2020 GRANTEES

Art21

Art21’s mission is to inspire a more creative world through the works and words of contemporary artists. Through the production of documentary films, Art21 provides unparalleled access to the artist’s voice introducing millions of people to the art and ideas of some of the greatest artists of our time. For over two decades, Art21 has changed the paradigm for teaching and learning about the creative process.

Production still from the “New York Close Up” film, “The Incredulity of Jacolby Satterwhite.”

© Art21, Inc. 2020.

Production still from the “New York Close Up” film, “Bryan Zanisnik’s Big Pivot.”

© Art21, Inc. 2020.

Production still from the “New York Close Up” film, “Meriem Bennani: In Between Languages.”

© Art21, Inc. 2020.

Production still from the “New York Close Up” film, “Jes Fan: Infectious Beauty.”

© Art21, Inc. 2020.

Production still from the “Extended Play” film, “Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg Share Their Feelings.”

© Art21, Inc. 2020.

Production still from the “New York Close Up” film, “Meriem Bennani: In Between Languages.”

In addition to the award-winning broadcast series “Art in the Twenty-First Century,” Art21 produces the digital film series “New York Close Up” and “Extended Play.” The organization also creates resources and professional development programs for educators, annual public programming in New York City and beyond, and maintains a comprehensive website of films and educational content it produces. Throughout 2020, Art21 premiered seven new digital films; launched Art21 Read, a new online vertical about contemporary art; hosted an all-virtual week of workshops for alumni of the Art21 Educators program; and offered engaging virtual public programs.

Season 10 of “Art in the Twenty-First Century” premieres this September and will take viewers on a journey across London, Beijing, and the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, spotlighting artists’ unabashed engagement to the world around them. Responding to the places where they live and work, the featured artists create epic works in both scale and ambition, mirroring their belief about what art can do in the world. Throughout this season, artists pointedly examine the structures of our political, societal, and cultural systems, while challenging themselves and audiences to embrace a more empathetic worldview.