DETROIT (12 June, 2013)  – The second season of MetroArts Detroit, produced at Wayne State University, will begin airing on Detroit Public Television, Channel 56, Saturdays at 5:30 p.m., starting on June 22, 2013.   

The new season of MetroArts Detroit includes 14 shows produced with Wayne State student crew members at the 5057 Midtown Studio. The Midtown Studio is a cooperative venture between Wayne State University’s College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts’ Department of Communication and Detroit Public TV Channel 56.

 MetroArts features artists from the Metropolitan Detroit area who represent the disciplines of visual, performing and communication arts. Guests on the first show are fashion designer Joe Faris from Motor City Design, sculptor and military veteran’s advocate Alice Smith and teen singer-songwriter Taylor Fernandez. Guests in later shows include award winning vocal entertainer Luke James; singer-songwriter Brittany C. Myree; the co-directors of Ballet Renaissance, Brianna Furnish and Radoslaw Kokoszka; filmmakers Lance Kawas and Jasmine Rivera; along with artist and designer Erik Nordin of the Detroit Design Center. Musical guests represent a number of genres including jazz, hip-hop, R & B, classical, rock and pop. Visit http://www.metroartsdetroit.com/.

 The goal of the show is to bring awareness to up-and-coming artists as well as support those artists who’ve worked their entire lives in the Metro Detroit area by being arts advocates and taking active roles in their communities. Each show is comprised of three artist segments, with guests who talk about their current work and their future endeavors. Depending on the discipline, the artists either perform or showcase their creative works during their segments. This season’s host is Wayne State student Nagsheen Nassif. The producers are Gary Cendrowski, Kelly Gottesman and Kim Piper-Aiken.

Established in 1986, Wayne State’s College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts serves more than 2,500 students majoring in 16 undergraduate and 11 graduate programs through the Department of Communication, Department of Music, James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History and the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance. The college's size, diversity and creative energy make it a major force in the life of Wayne State and metropolitan Detroit. Wayne State University, located in the heart of Detroit’s Midtown Cultural Center, is a premier urban research institution offering more than 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 29,000 students.

Program Title:  

MetroArts Detroit, season 2, airing Saturdays, 5:30 p.m. beginning June 22, 2013, on DPTV Channel 56 (WTVS)

Episode Descriptions:

Episode 201 -  Motor City Fashion Designer Joe Faris, Metal Sculptor Alice Smith and Singer-Songwriter Taylor Fernandez

Episode 202 - Visual Mural Artist Halima Cassels, Music and Video Producer M.G. Kelly and Punk Rock Band “Aggro or Die”

Episode 203 – Artists Geno Harris, Mychal Noir and Reggie Abstrkt from the Poor Man’s Art Collective, Hilberry Theatre Company Actors Vanessa Sawson and Edmund Alyn Jones and Jazz Musician Charles Greene

Episode 204 - Dancer and Choreographer Wanjiru Kamuyu, Event Producers Tami Terrell and Brittany M from Creatively Dangerous Minds L.L.C. and Indy Band “The Jet Rodriguez”

Episode 205 – R and B Singer-Songwriter Brittany C. Myree, Derek Weaver from the Grand River Creative Corridor’s 4731 Group, Graffiti Artist Sintex and the Parody Group “A Habeas Chorus Line”

Episode 206 - The Co-directors of Ballet Renaissance, Brianna Furnish and Radoslaw Kokoszka, the Executive Director of the Heidelberg Project Jenenne Whitfield and the Rap Group “Clear Soul Forces”

Episode 207 - Professor and Director of Orchestral Studies at Wayne State University Kypros Markou, Film Director Lance Kawas and Jazzy NeoSoul Recording Artist ZanYe'

Episode 208 - Acoustic Singer-Songwriter Luke James, Fine Artist Buddy Morsello and the owner of “City Style Tango” James Valentino

Episode 209 - Artist and Designer Erik Nordin of the Detroit Design Center, Fashion Model and Ballet Renaissance alum Naima Mora and Hip Hop Artist P.L.

Episode 210 – Stage Actor and Dancer Emily Rose, Photographer Noah Stephens, and Latin Jazz and Rock Duo Sin Hielo

Episode 211 - Music and Video Producer Jeff Wenzel of Groove Box Studios, Comedian Sidney Smith and Indie Pop, Rock Band “Citizen Smile”  

Episode 212 - Filmmaker Jasmine Rivera, Performance Poet Bill Harris and rocker Royce Haas from “Scarecrow Jones”

Episode 213 - The Co-founder and Artistic Director of Motor City Youth Theatre Nancy Florkowski, R and B Singer-Songwriter Gwenation and Fine Artist Megan Parry

Episode 214 – The Artistic Director of Spotlight Dance Works Liz Schmidt, the President of the Carr Cultural Arts Center Oliver Ragsdale Junior and Hip Hop Artist Drew 32.