History
1995
Art21’s founder Susan Sollins begins consulting on the visual art component of City Arts, a television series produced by New York’s local PBS station WNET/Thirteen. A few years later in the sculpture garden at the Museum of Modern Art, she pitched the idea for the Art in the Twenty-First Century series to Glenn Dubose, Managing Director of Thirteen’s Cultural and Arts Division and future Art21 board member.
Susan Dowling, a longtime television producer in the field of visual arts, assisted Susan Sollins in co-creating Art in the Twenty-First Century.
1997
Art21 is founded, receiving its 501(c)(3) status to become incorporated as a nonprofit organization.
September 21, 2001
The inaugural season of the Art in the Twenty-First Century television series airs nationwide in the U.S. on PBS, later receiving an Emmy nomination for its groundbreaking work.
2003–2007
Between 2003 and 2007, Art21 premiered three subsequent seasons of Art in the Twenty-First Century on PBS. Collectively, Seasons 2, 3 and 4 featured 49 contemporary artists. Season 2 featured celebrity introductions created by artist Charles Atlas, who would go on to be a consulting director on later episodes. Each episode of Season 3 included an original video artwork by the artist duo Teresa Hubbard & Alexander Birchler.
February 18, 2008
Art21 launches the Art21 Blog with one of the earliest guest blogging programs online. The Art21 Blog would feature some of today’s foremost contemporary art writers and critics, such as art historian Ben Street, Sharon Butler (Two Coats of Paint), and Hrag Vartanian (Hyperallergic).
March 13, 2008
Pioneering for its time, Art21 premieres its first digital short film series, Exclusive (since rebranded as Extended Play), with a film featuring artist Mark Bradford. Since its inception, over 250 short films have been released as part of the ongoing series. Each film provides an in-depth look at significant artworks and exhibitions from the artist’s unmediated perspective. Stories are told both through newly shot footage and previously unseen moments preserved in Art21’s archive of footage.
June 16, 2008
Season 4 of the Art in the Twenty-First Century television series receives a Peabody Award.
July 15, 2009
Art21 launches the professional development initiative, Art21 Educators, inviting fifteen educators from across the United States to New York for the first Art21 Educators’ Summer Institute.
Kimsooja. "To Breathe—A Mirror Woman" (2006), installation at The Crystal Palace, Madrid. Production still from the "Art in the Twenty-First Century" Season 5 episode, "Systems." © Art21, Inc. 2009.
October 2009
Season 5, the series’ most international season to date, provides viewers with a unique look at the lives and work of contemporary artists, revealing the artists’ perspectives and showcasing their working processes and studios.
October 21, 2010
Art21’s first feature-length documentary on a single artist, William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible, premieres on PBS in the U.S.
May 23, 2011
Art21 wins its second Peabody award for the feature-length documentary William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible, “for giving viewers the equivalent of an all-access pass to a great creative mind.”
June 13, 2011
Art21 premieres its second digital series, New York Close Up, with films on Shana Moulton and Kalup Linzy. A documentary film series devoted to artists in the first decade of their professional career and living and working in New York City, the innovative project captures rarely documented aspects of the creative process.
April 11, 2012
New York Close Up is nominated for Best Documentary Series for Online Film & Video in the 16th Annual Webby Awards, a prestigious nomination that ignited continuous festival acclaim for Art21’s short form series.
June 15, 2012
Art21, in collaboration with artist collective assume vivid astro focus, launches the digital artist project, avaf + art21 comboworks, inspired by the artists’ ongoing exercise wherein participants contribute word combinations based on the “avaf” acronym.
January 31, 2013
With the completion of Season 6 of the Art in the Twenty-First Century television series, Art21 launches its 100 Artists initiative, a year-long celebration of passing the milestone of having filmed 100 innovative artists. Throughout 2013, Art21 releases previously unpublished content from its archive.
October 1, 2013
The Art21 Magazine launches its first issue, “Becoming an Artist,” completing the transformation from the Art21 Blog. From 2013 to today, the Art21 Magazine has published regular thematic issues of insightful writing on contemporary art.
October 11, 2013
Art21 premieres its third digital series, Artist to Artist, with three films featuring art biennials in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Venice, Italy; and Istanbul, Turkey. Featuring contemporary visual artists in conversation with their peers, each film follows a single artist as they engage with other artists in a shared exhibition setting.
October 13, 2014
Susan Sollins, Art21’s founder and Executive Director of seventeen years, passes away. Well known for more than 30 years for her innovations in public programming and museum education, Sollins was also the co-founder and Executive Director Emerita of Independent Curators International.
October 2014
Season 7 of the Art in the Twenty-First Century television series premieres on PBS. Providing unique access to some of the most compelling artists of our time, Season 7 features a dozen artists from the United States, Europe, and Latin America, transporting viewers to artistic projects across the country and around the world.
February 20-21, 2015
Art21 hosts a first of its kind two-day public forum and experimental platform, Creative Chemistries, bringing artists and educators together to explore innovative practices for art and education.
January 8, 2016
Art21’s Board of Trustees announces the appointment of Tina Kukielski as Executive Director. After more than thirteen years as a contemporary art curator with previous positions at the Whitney Museum and the Carnegie Museum, she was unanimously selected to succeed Susan Sollins.
September 16, 2016
The eighth season of the Art in the Twenty-First Century television series premieres on PBS. The new season marked a significant shift in the series, which had previously been organized around artistic themes. Season 8 was instead oriented around the singular concept of cities to promote geographic diversity and enliven the storytelling by emphasizing the here and now through place-based narratives.
March 9, 2017
Art21 launches a redesigned Art21.org, transforming its existing website into a more accessible and interactive resource for viewers around the world. With new features like an updated video interface and a responsive design across all devices, the new website also includes curated interactivity between Art21 films, articles, and interviews.
March 21, 2018
In a series first, the Extended Play digital series introduces its first featured artist to not have been previously featured in another Art21 series: Renowned artist Jack Whitten makes his Art21 debut in what would become his final on-screen interview.
April 3, 2018
In recognition of the organization’s founding in 1997, Art21 launches a yearlong celebration of its 21st anniversary. The program initiatives include Art21’s first-ever gala, a ninth season of Art in the Twenty-First Century television series, and a new book of artist interviews.
August 6, 2018
Introducing a new entrypoint into the comprehensive library of films streaming on Art21.org, Art21 unveils Art21.live, a continuous streaming video channel delivering 24/7 curated programming to audiences worldwide.
Robin Rhode and his team of assistants. Production still from the Art in the Twenty First Century Season 9 episode, "Johannesburg.". © Art21, Inc. 2018.
September 21, 2018
Season 9 of Art in the Twenty-First Century premieres on PBS. The twelve artists and one non-profit art center highlighted in this season respond to the forces that have shaped the places where they live and work, while pursuing their personal visions for a better future.
September 18, 2020
In a year where digital media would serve a fundamental role in communication, engagement, and entertainment, Art21 premieres the landmark tenth season of Art in the Twenty-First Century, charting artmaking in London, Beijing, and regions around the United States-Mexico border.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times
December 1, 2020
Upon receiving a major gift by arts patron and social justice advocate, Agnes Gund, Art21’s executive director position is re-titled as “Susan Sollins Executive Director” in honor of the organization’s late founder. The Susan Sollins Executive Director is the first endowed position at Art21 and is held by Tina Kukielski.
August 25, 2021
The launch of the new Explore area of Art21.org gathers the threads that connect artists’ stories as documented through over 20 years of Art21 films. Like a series of curated screening rooms, each Explore collection brings together programming aligned by a common theme, medium, or narrative.
May 5, 2022
The Art21 Family Reunion was held in New York City in celebration of 25 years of Art21. The event honored longtime Art21 supporter and President Emerita Migs Wright and award-winning filmmakers Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith of Firelight Media.
April 7, 2023
Season 11 of Art in the Twenty-First Century television series premieres on PBS, with episodes rolling out in April, June, and October of 2023. Working across the country from Philadelphia and Atlanta to New Mexico and Los Angeles, all the way to Puerto Rico, some of the most celebrated artists of our time share their creative processes and innermost thoughts alongside newer artists still finding their shape and power.
September 13 & 15, 2023
Art21 hosted its first large-scale public film event at the iconic venues of Metrograph and SVA Theatre. Art21 at the Movies featured film premieres and curated screenings that merged the worlds of film and contemporary art. The two-day event offered art enthusiasts and cinephiles alike an opportunity to interact with artists and filmmakers from across the country.
November 1, 2023
Art21 launches a groundbreaking capacity-building campaign, “Art21 for Everyone,” designed to bring more artists’ stories to a broader global audience. This marks the first time in Art21’s history to embark on such a comprehensive effort to expand operations, programs, and services.
April 30, 2024
For the 2024 Spring Gala, Art21 honored three remarkable artists whose talents inspire and ignite our imaginations: Hiroshi Sugimoto, Amy Sherald, and David Howe.