Imagining America is a documentary series on 20th Century American Art and Culture initiated by producer/director, Hart Perry and Karl Katz, Executive Director of MUSE. Art historian Jonathan Fineberg and popular culture advisor, John Carlin conceived of the content of the series. By providing context and perspective on the dialogue that is constantly taking place between artists, critics, and the souciety as a whole, Imagining America will give a broad-based audience a better understanding of why conflicts over the defintion of art are an ongoing process, intrinsic to a democratic society. Over 50 of this generation's finest critical and artistic minds have been interviewed to discuss the questions raised by the film.

Given where we are in the world today, it seems more pressing than ever for Americans to think about who we are, what we stand for, and what makes us unique among the cultures of the world. Over the last half-century we have transformed ourselves from an orientation in the world based on words to one based predominantly in images, and yet our system of education has still not begun to address viual literacy as a core discipline. In addition, the United States, unlike any other nation on earth, was founded on true multiculturalism from its inception, and the constant flux of ideas and cultures puts us in a state of perpetual reconfiguration. Consequently, we do not have the same relationship to tradition that most other cultures have and the freedom -indeed the necessity- to perpetually reinvent ourselves orients us more resolutely in the present and future. This documentary traces how, over the course of the century, art provided a place in which to re-imagine America, to visualize what we were and wanted to become, and in that process various groups that were initially excluded from the artistic discourse because of their race, class or gender have ultimately emerged as the enriching multiplicity of voices that ARE America.

The documentary has been completed and will air on PBS December 28, 2005 at 9PM. For Perry Films, Dana Perry, Producer; Richard Lowe, editor; Audrey Costadina, associate producer; Andrew Campbell, assistant editor/still animation and Ken Kobland, cinematographer.