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PROGRAM MATERIALS
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Spark
• SPARK Season 7: Episode 707: Kitka, Victoria May, Art & Economy
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• SPARK Season 7: Episode 706: Daniel McCormick, Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra, Jaime Guerrero
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• SPARK Season 7: Episode 705: Kerry James Marshall, Dan Hoyle, Ben Levy
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• SPARK Season 7: Episode 704: Bhangra Dance, Contemporary Jewish Museum
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• SPARK Season 7: Episode 703: Katherine Westerhout, W. Kamau Bell, Wil Blades
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• SPARK Season 7: Episode 702: Mary Sano, Ron Nagle, Sandow Birk
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• SPARK Season 7 - Painter Wayne Thiebaud
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• SPARK Season 6 - Political Cartoonist Mark Fiore
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• announcement release
• press release - season one
• press release - season two
• photos - season one
• photos - season two
• episodes - season one
• episodes - season two
• biographies - season one
• biographies - season two
• interview with series producer
• impact on arts community
• 2004 Northern CA Emmy Award: website
• 2005 Northern CA Emmy Award
• Spark marathon & pledge
• SPARKed: Spark Arts Education Partnership Program
• 2007 Northern CA Emmy Award
• SPARK Features Comedienne Margaret Cho
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• SPARK Goes Behind the Scenes of the SF Opera's "The Bonesetter's Daughter"
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Program Website
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PRESSROOM MATERIALS
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Media Usage Policy
photo & document rights,
uses, permissions
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PRESS CONTACTS
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Contacts for journalists and reporters only. For information about contacting KQED, please visit the Contact Us page. Please send press releases or news story ideas directly to KQED Radio Programs contacts.
Scott Walton, Executive Director of Communications
415.553.2145
swalton@ncpb.com
Meredith Gandy, Publicist
415.553.2116
mgandy@kqed.org
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| Spark: Press Release: Season One |
Spark Stokes the Fires of Red-Hot Bay Area Arts Scene
In New Weekly Series Co-Produced by
KQED Public Television and Bay Area Video Coalition
Half-Hour Series Airs Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Beginning March 26, 2003
Multimedia Arts Coverage Unprecedented in Scope On-Air, Online and in the Classroom
San Francisco, California -- KQED Public Television and the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) have joined forces to produce Spark, a new television series and multi-media arts initiative which spotlight Bay Area visual and performing artists and arts organizations. The program's mission is to provide dynamic content which will appeal to artists and arts lovers, as well as audiences just discovering the diverse, thriving arts scene in the Bay Area. By going behind-the-scenes to tell stories not often heard or seen by the general public and showing the creative artistic process in action, the series helps demystify contemporary art and provides a new lens through which to experience and appreciate the living artists and their work.
Spark is comprised of three major elements: a weekly television series premiering on Wednesday, March 26, 2003 at 7:30 p.m. on KQED Public Television 9, which features profiles of Bay Area artists and performers, along with a calendar of upcoming events and programs; an interactive online project at kqed.org/spark, which includes a Web-based showcase of video, audio and biographical materials on Bay Area artists and performers, a guide to online arts calendars, and forums for discussion and feedback; and an education outreach program designed to leverage the series' content in K-12 classrooms in conjunction with new California state-mandated arts education standards.
The art forms covered by the program include drama, dance, music, and the visual and digital arts, as well as literary works in performance (i.e. poetry slams). The series highlights everything from street art, skilled amateur craftspeople and the struggling artist living "hand-to-mouth" -- to the major performing houses and museums with multi-million dollar annual budgets. More than a showcase for art objects and the artists who make them, Spark takes the audience inside the creative process to witness the challenges, opportunities and rewards of art-making.
Two renowned artists are slated to narrate the series -- Pamela Z, a spoken word artist and David Dower, artistic director of Z Space studio. The television episodes are shot with small format digital video (DV), relying heavily on handheld camera work, giving the program an intimate look and feel. Many of the segments will be shot by well known local independent producers, adding another layer to the connection of the series to the arts community. The first batch of episodes cover a wide range of themes and subjects—from a behind–the-scenes look at the gala opening night at the new Asian Art Museum to an up close and personal profile of Helena Jack, a music teacher who has brought jazz into the lives of hundreds of East Oakland teens.
Reflecting the diversity of the Bay Area arts scene, Spark's vibrant Web site takes visitors even deeper into the arts community. The site's many interactive features include a showcase of artists and arts organizations appearing on Spark, with downloadable clips, background information and links to related Web sites; an arts calendar with selected highlights of events around the Bay Area accompanied by an annotated guide to online arts calendars; a feature called "Secrets," which offers information and little known resources about the local arts scene; an online discussion and feedback area where viewers can share their thoughts about the program or about the arts in general; and an interactive game which quizzes users about their knowledge of Spark and local arts trivia.
The third Spark platform is an educational outreach program designed to support the recently mandated California state education standards for art. In conjunction with its education partners, KQED will create video-based lesson plans with variations for different grade levels. These lesson plans will be distributed through various methods including KQED's Web site, KQED Education Network staff will also conduct educator training seminars to facilitate and support the use of Spark materials in the classroom.
"We live in one of the most diverse communities in the country, and the dynamic Bay Area arts scene is flourishing," said series producer Pam Rorke Levy. "We are thrilled to provide this important vehicle to help people access the arts in a new way that is both accessible and interesting to people of all ages and all walks of life."
Everyone in the bay area experiences art—in our theaters, museums and streets—but rarely do we get the chance to see the sweat, tears and love that go into its creation," says BAVC's executive director Tamara Gould. "We're delighted to be involved in Spark because it allows everyone to experience the excitement and challenges from the inside."
Major support for Spark is provided by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the William and Gretchen Kimball Fund, the Koret Foundation and the KQED Campaign for the Future Program Venture Fund, with additional support from the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, The George Frederick Jewett Foundation, the Levi Strauss Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, TomKat and Diane Wilsey.
KQED operates KQED Public Television 9, the nation's most-watched public television station, and Digital Television 9, Northern California's only public television digital signal; KQED Public Radio 88.5 FM, the most-listened-to public radio station in the nation; the KQED Education Network, which brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents and media professionals through workshops, seminars and resources; and kqed.org, which harnesses the power of the Internet to bring KQED to communities across the Web.
The Bay Area Video Coalition is the nation's largest noncommercial media arts center dedicated to providing access to media, education and technology. BAVC is a production facility, an affordable training center, a pioneer in technology-based workforce development and a critical resource for independent mediamakers.
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