United Arts

During the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting quarantine, many children are struggling through remote schooling for the first time.

One area that educators and parents may find it difficult to address is the arts: music, dance, and visual arts. The United States of Arts series, relaunched on You Tube by its producers at Fire Starter Studios, will help keep arts in the minds of children and adults alike during quarantine and beyond.

This 66-part digital documentary series for the National Endowment for the Arts encompasses videos ranging between three and 15 minutes in length, shooting in all 55 states and territories from Alaska to American Samoa.

The vast production spanned over 18 months in more than 400 locations from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to the beaches of Guam.

The programs showcased include art therapy that is healing veterans with PTSD, digital media career training for underserved youth, as well as higher-profile organizations like the Sundance Institute, AFI, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

For the NEA, the series was executive produced by Rachel Klein and Kimberly A. Austin and producers Bradley Glenn and Jeffrey Elmont. Fire Starter Studios is the only independent studio ever to be nominated for the Primetime Emmy in this documentary category.

Head Producer/Director Rachel Klein, who is homeschooling her 7 year old twin boys during the pandemic, said, "We asked ourselves, 'What can we do to help during this situation?' so we decided to put this out there for parents."

"Being at home now I wanted to expose my kids to something meaningful," she said. Klein showed the boys various segments in the series to find things that resonated. Thanks to the content, "I found out they don't just like Lady Gaga; they now want to listen to jazz."

The series, which was developed between 2015 and 2018, was published by NEA previously but Klein explained, "We thought that by posting it revenue and commercial free and promoting it, we would help parents and teachers to more readily access it."

They decided to use You Tube, making it free to anyone to watch. The plan is to make the series searchable by state and territory. "We think that people will want to choose something close to home," she explained.

"This series was a dream project for us," said Klein. "It was fantastic and refreshing. Everyone trusts the NEA. All we had to do was pick up the phone and say we were working for NEA and EVERYBODY was in.

Rachel Klein: Robert Redford talked about how important NEA was to him and Sundance. It was the same with Gary Sinise. It was a dream to call and say "NEA" and have them just ask "what do you need?".

"Robert Redford talked about how important NEA was to him and Sundance. It was the same with Gary Sinise. It was a dream to call and say 'NEA' and have them just ask 'what do you need.'"

United States of Arts explores the many ways art impacts the lives of everyday Americans, from East St. Louis where school children are learning self-discipline and self-esteem through dance, to the members of Los Angeles' Street Symphony bringing their artistry and inspiration to the residents of Skid Row.

Other segments highlight Maya Lin, artist and designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and teachers across America who make a difference in the lives of children every day.

The series also highlights the groundbreaking partnership between the NEA and the Department of Defense, utilizing the power of art to help heal returning servicemen and women suffering from traumatic brain injury and PTSD.

Klein said "it was tricky" pulling the vast amount of content together. "The original ask was to get as much shot as possible in a 6-month period, but it took much longer than that because of the amount of interview subjects scheduled.

"The NEA was very supportive in getting the films right, not just fast. I line produced to make sure the schedules were tight. We had teams all over the country at all times," she explained.

Klein and her producing partner Kimberly Austin had about eight producers in the field around the clock, with several states going at one time. "We tried to use local talent as much as we could. They knew the areas, the people… and where to eat!" she laughed.

The NEA approached Fire Starter Studios among other firms in the bidding process for the project. "They wanted a woman owned company!" said Klein, whose company is not only woman-owned but is comprised primarily of women creative executives.

Klein has a background in sports and partner Kimberly Austin has worked in talk shows, so they were experienced in the fast-paced nature of live interviews and quick turnaround times.

Klein: Art has healing power

"Art has healing power," Klein said, noting that it brings people together, helps senior citizens feel more connected, and literally heals people with PTSD and other disorders.

"There's art in filmmaking and in telling a story. The people on our team, at the end of the project, were… different. We saw how the [NEA funding] flowed to the communities, making them stronger. It was transformational."

The NEA provides funding for the creative arts, even at a time when funding for the arts is being cut from many school budgets.

Klein noted that when schools cut funding, they don't understand how much they stand to lose.

Without art, "I think you're losing children's creativity. Art helps them decide for themselves what they're extraordinary at. If they don't experience art, they won't know they really want to become a musician, for example. They'll grow up not even knowing that was a choice they could make."

"Art is key to expressing yourself, understanding yourself. Math is finite. Art is original to you."

View the series on You Tube HERE.