Art21 to Release Season Finale of Art in the Twenty-First Century
Featuring Linda Goode Bryant, Miranda July, Cannupa Hanska Luger, and Christine Sun Kim, “Friends & Strangers” airs Friday, October 20, at 10pm ET on PBS.
New York, New York (October 6, 2023) – Art21 is excited to announce the premiere of “Friends & Strangers,” the third and final episode in Season 11 of its acclaimed broadcast series, Art in the Twenty-First Century, on PBS on October 20, 2023. “Friends & Strangers” showcases the dynamic stories of artists Linda Goode Bryant, Miranda July, Christine Sun Kim, and Cannupa Hanska Luger.
The only TV series in the US to focus exclusively on visual arts, Art in the Twenty-First Century grants viewers intimate and insightful access to the practices of the most inspiring, imaginative, and transgressive artists of our time. This latest episode traces the stories of these four artists and thoughtfully explores the creative opportunities and emotional limits of collaboration and community.
“Each artist featured in ‘Friends & Strangers’ has been considered an outsider at some point in their life,” says Tina Kukielski, Susan Sollins Executive Director and Chief Curator of Art21. “Each one also possesses that magical ability to connect with the world around them through art. I hope this episode teaches those watching that art has the power to help us raise our voice and find our community.”
Resisting the growing isolation of life in the United States, the artists of “Friends & Strangers” imagine new stories to tell about themselves and their communities and discover empowerment in their artistic identities. In the episode, celebrated filmmaker, performer, and writer Miranda July embraces the risks of art-making while staging an impromptu performance at a gas station in Los Angeles. Christine Sun Kim adroitly navigates the hearing-dominant art world in a series of talks, exhibitions, and openings, revealing the biting humor and political commitment that fuels her signature drawings. Renowned for his interventions at the 2016 Standing Rock protests, Three Affiliated Tribes of Fort Berthold artist Cannupa Hanska Luger engages indigenous and non-indigenous audiences with interactive projects that acknowledge ugly colonial histories and direct a path forward to an optimistic future. Lastly, Linda Goode Bryant recalls the communal energy and anarchic spirit of her legendary New York City art space Just Above Midtown, recently celebrated by one of the most venerable art institutions in the country, the Museum of Modern Art.
“Friends & Strangers” will air on Friday, October 20, on PBS at 10 PM. A dual media player on the Art21 website will accompany the premiere of “Friends & Strangers,” offering a descriptive audio option for the individual artist’s segments designed to improve accessibility for viewers with vision impairments.
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.
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.
