HoustonPBS Channel 8
Sunday, November 1, 9:30 PM

Tune in to Houston PBS Channel 8 on Sunday, November 1, to see HCCC featured in the pilot episode of Houston Arts Television! The segment on Houston Center for Contemporary Craft features interviews with Executive Director, Julie Farr; Curator of Fine Craft, Gwynne Rukenbrod; and recent artists-in-residence, John Van Domelen, Jay Calder, Kim Ritter, and Rebecca Roberds. Watch a preview of the show here.

Additional broadcasts on PBS will take place as follows:
11/02/09, 2:30 a.m.
11/03/09, 3:30 a.m.
11/18/09, 9:30 p.m.
11/20/09, 3:30 a.m.

About the Series
Houston Arts Television is a 30-minute magazine-style program that showcases the people and places that make Houston’s art scene one of the most vibrant in the country. The first episode features stories about The Menil Collection, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the city’s public art collection, the Houston Children’s Chorus, and a student who attends Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

The show features interviews with artists and arts organizations interspersed with footage of artists in their studios, as well as in visual and performing arts venues. Upcoming episodes will include a broad spectrum of Houston’s art offerings, from visual artists to musical and performing artists to groups, theaters and museums.

“Houston Arts Television captures the open and welcoming environment that artists find in Houston and promotes the region as a lively and exciting place to create and enjoy the arts,” says Kim Lykins, Executive Director of Texas Foundation for the Arts, who is co-executive producing the series with Jim Bailey of Sunset Productions.

Fast Cut Films’ Mark Susman served as producer, and Mike Snow from Fast Cut edited the film. Chris Doray from Floodlite Multimedia provided video graphics, and Jon Peter Bjork composed original music for the program.

“This pilot episode of Houston Arts Television is a lot of fun to watch. It showcases the work of diverse arts organizations in the Houston area and introduces our viewers to the wealth of opportunities available just outside their doors. We are excited about our partnership with Texas Foundation for the Arts, and we look forward to Houston Arts Television quickly becoming a regular feature on HoustonPBS,” says Ken Lawrence, Director of Programming at HoustonPBS.

The series is currently set to air quarterly on HoustonPBS/Channel 8. The first episode was produced in collaboration with HoustonPBS and Houston Arts Alliance, and was funded in part by a City’s Initiative Grant from Mayor Bill White’s office. For more information on Texas Foundation for the Arts and its programs, visit www.texarts.org.