekly arts series, ArtBeat Nation, on Sunday, October 14 at 12:30 p.m. The program draws from the best local arts and cultural stories produced by PBS stations across the U.S., featuring artists such as (clockwise from top left) Richard Sherman, Scott Baxter, Farooq Hassan and Nathan Bell. Photo credits: PBS

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