WXXI TV

Highlights the history, heritage, and present-day plight of Western New York’s agriculturally and architecturally significant Wells barns.

Still Standing: The Barns of J.T. Wells & Sons airs Sunday, August 18 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Still Standing: The Barns of J.T. Wells & Sons creatively explores ways that remaining barns can regain their relevance through adaptive reuse while fostering community engagement in their preservation before these barns disappear from the landscape entirely due to development, decay, and obsolescence.

The film introduces viewers to six Wells Barns and their owners. Nathan Ruekberg, a fifth-generation farmer, and his wife, Hannah own one of the earliest Wells barns, built in 1892. The second barn, formerly known as the Avon Century Barn, is owned by Sandy Howlett and Melissa Stanton, a dynamic mother-daughter business team who have transformed their Wells barn into a wedding venue. The third barn, situated on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology, has been adapted into a rock-climbing gym. The fourth barn is owned by Gillian Conde who transformed it into a one-of-a-kind home that she shares with Jean Dombroski and their menagerie of animals. The final story features two barns that were relocated by their passionate owners Jennifer and Jerry Hall.

Breaking away from post and beam construction, John Talcott Wells, Sr. defied barn-building tradition to create an ingenious truss system – patented trusses (1889) specifically designed to balance outward and inward forces while creating soaring, open interior storage spaces for hay and grain. Historically significant in terms of their agricultural origins and their architectural artistry, Wells barns stand as physical testaments to the ingenuity of the master and family that built them.

Committed to protecting, preserving, and promoting the history of Wheatland, New York, the Wheatland Historical Association under President Kip Finley served as Churchbell Creative, LLC.’s fiscal sponsor, supporting producers with their goal of securing grant funding for the production of their independent television documentary. 

Grant support for this project came from the Lloyd E. Klos Fund at Rochester Area Community Foundation to support historical preservation, education and information. This documentary is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Churchbell Creative’s co-owners Katie Andres and Jillian Kuchman, two founding members of a grassroots volunteer organization known as the Wells Barn Legacy Team, served as executive producers on the film.

A landmark documentary about some of the last survivors of the Holocaust.

Frontline “The Last Survivors” airs Tuesday, May 7 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

A landmark documentary about some of the last survivors of the Holocaust. Only children at the time, these now elderly survivors reflect on how the trauma of the Holocaust has affected the rest of their lives.

Raising the curtain on the new Great Performances lineup is Hamlet from The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park starring Tony nominee Ato Blankson-Wood (“Slave Play”) in the title role with direction by Tony winner Kenny Leon.

Great Performances: Hamlet airs Friday, May 10 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

This Shakespearean classic is directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon, featuring Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood (“Slave Play”) in the title role and Solea Pfeiffer as Ophelia (“Hadestown”). Set in a desolate post-George Floyd world, this contemporary production is a present-day take on the Bard’s tale of family and betrayal.

A riveting documentary that explores how the monumental task of keeping astronauts mentally stable in space is tested to the extreme in anticipation of NASA’s pending Mars mission and its required three-year absence from Earth.

Independent Lens “Space: The Longest Goodbye airs Sunday, May 12 at 2:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Space: The Longest Goodbye follows NASA’s real-life attempts to prepare astronauts for a journey to Mars. NASA’s goal to send astronauts to Mars would require a three-year absence from Earth, during which communication in real time would be impossible due to the immense distance. We meet the psychologists whose job is to keep astronauts mentally stable in outer space, as they are caught between their dream of reaching new frontiers and their basic human need to stay connected to home.

Photo: Cady and son speaking while she’s on the space station. • Credit: ITVS

 A new three-part miniseries starring Suranne Jones (Gentleman Jack), Eve Best (House of the Dragon), and Stockard Channing (The West Wing).

MaryLand on Masterpiece airs Sundays, May 5-19 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

MaryLand is a story about two sisters, about what binds them together and what has driven them apart. Becca (Jones) and Rosaline (Best) find themselves thrown together by the sudden death of their mother, Mary. They come to find out that she was living an entirely secret life on the Isle of Man, far from her home with her husband, Becca and Rosaline’s father.

As the sisters travel through the early days of grief and discover their mother’s secrets, they meet their mother’s quirky friend Cathy (Channing) who seems to know more about their mother than they do. Becca and Rosaline find themselves asking fundamental questions about their identities and the relationships with the men in their lives. Mary’s death offers them a chance to not only reframe their relationship but fundamentally reshape who they are. At its heart, MaryLand is a love story of two sisters.

Click here to watch the trailer.

In this 2018 documentary, WXXI offers a unique opportunity to see first-hand Wendell Castle at work.

Wendall Castle: A Portrait airs Sunday, May 5 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

In Wendall Castle: A Portrait, WXXI’s production crew follows him through the creation of his “Dizzy” chair – from his original drawings to the finished work of art. Through Castle’s own words and interviews with family, friends, you’ll learn about his early years as an artist, his creative process, and the vision for his work.

Filmed over the course of a year by WXXI-TV’s production team, Wendell Castle: A Portrait captures the life of the master furniture artist, designer, sculptor, and educator.

Through Castle’s own words and interviews with family, friends, and colleagues, viewers will learn about his early years as an artist, his creative process, and the vision for his work.

The hour-long documentary also providesaunique opportunity to see first-hand Castle at work, as WXXI’s production crew follows him through the creation of his “Dizzy” chair – from his original drawings to the finished work of art. It was one of the last chairs Castle created before passing away on January 20, 2018 at the age of 85.

Castle was born in Kansas and received a BFA from the University of Kansas in Industrial Design and an MFA in sculpture, graduating in 1961. He then moved to Rochester in 1962 to teach at the School of American Craftsmen at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he was on staff as an “Artist in Residence” at the time of his death. An artist for more than 60 years, he is often credited as the father of American Studio Furniture and Art Furniture Movements. More than 100 of his works are installed in museums worldwide, including the Memorial Art Gallery.

The film visits Castle in his Scottsville home and studio, and looks at his masterpieces in wood, including his stack lamination method, his Technicolor gel-coated fiberglass pieces, and the Steinway 500,000^th piano he was commissioned to create. Castle’s wife Nancy Jurs, well known as a potter who trained at Rochester Institute of Technology’s School for American Craftsmen, shares how they met, how he landed his teaching job at RIT, and details about his work and technique. Castle’s daughter Alison and step son Bryon Jurs also give insight into Castle’s medium and process.

The designer, sculptor, and educator continually pushed the boundaries of inventiveness, imagination and sustained innovation. “He defined an entire world of creativity,” explains Jonathan P. Binstock, PhD, Director of the Memorial Art Gallery, in the film. Others featured in the film include:

• Josh Owen, Designer, Professor and Chair of Industrial Design, Rochester Institute of Technology
• Rick Hirsch, Professor Emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology
• Peter Kenney, Craftsman, Wendell Castle Studio
• Marvin Pallischeck, Former Studio Director, Wendell Castle Studio
• Marc Benda, Co-Owner, Friedman Benda
• Loic Le Gaillard, Co-Founder, Carpenters Workshop Gallery
• Grant Holcomb, Director Emeritus, Memorial Art Gallery
• Evan Snyderman, Co-Founder, Creative Director, R & Company
• Daniel Herberger, Studio Director, Wendell Castle Studio
• Carole Hochman, Director, Friedman Benda
• Bridget Sheehan, Craftsman and 3D Modeler, Wendell Castle Studio

Funding for Wendell Castle:  A Portrait is generously provided by Nocon and Associates, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Incorporated. And, by the Sands Family Foundation. Additional support provided by Waldron Rise Foundation, Lilliputian Foundation, Louise Epstein, Tom and Ebets Judson, Martin Messinger, Mimi and Sam Tilton, Alan Cameros, Reenie and Stan Feingold, Jane Ellen Parker and Fran Cosentino, and Essie Germanow

The impact of food choices, electrification, the future of rainfall, the choice of whether or not to have children, this half-hour weekly series hosted by Jasmin Singer discusses what matters — and what should — when it comes to environmental preservation.

Environmental Connections airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WXXI-TV.

THIS WEEK (8/30 + 9/1): Air Travel: In this episode of Environmental Connections, we dive into the environmental impact of air travel and explore potential solutions for reducing aviation’s carbon footprint. 

With the threat of increased rain, and smoke from nearby wildfires affecting our area, anxieties about climate change are rising for many people. To address these concerns, WXXI has launched a new monthly series, Environmental Connections, which explores all things climate. The program launched on the radio in February as a two-hour spinoff of the daily talk show, Connections with Evan Dawson, and will launch a weekly half-hour television version in April, which is also Earth Month.

The televised version of Environmental Connections curates the best discussions from the taped, live radio broadcast and mixes in video packages from the field. Listen to the Environmental Connections Radio Series here to hear monthly episodes of the related radio series.

WXXI News’ Jasmin Singer is the host and producer of Environmental Connections and is uniquely qualified, given her personal and professional experiences. Relocating to Rochester from Los Angeles (by way of lower Manhattan) because of this city’s relatively positive long-term climate implications, she and her wife transformed their home into a near-net-zero dwelling, embodying the essence of environmental stewardship. Her journey to Rochester initially connected her with WXXI, leading to coverage of her story as a climate migrant, a subject also explored by Evan Dawson on Connections. Since then, Singer has evolved within WXXI, serving as the Weekend Edition host and a regular fill-in for Connections, Morning Edition, and All Things Considered. As a published author (“Always Too Much and Never Enough” [Penguin Random House’s Berkley, 2016] and Fabulous Vegan [Hachette, 2020]), podcast host (Webby-recognized “Our Hen House,” and the “VegNews Podcast”), interviewer and long-time vegan with a deep-rooted commitment to environmentalism, Singer brings a wealth of knowledge and a personal connection to the topic, making her an ideal host for this groundbreaking show. 

Environmental Connections also air on WXXI-WORLD Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. and Mondays at 6:30 a.m., as well as on City 12 Saturdays at 10 p.m.

Travel with host, Mexico City Philharmonic chief conductor Scott Yoo, in this special mini-series taking viewers on a voyage of musical discovery for aficionados and neophytes alike. 

Great Performances: Now Hear This airs Fridays through May 5 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Each episode reveals the creative process behind a diverse range of classical music in both historic and modern-day periods. This season explores themes and stories of gifted young artists, virtuosos, and even Scott Yoo’s own experiences as a composer.

Rachmaninoff Reborn • April 25 Yevgeny Sudbin and Scott Yoo explain the premise behind Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on Paganini” and then perform the piece.

Barrios: Chopin of the Guitar • May 2 Explore the work of two legendary virtuosos, Niccolò Paganini and Robert Johnson, along with stars of today, Augustin Hadelich and Keb’ Mo’. Joined by Cirque du Soleil acrobats, discover the secrets of being a virtuoso.

Photo: Scott Yoo • Provided by PBS