Arkansas PBS > Engage > Pressroom > AETN to screen new film highlighting mid-century modern architecture at Jonesboro Public Library Sunday
Posted 29 Sep 2011
Clean Lines, Open Spaces: A View of Mid-Century Modern Architecture, a new documentary produced by the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) that will premiere in November, will be screened across the state beginning Sunday at the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library.
The film will be shown in the Round Room of the library on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 2 p.m. A panel discussion and reception will follow the screening. The East section of the American Institute of Architects will co-sponsor the reception.
Clean Lines, Open Spaces, produced by AETNs Mark Wilcken, focuses on the construction boom in the United States after World War II. Much of what was built was a version of the International style that had been developing in Europe since before World War I. This new architecture used modern materials such as reinforced concrete, glass and steel and was defined by clean lines, simple shapes and unornamented facades.
The documentary looks at examples of mid-century modern architecture around the state, from the University of Arkansas's Fine Arts Center designed by Arkansas native and internationally known architect Edward Durell Stone to the Tower Building in Little Rock, the Fulbright Library in Fayetteville that reflects the aesthetics of famous Chicago architect Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, and the abandoned Hotel Mountainaire, perfectly defining art moderne.
Panelists for the discussion include: Dr. Michael Dougan, distinguished Professor Emeritus of History from Arkansas State University and member of the Arkansas State Historic Preservation Review Board; Aubrey Scott, who was part of the team that built the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library in 1964; and Wilcken.
Other screenings scheduled around the state include:
• Tuesday, Oct. 4, with a 5:30 p.m. reception and 6 p.m. screening at the Arkansas Art Center, 501 East 9th Street, Little Rock, as the premiere of the 2011 Architecture and Design Network lecture series.
• Sunday, Oct. 9, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the University of Arkansas Global Campus, 2 East Center Street, Fayetteville.
• Sunday, Oct. 23, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Forth Smith.
Clean Lines, Open Spaces: A View of Mid-Century Modern Architecture will premiere on AETN Monday, Nov. 14, at 9 p.m.
Major funding for Clean Lines, Open Spaces: A View of Mid-Century Modern Architecture was provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council, with additional funding from the Arkansas chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
The Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) is Arkansass statewide public television network that enhances lives by providing lifelong learning opportunities for people from all walks of life. AETN delivers local, award-winning productions and classic, trusted PBS programs aimed at sharing Arkansas and the world with viewers. AETN depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. For more information, visit www.aetn.org, or follow the AETN blog at www.aetn.org/engage. AETN is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro), and KETZ (El Dorado).