STATEWIDE - Second Acts are the stuff of American legend. Despite F. Scott Fitzgerald's assertion that there are no second acts in America , we all love the hope of redemption and a chance to improve on the past. This week, State of the Arts explores the idea of Second Acts with an encore performance featuring a collection of stories about people, places and objects that are enjoying new lives.

The program airs on August 19 at 8:30 pm with a rebroadcast at 11:30 pm .

. Howard Tate - Rhythm & Blues Star - Is Back
Howard Tate seemed to have it made - in the 1960s he was a bright young star on the R&B scene. But his life fell apart, Tate dropped out of sight, and many thought he was dead. One old fan (and radio DJ) never gave up looking for him, and now - after alcoholism, time spent living on the streets in Camden, and finding God - Howard Tate is back with a new, critically acclaimed CD, "Rediscovered." His first recording in thirty years, it was nominated for a Grammy in 2004.

. Mikhail Zakin - Successful Potter and Cultural Center Co-Founder
Mikhail Zakin was happy as a wife and mother. But when her husband became permanently brain damaged, she found herself at fifty years of age driving a school bus and wondering how she was going to support her family. By returning to her early love of the arts, she became a successful potter, co-founded the Old Church Cultural Center in Demarest , New Jersey in 1974, and began a series of cultural tours that took her around the world.

. Patchwork Quilts - An Art Form
While quilts are often assumed to be works of necessity - reusing scraps of fabric and discarded clothing - they actually are extremely time-consuming and labor intensive. As a "second act," a quilt is often far more complex than the materials from which it is constructed. An exhibit at the Newark Museum , "Quilt Masterpieces from Folk Art to Fine Art," explored the major role this art form has played in the creative and communal lives of women throughout American history.

. The Victor - From RCA to Luxury Apartments
On the waterfront of Camden, New Jersey, in the midst of history and one mile from Philadelphia's historic district, developer Carl Dranoff has opened a luxury apartment complex named "The Victor," in honor of its past. The $60 million renovation of the old RCA building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, features 341 loft apartments. Constructed between 1909 and 1916, the structure was home to the RCA Victor Company and was known as the "Nipper" building after its 75-foot-tall tower's stained-glass images of the terrier in the Radio Corporation of America 's logo. Dranoff Properties is a company that specializes in the adaptive reuse of historic structures, breathing new life into old buildings. Dranoff Properties acquired the 525,000-square-foot complex because "of its vast impact on a whole city," Dranoff says.

State of the Arts is streamed on the web site at www.njn.net . The program is closed captioned.

State of the Arts is the recipient of 23 regional Emmy Awards including a 2005 New York Emmy and a 2004 Mid-Atlantic Emmy. Funding 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.