STATEWIDE – Returning to a weekly primetime schedule, NJN’s State of the Arts begins its fall season with four new episodes in October. The award-winning, half-hour arts magazine will air every Friday at 8:30 pm, followed by an encore presentation later that evening at 11:30 pm beginning October 1, 2004.

By changing the schedule and increasing the number of new programs, NJN gives viewers of State of the Arts the opportunity to begin their weekends with a first-run and first-rate, in-depth focus on the arts. Over the years, the show has earned 22 Regional Emmy Awards. Recent honors include a 2004 Mid-Atlantic Emmy as well as an honorable mention in the Columbus International Film & Video Festival.

The season opens on October 1 with Peters Valley, which takes a look at Peters Valley Craft Education Center, nationally recognized for its dedication to the craft arts, including blacksmithing, ceramics, fiber arts, photography, and jewelry-making. Located in the Delaware Water Gap’s National Recreation Area, the Center is host to resident artists, who create their own work as well as conduct workshops. Peters Valley examines this unique village of artisans, its history and surrounding environment. A preview screening of the program will take place at the Peters Valley Craft Fair on September 26, 2004. Peters Valley is currently available for sale on VHS video cassette; a DVD with exclusive additional features will be offered soon.

On October 8, State of the Arts presents ’Tis of Thee, a patriotically themed program. Viewers will get a look at the timely revival of Gershwin’s 1931 political satire, “Of Thee I Sing,” currently showing at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. The program also traces the enduring appeal of John Philip Sousa’s music, including classics such as “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Performances by the Blawenburg Band of New Jersey will be featured, led by conductor and Sousa-scholar Jerry Rife.
Gardens of Earthly Delight will air on October 15. The program includes a profile of the Japanese-American botanical artist Manabu Saito and a visit to the Dodge Poetry Festival, held this year amidst the world-renowned gardens of the Doris Duke Estate.

The season continues with We Are Family on October 22, an examination of families that make art together. The program includes a visit to the studio of the artist Steve Gerberich, a “mechanical wizard” who currently has a one-man exhibit at the Morris Museum. Gerberich attributes his decision to become an artist to the inspiration of his paralyzed brother. Also featured is a story spotlighting objects from the daily life of the last Tsar of Russia, as seen in the Newark Museum exhibit, “Nicholas and Alexandra: At Home with the Last Tsar and His Family.

On October 29, State of the Arts presents a rebroadcast of Childhood, one of its programs that aired earlier this year. It explores how the myths and realities of childhood fuel the artistic imagination, from the music of Rosanne Cash to the photographs of a Montclair, New Jersey psychoanalyst.

The next month continues with new programs starting with Foreign Affairs on November 5. The show includes an exclusive profile of Neeme Jarvi, the globetrotting new conductor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra; and interviews with Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, the twenty-something authors of the surprise bestseller “Rule of Four,” which is set in part on the Princeton University campus.