‘Tis of Thee
On NJN’s State of the Arts
Friday, June 30 at 8:30 pm; and Wednesday, July 5 at 11:30 pm

STATEWIDE – ‘Tis of Thee puts viewers in the spirit of Independence Day with a patriotically themed program. It begins with a look at the enduring appeal of John Philip Sousa’s music, as performed by the Blawenburg Band of New Jersey. This encore performance also explores how Americans experience a sense of patriotism through public artworks, contemporary exhibits and a Gershwin musical. ‘Tis of Thee airs on Friday, June 30 at 8:30 pm, with a rebroadcast on Wednesday, July 5 at 11:30 pm.

• My Country
John Philip Sousa marches like “Stars and Stripes Forever” have come to epitomize American patriotism. Sousa scholar Jerry Rife is a professor of Music at Rider University, and the conductor of the Blawenburg Band of New Jersey, considered one of the best-known interpreters of Sousa’s music. State of the Arts explores the enduring legacy of Sousa and his music. For viewers who want to hear and see the band in person, upcoming performances include concerts at the Community Centre in Yardley, Pennsylvania on July 4; at the Hopewell Gazebo in Hopewell, New Jersey on July 10 and 24; and at Weeden Park in Lawrenceville, New Jersey on July 27.

• Tis of Thee
In the 1930s, President Roosevelt’s WPA program hired artists to create murals and other works of art for public places. One of these, a mural in Princeton’s Palmer Square Post Office, has been under attack periodically since it was unveiled in 1939. The mural, showing submissive Native Americans cowering behind symbols of American expansion and progress, is considered by some to represent a racist, dated vision of the American dream. What to do with public art that mis-represents our common values? As part of the statewide Transcultural New Jersey Initiative, artists, students, and teachers from Princeton High School created a work of art that presented the community’s response to the controversial mural. The installation, involving video and projections, was the inaugural exhibition at Princeton High School’s Numina Gallery.

• Sweet Land of Liberty
How artists define America is expressed in “jersey (new),” a recent exhibit at the Jersey City Museum. Jersey City has been a city of immigrants for over a century, and its changing population mirrors the changing face of America. Curator Rocio Aranda-Alvarado describes how contemporary New Jersey artists from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds use their art to re-explore both their homeland (and home state). State of the Arts also meets Jeffrey Gibson, a Native American artist with a unique perspective on the role of art in a democracy. "jersey (new)" was part of the statewide Transcultural New Jersey Initiative, which documented the contributions of Latino/Hispanic/Caribbean, African-American, Asian-American and Native-American New Jersey artists through exhibits at museums, galleries and arts organizations.

• Of Thee I Sing
Political satire you can sing along with is featured in a rarely done 1931 Gershwin musical that was given a no-holds-barred revival in the 2004 election year by the Paper Mill Playhouse. “Of Thee I Sing” was the first musical to win a Pulitzer Prize, and its witty barbs are no less relevant today. The show combines Gilbert and Sullivan-style operetta, Marx brothers antics, and jazzy Gershwin classics like “Who Cares” and “Love is Sweeping the Country.” But amidst all the musical hi-jinx, “Of Thee I Sing” poses serious questions about disingenuous presidential promises, mindless campaign platforms, and nefarious advisory committees that seem ripped out of this morning’s headlines.

State of the Arts, the award-winning, half-hour arts magazine airs every Friday at 8:30 pm, followed by an encore presentation each Wednesday at 11:30 pm.

The current episode of State of the Arts can be viewed online at www.njn.net. Individual stories will be available to view following their broadcast by visiting the program online at State of the Arts.

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.