WGBH Annual Report 2000-2001 Text Version: Stay curious about arts and culture

Text Version

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Stay curious about arts and culture

Art has been called a great hall of reflection where we can all meet and where everything under the sun can be examined and considered. WGBH throws open the doors to this great hall, offering unparalleled access to everyone with an interest and desire to partake in our diverse cultural riches.

How do you give the arts a wider stage?

How do you ensure equal access to popular culture?
"Thirty-six million Americans with hearing or vision loss depend on WGBH for captions and descriptive video narration of their favorite television programs, popular films, even Web sites. Whether it's putting video descriptions on DVDs or providing captioning and descriptions for first-run films in movie theaters, what WGBH's Media Access Group does is create relationships. Our friends in various disabilities communities nationwide let us know what their needs are, we identify the content to be made accessible (here at WGBH or from any other media producer), and then we pull it all together with our technologies and services."
-Larry Goldberg, Director, Media Access Group

How do you turn the spotlight on American literature?
"For years, there's been a noticeable gap in American television: literature-based American drama. Beginning this season, ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre is providing a proper showcase for some of this country's best literature with the debut of our American Collection. The works of Henry James, Willa Cather, Eudora Welty, and James Agee are just some of the upcoming dramatizations we'll produce, with the same high standards of quality that have made Masterpiece Theatre first in its class."
-Rebecca Eaton, Executive Producer, ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre, with Host Russell Baker

How do you throw open the doors to America's great collections?
"For people who haven't had the chance to visit our country's great art museums, the medium of television can provide a glimpse of the cultural treasures they've missed. In her upcoming WGBH series, Sister Wendy's American Collection, art commentator Sister Wendy Beckett travels to six major American museums (including Boston's own Museum of Fine Arts) and discusses her favorite art objects in their collections from America and around the world, offering a personal tour on PBS for beginners, tourists, and art enthusiasts everywhere."
-Jill Janows, Executive Producer, WGBH cultural programming, with WGBH graphic designers

How do you build community support for the arts?
"The stories on Greater Boston Arts, WGBH's monthly television series and Web resource, take viewers into the heart of the creative process. We go behind the scenes-interviewing artists, curators, and critics-to illuminate art as it is being made in our region. We encourage people to experience art for themselves by offering a calendar of information about every concert, exhibit, and performance we feature. Local arts organizations tell us we're helping them increase their audiences."
-Stephanie Stewart, Series Producer, Greater Boston Arts

Who enjoys WGBH?
"We listen to jazz on WGBH every night while we're preparing dinner. GBH covers the full spectrum, from traditional to avant-garde. The hosts are all extremely knowledgeable-they love what they play and know what they're talking about. We especially like the live performances. WGBH provides a wonderful stage for both local musicians and groups on tour, and that in turn helps support the region's jazz scene. And now, with WGBH Radio on the Web, we can be halfway 'round the world and still have access to 89.7fm's great jazz lineup."
-Bruce Hauben and Joyce Brinton, Stow, MA

"We like to think of our jazz schedule as a 'house with many rooms.' There are many different forms of jazz and 'GBH 89.7fm plays them all, devoting more than 75 hours each week to America's most original art form. My aim as a host is to give enough information to listeners who don't know a lot about the music and, at the same time, not bore knowledgeable fans with facts they would know like the back of their hand."
-Steve Schwartz, Host, Jazz from Studio Four

Home | Message from the President and Chair | Awards | Fiscal Year 00
Kids and Families | Arts and Culture | Our World | Important Issues | Learning