Prairie Public Educates and Inspires

Prairie Public’s television and radio programming is the antithesis of many offerings from the ubiquitous mainstream media. Happily, additional exceptional Prairie Public programs are in the queue for February 2010 television and radio audiences.

The newly-created documentary film, A Considered View: The Photography of Wayne Gudmundson, features the historically and artistically significant work of the North Dakota photographer. The conception of Prairie Public Director of Television Bob Dambach and North Dakota Council on the Arts Executive Director Jan Webb, it is an extraordinary look at Gudmundson’s art, which encompasses regional and Icelandic imagery. The film also explores the photographer’s unique—often minimalist—landscape vision and his distinctive large-scale printing processes.

A Considered View chronicles a major 2007-2008 exhibition of Gudmundson photographs at the Plains Art Museum and includes footage of the photographer in Iceland, a place, along with the Upper Plains, that figures prominently in his oeuvre.

A Considered View is a Prairie Public tour de force of documentary vision. It will be distributed regionally and nationally, as well as to Icelandic television. It debuts on Prairie Public Television, February 16, 2010. The much-anticipated pre-screening party will be held February 11th at 7 p.m. at the Plains Art Museum, the venue that put the seminal idea for the spectacular film in motion.

Equally as powerful is the Prairie Public Radio series High Risk High: Youth Drinking in North Dakota produced by Meg Luther Lindholm. This radically innovative radio series is also a web project. According to many sources, including Luther Lindholm, “Underage drinking is a serious problem in the Upper Midwest . . . and North Dakota ranks first in the nation for the number of self-identified college-aged binge drinkers.”

High Risk High explores the nature of underage drinking and its consequences. One objective of Prairie Public’s in-depth look at the issue is to identify solutions that will help to reduce underage alcohol consumption, addiction, and binge drinking.

The dual radio and web formats were also created to “help students, teachers, and parents explore all angles of youth drinking.” Bill Thomas, Prairie Public Director of Radio points out that Prairie Public worked with numerous North Dakota organizations, including clergy, addiction counselors, law enforcement, and others to “figure out how to stem the tide of underage drinking.”

Luther Lindholm explains that High Risk High “is designed for use in the classroom and home.” “It is being marketed,” she says, “to every elementary, middle and high school in North Dakota.” She adds that the site “features many testimonials about the negative impact that drinking has had on the lives of young people—the majority of which come from young people themselves.”

Essentially, High Risk High sets up a web environment where teens are speaking to teens, where young adults are learning about substance abuse from their peers, where teens share their poignant personal stories. This interaction is one of the ground-breaking strategies used in the extensive programming.

The web-site is visually appealing and accessible. The radio programs are captivating and shot through with eye-opening statistics. The series is featured on Morning Edition, Hear It Now, and All Things Considered on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Visit http://www.highriskhigh.org or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to witness the striking nature of a comprehensive program aimed at helping not only North Dakota teens, but inquiring parents, educators, and students from across the nation via the web connection and Prairie Public promotion.
Questions and comments: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

If You Go

What: Pre-screening Party
Where: Plains Art Museum
When: Thurs, Feb 11, 7 pm
How Much: Free of charge