One Iowa State professor said the year 1996 was very special to him because it was the first time his work was nationally honored.

John Cunnally, an ISU associate professor of art history, won a national award for his public access television program.

“Beyond Grant Wood: Iowa Artists Today,” a program on contemporary art produced by Cunnally, received the “Best Series in the Arts” award in the annual Hometown Video Festival.

The festival was organized by the Alliance for Community Media, an organization representing over 1,000 public TV stations in the United States and based in Washington D.C.

“The program was very professional, technical, eclectic and had good variety,” Cunnally said. It’s different from some public access TV shows, which were rushed off and lacked planning.”

Cunnally said good cooperation between colleagues and the students’ efforts into the production made the show a success.

Cunnally is now considering his second art TV show, which is scheduled to be broadcast in spring 1998.

The show will once again focus on contemporary art but will distribute to a wider viewing area around the state of Iowa.

Compared to the previous program, the second show will feature more variety, Cunnally said.

The program will contain interviews with artists as well as several art exhibitions in Iowa, including the Annual Iowa Artists Show in Des Moines and Iowa Saloon held in ISU’s Brunnier Gallery.

“I like teaching audiences of the general public how to look at art critically, and the show provides students training in production and camera work,” Cunnally said.

Cunnally said the Department of Art and Design will open a course titled “Video Production in the Arts” specifically for the production of his second TV show in spring 1998. It is a three-credit course with 20 vacancies, and it is open to all Iowa State students.

“Students taking this course will form several production teams and have shooting in Ames, Des Moines and other areas in Iowa,” Cunnally said. “The class will be like an independent production company.”

Cunnally said although many people in Ames are educated and appreciate art, they still don’t have enough experience with modern and contemporary art work.

“When people can’t understand what a sculpture is they usually just say ‘Even my two-year-old boy can do that,’ which I believe is a lack of art knowledge,” Cunnally said.