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Guadalupe Maravilla’s “Mariposa Relámpago"

February 26, 2025

Glowing softly in the West Texas desert night, artist Guadalupe Maravilla’s Mariposa Relámpago, or Lightning Butterfly in English, was once an ordinary school bus but is now a richly decorated, mobile site for remembrance and healing.

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Art21 Library

The Art21 Library includes every film produced by Art21 since its first broadcast in 2001. Over 75 hours of full episodes from each of Art21’s television and digital series are always on view, free of charge.

Suggested starting points:
Amy SheraldChristine Sun KimEdgar ArceneauxCharles GainesGuadalupe MaravillaCarrie Mae WeemsFred WilsonLouise DespontKara WalkerBrian Jungen
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"The Former and the Ladder or Ascension and a Cinchin'"

Trenton Doyle Hancock

November 1, 2013

Consumer Culture

Playlists

Listen to This! (Films to Listen To… Before You Watch)
Systems & Structures Extended Play
Guadalupe Maravilla & the Sound of Healing New York Close Up
"Light of Freedom" Extended Play
Kevin Beasley’s Raw Materials New York Close Up
Part of the Discourse Extended Play
Someone I'm Not Extended Play
Aki Sasamoto is Feeling Stretched New York Close Up
"Rubbing / Loving" Extended Play
Shana Moulton & Nick Hallett Stage An Opera New York Close Up
Homemade Extended Play

Listen to This! (Films to Listen To… Before You Watch)

Art21 Education Advisor, Joe Fusaro, explores a selection of Art21 films that can be used in the classroom with the picture off and the sound on, allowing students to develop their own thoughts and impressions on what the art may look like based on what the artist describes before they see it themselves.

Listen to This! (Films to Listen To… Before You Watch)
by Joe FusaroMay 8, 2023 10 videos • 1:13:05 total runtime

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Art in the Twenty-First Century

The only series on television in the U.S. to focus exclusively on contemporary visual art and artists, Art in the Twenty-First Century is a Peabody Award-winning biennial program that follows artists at work as they transform inspiration into art.

Extended Play

Extended Play provides unmediated, behind-the-scenes access to today’s leading artists through process-revealing footage and intimate interviews, chronicling a diverse scale of projects, ranging from major commissions to exploratory sketches.

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New York Close Up is devoted to capturing early-career artists living and working in New York City, providing a unique window into the next wave of art-making in the city.

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Artist to Artist is an online film series featuring contemporary visual artists in conversation with their peers, discussing the inspirations and passions that drive their processes. Each film follows a single artist as he or she engages with other artists in a shared exhibition setting.

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Art21 specials are single and limited-run features on the artists and communities that bring contemporary art to the fore, broadening the scope of voices and perspectives represented in Art21 films.

William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible

William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible gives viewers an intimate look into the mind and creative process of William Kentridge, the South African artist whose acclaimed charcoal drawings, animations, video installations, shadow plays, mechanical puppets, tapestries, sculptures, live performance pieces, and operas have made him one of the most dynamic and exciting contemporary artists working today.

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In keeping with Art21’s core commitment to making art accessible to all audiences, we strive to support the paths to which audiences with disabilities may continue to enjoy and participate in our programming. The Descriptive Audio option is designed to improve our films’ engagement for people with visual impairments.

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