Art21 to Release Eleventh Season of Art in the Twenty-First Century

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, February 22, 2023

New York, New York – Art21 is excited to announce the launch of the eleventh season of its acclaimed broadcast series Art in the Twenty-First Century on PBS on April 7, 2023. From Theaster Gates and Marina Abramović to Ai Weiwei and Kara Walker, the Peabody Award-winning series documents the work of the most groundbreaking contemporary artists from across the globe. Season 11 of Art in the Twenty-First Century will be released as three one-hour themed episodes over the course of 2023. 

Season 11 of Art in the Twenty-First Century will explore the work of twelve artists through three thematic lenses: “Everyday Icons,” “Bodies of Knowledge,” and “Friends & Strangers.” While recent seasons focused on the connections between artists and the cities in which they live and work, our current moment asks us to consider the communities, cultures, and commitments that artists carry with them regardless of where they call home. The full roster of artists featured this season is: 

• Tauba Auerbach
• Linda Goode Bryant
• Alex Da Corte
• Guerrilla Girls
• Miranda July
• Christine Sun Kim
• Daniel Lind-Ramos
• Cannupa Hanska Luger
• Amy Sherald
• Rose B. Simpson
• Hank Willis Thomas
• Anicka Yi
  

The first episode of the season, “Everyday Icons,” premiering on PBS on Friday, April 7, 2023, at 10PM ET, features Amy Sherald, Rose B. Simpson, Alex Da Corte, and Daniel Lind-Ramos as they build new and exciting visual worlds and question the monuments and icons that came before. This hour explores artists who reflect on the aesthetic traditions and histories we encounter daily. Their work expands our visual vocabulary to reflect a changing society. In these artists’ practices, the often rigid boundaries of expectation are put aside in favor of new ideas, unorthodox approaches, and playful propositions for who and what symbolizes a culture. Their freedom and innovation give audiences permission to build new and unexpected worlds of their own and inspire empathy, connection, and critical thought. The following two episodes of Season 11 will feature Cannupa Hanska Luger, Linda Goode Bryant, Miranda July, Christine Sun Kim, Anicka Yi, Guerrilla Girls, Tauba Auerbach, and Hank Willis Thomas. 

“When we began thinking about how to frame this latest season of Art in the Twenty-First Century, we considered our current historical moment and decided to turn the lens inward and focus on the United States,” says Tina Kukielski, Susan Sollins Executive Director and Chief Curator of Art21. “We see artists as leaders of change, and in this first episode, we wanted to highlight artists who challenge and question American monuments and iconography.” 

To kick off the launch of Season 11, Art21 held a screening of “Everyday Icons” at the Tribeca Screening Center on Tuesday, February 21st. An intimate audience watched the premiere episode of the season, and heard remarks from James Cohan, Chairman of Art21’s Board of Trustees, Tina Kukielski, Amy Sherald, and Rose B. Simpson. Artists in attendance included many featured by Art21 over the years, such as Jordan Casteel and Abigail DeVille. 

In anticipation of Art in the Twenty-First Century’s premiere, Art21 will be releasing all past seasons of the series on its YouTube channel. Beginning with Season 10, past seasons of the series will premiere on YouTube over the course of 2023. This will be the first time ever that Art of the Twenty-First Century will be free and accessible through Youtube. Also for the first time, Art21 will be launching a dual media player on its website for the premiere of “Everyday Icons,” offering a descriptive audio option to improve accessibility for viewers with vision impairments.

Art21 is also pleased to announce a new edition of Screening Society, the free global screening program, in support of the upcoming eleventh season of the Art in the Twenty-First Century. With each edition, Art21 invites a wide variety of partners—schools, universities, libraries, museums, nonprofit organizations, galleries, arts and cultural spaces, community centers, and more—to screen one of the new episodes from the series. Art21 provides all the resources needed to host a public screening during the months following the broadcast premiere of the new season on PBS. You can learn more at art21.org/screeningsociety. 

Tune in to the premiere of Season 11 of Art in the Twenty-First Century on PBS on Friday, April 7, 2023, at 10PM ET. Check your local PBS station’s schedule to see “Everyday Icons” after its premiere. “Everyday Icons” will also be available on Art21.org and across PBS digital streaming platforms beginning in Fall 2023. To learn more, email Art21 Manager of Communications, Hannah DeGarmo, at [email protected]. 

Major underwriting for Season 11 of Art in the Twenty-First Century is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Lambent Foundation, The Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Toby Devan Lewis, Robert Lehman Foundation, and Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman. 

About Art21 

Art21 is the world’s leading source to learn directly from the artists of our time. A nonprofit organization, the mission of Art21 is to educate and expand access to contemporary art, producing documentary films, resources, and public programs. Learn more at Art21.org.