Chithra Jeyaram’s award winning short documentary titled Mijo (My Son) will be featured in an episode of Arts In Context airing on February 28th. The episode, Hold My Hand, follows Sharon Marroquin, an Award-winning dancer and choreographer whose life drastically changed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In this episode of Arts In Context, Marroquín explores the relation between the choreographer and the dancer as she uses her art as an expression of her personal struggle.

Jeyaram’s film will be featured after the documentary on Marroquin. Mijo (My Son) is an immensely personal documentary about the relationship between a young mother who is a professional dancer and her 6-year old son, as she undergoes treatment for breast cancer.

Jeyaram is an award winning documentary filmmaker, passionate about communicating the realities of life as it unfolds, focusing on nuances that cannot be dwelled upon or deliberated in mass media.  Chithra’s first exposure to filmmaking began in 2004 with a failed attempt to fund a film about an explosive water-sharing dispute between two southern states in India. Deeply affected by that experience, she quit a decade-long career as Physical Therapist and enrolled in film school (at the University of Texas, Austin) and earned her M.F.A in Film Production. Through her films she hopes to break societal barriers, build bridges, change  attitudes and take risks. You can learn more about her work at realtalkies.com. A few of her upcoming projects include:

Foreign Puzzle is a feature length documentary featuring Sharon Marroquin and her poignant dance – “The Materiality of Impermanence” (anticipated completion, fall 2013). Confronted with her mortality, angered and frustrated over her inability to prevent the disintegration of her body, Sharon Marroquin, a modern dancer begins to consciously deal with it through art. The creative process allows Sharon to escape to another realm that is not confined by physical limitation, disease, child-rearing, teaching and running a home. For 18 months, Foreign Puzzle document’s Sharon’s struggles as a choreographer and as a mother with breast cancer, highlighting her relationship with her son Dali and the transcending power of dance. Get updates about this project on the film’s Facebook page

1001 Breast Cancer Nights is a breast cancer web-interactive project that is similar to the tales in “Arabian Nights” – a colorful, interactive mosaic of breast cancer stories from Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America, that are varied and vibrant tales of medicine, myth, history, stigma, survivorship, romance, drama, tragedy, comedy, artistry, burlesque and even erotica. The stories will be co-authored, consumed and shared by the protagonists (the breast cancer survivor/family/caregiver). The presence of a single unified interactive web-based portal where global stories of breast cancer are shared, discussed and experienced will be immensely powerful, empathetic and healing

Men We Cherish: is an interactive documentary project.  After the brutal gang rape in India, there was an unprecedented global outcry against gender violence. Chithra became seriously concerned at the chronic male bashing. Some men may be the problem but all men are part of the solution. Gender violence against women won’t end unless men are active participants. Through “Men We Cherish” she hopes to create & share stories of positive male role models in order to promote gender equality & reduce gender-based violence. Get updates about this documentary on the project’s Facebook page

The Miró Quartet, an internationally performing classical string quartet based in Austin, performs an all-Schubert program in KLRU’s historic Studio 6A. The performance will be part of an Arts In Context episode airing on March 28.

Date: Saturday, Feb. 23
Time: 7 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
Location: KLRU’s Studio 6A (map) 
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now 

Hailed by the New York Times as possessing “explosive vigor and technical finesse”, the dynamic Miró Quartet, one of America’s highest-profile chamber groups enjoys its place at the top of the international chamber music scene. Now in its second decade, the quartet continues to captivate audiences and critics around the world with its startling intensity, fresh perspective, and mature approach.

The Miró Quartet is the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Texas Austin and its members – violinists Daniel Ching and William Fedkenheuer, violist John Largess, and cellist Joshua Gindele – are on the faculty of the Butler School of Music.

The Miró Quartet has released several recordings, most recently a disc featuring live performances of works by Dvorak and Kevin Puts. Other releases include the Op. 18 quartets of Beethoven on the Vanguard Classics label as well as a disc featuring music by George Crumb and Rued Langgaard for Bridge Records. The Miró Quartet’s recording of Crumb’s Black Angels received much international acclaim, including the French “Diapason d’Or”. The Miró Quartet is also featured on an Oxingale release entitled “Epilogue”, performing Mendelssohn’s final string quartet (Op. 80) and Schubert’s Quintet with celebrated cellist Matt Haimovitz.

Starting at 7pm, we’ll be live in studio 6A with a great line up of KLRU Collective highlights. If you haven’t visited our online arts portal, KLRU Collective, then tune in tomorrow to see our favorite videos of local movers and shakers in our creative community. And we’ll literally be moving and shaking with special guests from the Austin Samba School joining us!

Austin Samba School from KLRU Collective on Vimeo.

Following our mix-tape of KLRU Collective, we’ll premiere the brand new Arts in Context episode,  All My Friends Are Vampires, which documents Fantastic Fest,  the largest genre film festival in the country, specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action, and just plain fantastic movies from around the world held each year in Austin, TX at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on South Lamar. We’ll have Tim League, founder of Fanstastic Fest and the Alamo Drafthouse, in studio with us and we’ll giveaway a 2013 Fantastic Fest badge and an Alamo movie theater experience for you and your friends.

All My Friends Are Vampires Trailer from KLRU-TV on Vimeo.

You’ll probably be hungry at 8:30pm, so we’ve planned a special Daytripper hour of the best in Texas BBQ. Chet joins us with the inside scoop on taking daytrips and brings some great gifts when you support the station, like a 2013 Daytripper BBQ Calendar, Daytripper Koozies, and a subscription to Texas Highways magazine.

Thursday, September 27, Arts in Context explores some of Austin’s best contemporary and performance art featured in this year’s Fusebox Festival. Featured is Austin’s own Les RAV and composer Travis Weller, both showcasing unique local talent. Also featured is Jennifer Sherburn, a dancer and composer whose innovative style brings to the stage a non-traditional form of Austin art. Fusebox Festival features not only Austin’s best artists, but also showcases some of the most interesting national and international artists, like Singer/Songwriter Holcombe Waller (Portland), the electronic folk duo, Lulacruza (Colombia and Argentina), and choreographer David Zambrano’s (Venezuela).

Fusebox Festival is a space where artists and audiences can take risks, ask questions and explore ideas together, break rules and blur boundaries. The 2012 festival features a great mix of local and international talent performing theater, dance, and music.

Join KLRU Thursday, September 27 at 7:30 PM to catch Arts in Context’s Fusebox Festival episode!

Economic Impact of Austin’s Creative Sector from KLRU-TV on Vimeo.

Living & Working as an Artist in Austin, Texas from KLRU-TV on Vimeo.

The Future of Arts in Austin from KLRU-TV on Vimeo.

Why do you think we should fund the arts?

Tell us how you keep creativity alive in Austin. Make a quick video and upload it to YouTube. Tag it “CivicSummitCreativity” and your comments may be used in our upcoming broadcast.

KLRU will be rebroadcasting Arts In Context: Jorge Caballero on August 2 at 7 pm. The episode features Peruvian classical guitarist Caballero, along with the Miró Quartet and the Classical Guitar Orchestra, performing their Modest Mussorgsky’s masterpiece suite “Pictures At An Exhibition” entitled “Austin Pictures.”

Caballero is the youngest musician and only guitarist to win the Naumberg International Competition, an award comparable to the Pulitzer, but for musicians. The Miró Quartet are currently the Faculty String Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Texas at Austin and one of America’s most important chamber music groups. The episode is an incredible showcase of impressive talent and musicianship and is not to be missed.

Jorge Caballero and the Miró Quartet will be performing perform live on Saturday, August 4th, at Dell Hall at The Long Center for the Performing Arts. They will reunite to perform a program of Mozart, Paganini, Bach, and Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Not only will you be captivated by the music, but the Alamo Drafthouse’s Beverage Manager, Bill Norris, will be concocting splendid cocktails – one for each member of the performing ensemble – in the Kodosky Lounge, beginning at 6 pm. The show begins at 7:30 pm. Tickets and more information can be found at the Austin Classical Guitar’s web site.

Bill Carter and his wife Ruth Ellsworth have written some of the biggest hits by The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughan. In addition to writing songs, Bill Carter & The Blame is a Texas supergroup with a rotating all-star lineup that has been performing Bill and Ruth’s songs for decades. Arts In Context combines Bill Carter & The Blame footage from a 2012 live performance in KLRU’s legendary Studio 6A with interviews of Bill, Ruth and a wide selection of the musicians and people they have worked with over the years.

Airing on KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, July 26 at 7:30 pm and July 29 at 1 pm, this episode features interviews with or appearances by Will Sexton, Denny Freeman, Dony Wynn, Johnny Depp, Jimmie Vaughan, Billy F. Gibbons, Chris Layton, Charlie Sexton, Cindy Cashdollar, Glover Gill, Andy Salmon, David Holt, Susan Antone, Wayne Nagel and Andy Langer.

The complete show will be available for viewing online at klru.org/artsincontext and through the PBS App after July 26th.

Bill Carter has been writing songs and performing with his band The Blame for more than three decades. Bill’s hits cover a broad range from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s only No. 1 song “Crossfire” to The Fabulous Thunderbirds “Why Get Up.” Arts In Context brings together an historic line up including Denny Freeman, Will Sexton, Dony Wynn, Cindy Cashdollar, Andy Salmon, David Holt and Glover Gill to perform some of Carter’s most memorable songs. A special limited edition poster will be available for sale for $10. The poster is designed by Bill Perkins to commemorate this historic event. Proceeds benefit KLRU-TV, Austin PBS. Special thanks to Live Oak Brewery, Tito’s Vodka and Moonshine Sweet Tea.

Formed in the early 1970s by the Rev. Gean and Tommy West, The Relatives’ cut three genre-bending singles during their decade-long run that were too freaky for the church and too righteous for R&B radio. Though pioneers of an utterly singular sound, the Relatives never made a splash outside of Dallas and have remained virtually unknown even among serious record collectors. But all of that is changing with recent performances at ACL Music Festival in 2010 and backing Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears on the PBS television series Austin City Limits last year. Joining them will be The Isaac Sisters in their very first television appearance.