WXXI DOCUMENTS ALBERT PALEY’S NEWEST PROJECT WITH A SPECIAL ONLINE SERIES Paley on Park Avenue: New York City, A Six-Part Web Exclusive, Goes Live May 16

WXXI Public Broadcasting

280 State Street. PO Box 30021

Rochester, New York 14603-3021

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Kristin Tutino, Publicist: 585/258-0253

For Immediate Release

(Rochester, New York) May 14, 2013 – WXXI will launch its first truly multi-media series, Paley on Park Avenue: New York City, following world-renowned sculptor Albert Paley as he creates 13 original pieces for installation on Park Avenue in New York City, Thursday, May 16th at WXXI.org/paleynyc.  It is the first time that WXXI is premiering a series on the Internet.

In addition to six episodes premiering on the Web and airing on consecutive Thursdays, the series will include segments broadcast Friday nights on Need to Know Rochester on WXXI-TV.  WXXI radio and television will follow the completion of the sculptures and their installation on Park Avenue, culminating in a full-length PBS documentary. The project will also utilize social media, including Facebook and Twitter, to expand its reach and impact.

WXXI was granted unprecedented access to Paley and his studios to document the creation of these pieces for The Fund for Park Avenue’s Temporary Public Art Collection and their installation along Park Avenue on June 14.

“WXXI is proud to share with our community the behind-the-scenes story of what it takes to complete such a significant project,” WXXI President Norm Silverstein said.   “We look forward to sharing this story with art lovers everywhere through WXXI.org and PBS, and to expanding its reach through social media” he added.

Shot in high-definition, viewers will see firsthand the creation of the 13 sculptures and will learn the story behind them. “This is the most ambitious project that any sculptor in the last decade of this program has come up with,” explains Patterson Sims in the first episode. Sims serves as a member of the Sculpture Committee for the Fund for Park Avenue. In the Web series Paley and his team talk candidly about the work involved in this endeavor and the challenges they faced. WXXI.org/paleynyc also offers extended looks at each individual piece being created, photos from the studio, and social media links for more in-depth information and background.

The full-length PBS documentary, which will comprehensively follow the project from conception to installation, is also being developed by WXXI. Details on that production will be announced later this year.

Paley on Park Avenue: New York City will include interviews and background from those most involved in the project, including:  Jennifer Laemlein, Director, Paley Studios; Barbara McLaughlin, President, Fund for Park Avenue; Jennifer Lantzas, Public Art Coordinator, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation; Dr. James H. Watters, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration, RIT; Marie Via, Director of Exhibitions, Memorial Art Gallery, and Joe Klein, Chairman, Klein Steel Service, Inc. 

The Sculpture Committee of The Fund for Park Avenue and the Public Art Program of the City of New York’s Department of Parks & Recreation have collaborated with artists to exhibit artwork on the medial strip of Park Avenue since 2000.  Paley is the 20th artist to participate in the project. Paley’s exhibit will remain on Park Avenue through November 2013.  Funding for the Albert Paley exhibition on Park Avenue is generously provided by Ann Mulligan; Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT); Kathy and Marc LeBaron; Kenneth and Constance Hess; John and Fonda Elliot, and Klein Steel.

Albert Paley, an active artist for over 40 years, is the first metal sculptor to receive the coveted Institute Honors awarded by the American Institute of Architects, the AIA’s highest award to a non-architect. Paley, Distinguished Professor, holds an Endowed Chair at the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology. Commissioned by both public institutions and private corporations, Paley has completed more than 50 site-specific works. Broadly published and an international lecturer, Paley received both his BFA and MFA from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. 

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WXXI is the essential, life-long educational media resource for the Greater Rochester area. WXXI puts the community first with programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, opens cultural horizons and promotes understanding of diverse community issues. The formal affiliation between WXXI and the Little Theatre, established in December 2011, enables the two organizations to work more efficiently by pooling resources and strengths in a number of areas including back-office operation and improved fundraising capabilities.  Log on to wxxi.org for more information about our services and programs.