NJN’s State of the Arts Receives 2009 CINE Golden Eagle Award

STATEWIDE –Susan Wallner, the series producer of State of the Arts, NJN’s 29 time Emmy award-winning, half-hour arts magazine, was awarded a prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award for a recent show entitled New Glass at Wheaton.  The show received the award in the category of Arts, Leisure and Lifestyle. 

New Glass at Wheaton explores the world of the Creative Glass Center of America (CGCA) at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center in Millville, NJ, where fellowship artists live and work together as they pursue their creative visions.  The show features Charlotte Potter, Rika Hawes, and Kim Harty, who were fellowship artists from January through April 2008.  From enormous glass antlers to hugged glass, these artists work in surprising ways with glass and collaborated on an entertainment/performance piece called Cirque de Verre.

Susan Wallner has been the series producer of State of the Arts  since 1993. In addition to her work on the series, Susan has produced several documentaries, including the CINE Golden Eagle Award winning Ben Shahn: Passion for Justice, a film about the social realist painter, muralist, and photographer, which aired nationally on PBS and internationally.  Among her other awards, Susan has won eleven individual regional Emmys.  She has an M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from New College of Florida.  Susan lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with her husband Mark Kobasz, an educator and glass artist, and their two children.

State of the Arts airs on NJN every Thursday at 8:00 pm, followed by encore presentations Fridays through Thursdays at 5:00 pm and 11 pm on NJN2.  State of the Arts can also be viewed online at www.njn.net.  Funding for State of the Arts is provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.  The series producer is Susan Wallner and the executive producer is Nila Aronow.

CINE is internationally recognized for its highly acclaimed film and video competitions and related educational support activities which culminate every year in a gala Awards Event held in the Washington, D.C. area. CINE has a wide following in the film and video industry nationally and internationally.  Originally founded to present a realistic view of the U.S., its people, products, and philosophy, by showcasing the best of American documentary films to overseas audiences, CINE's mission has broadened to include recognizing and fostering overall excellence in film and video production, especially among new and emerging talent, and providing educational and programmatic services to support its goals.