The one-hour special ART HAPPENS HERE WITH JOHN LITHGOW premieres Friday, April 26, 2024, 10:00–11:00 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS App.
By Judy Shields
This one-hour special features actor John Lithgow (pronounced LITH-GO) going back to school to demonstrate the transformative power of arts education. He immerses himself with teachers and students to explore four arts disciplines: dance, ceramics, silk-screen printing and vocal jazz ensemble. The program celebrates how arts education nurtures and inspires the hearts and minds of students of all ages.
Celebrating how arts education nurtures and inspires the hearts and minds of students of all ages, ART HAPPENS HERE follows Lithgow as he tries his hand at singing, dancing, printmaking, and pottery, working alongside and learning from young people whose lives are being transformed by art.
Enjoy the trailer:
Being a creative person myself, drawing faces, Disney, DC or Warner Bros characters on pumpkins at my father’s pumpkin patch since I was about 8, then learning to write in Calligraphy and Old English in Junior High, I truly appreciated having had the opportunity to watch Art Happens Here. Who doesn’t love to see John Lithgow and especially hear him speak. PBS offers so many different programs for all ages and Art Happens Here is a show the entire family should watch together, without any distractions. Kids of all ages should have some type of art in their life. After watching this program with your family you will find out that art means something. It stimulates our brain, gets the heart pumping and brings us Joy. We all have some type of ability to create art. What a wonderful way to spend time with your family finding out about the art within us all. Please don’t miss this amazing show, because you will be amazed at what John Lithgow will bring to you in this show. PBS and John Lithgow bring you art the way it should be shown! Judy Shields, The Hollywood Times
I had the opportunity to ask Mr. Lithgow a few questions during a roundtable Q&A. Enjoy the conversation:
Self-Help Graphics Blends Art and Activism With John Lithgow
La Cañada Students Shape John Lithgow’s Into to Ceramics
John Lithgow Dances Dunham with Debbie Allen Dance Academy
John Lithgow Sings with LACHSA Vocal Jazz Ensemble
- PBS – @pbs on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
- John Lithgow – @OfficiallyJohnLithgow on Facebook, @jalithgow on Instagram and TikTok and @JohnLithgow on X
ARTS EDUCATION RESOURCES
- Graphics on the importance of Arts Education
- Testimonials from people with careers in the arts, speaking to how arts education shaped them
- Questions to ask your followers about their own Arts Ed experiences
Please feel free to use these resources to raise awareness of Art Happens Here, and also to engage with your audiences around this crucial topic.
