 Knoxville Community Media presented a history of public access television in Knoxville, Tennessee exhibit on April 1, 2022. This exhibit was curated by KCM's Director of Operations, J. Amos Oaks, and displayed in his working art studio. The presentation contained historic artifacts that had been collected over the years by previous managers of Community Television of Knoxville, along with many hand-made embellishments, recent viewable productions, and a projection of video previously archived by TAMIS - featuring a variety of public, educational, and government productions created in Knoxville between 1975 & 2015. So thankful for everyone who came out to support the event! Photos by Shawn Poynter of Poynter Photo Co. (photo descriptions below image thumbnails) Artifact 1: Original Digital Community mural by local artist/performer Pity Cat - created for this exhibition.
Artifact 2: Peggy Gilbertson. Peggy was a true public access television pioneer. The third general manager of Community Television (CTV), Peggy made important connections with film makers and videographers - most notably, New York documentarian, George C. Stoney. Peggy ensured a properly fitted studio with state-of-the-art equipment and created strong systems for engaging the community with workshops that gave folks opportunities they never dreamed of having - their own voice on cable television! Peggy's influence was recognized around the world and prompted a Dutch film company to travel to Knoxville to create a film that focused on this new concept of public access tv. Artifact 3: Michael Edens/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Resignation Letter. Michael was the fourth general manager of CTV. Michael brought his love of production and enhanced the workshops to make them even more approachable. In his off time, he freelanced as a cartoon script writer. After 4 years of managing CTV, he was offered an exciting opportunity to write for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. He continued to write for a number of cartoons of that era and other television series - making a huge impact on youth culture of that time. Artifact 4: Various News Clippings/George C. Stoney Quote. These are just a few of the countless news clippings from over the years collaged together. The quote below is from the "Father of Public Access Television", George C. Stoney. George created a number of notable documentaries over the years and taught at Columbia University, Stanford University, and New York University's Tisch School of Arts. With his work in public access tv, Stoney sought to democratize "voices" recorded on an audiovisual medium by sharing authority through community engagement. He was an active member of the Board of Directors for the Manhattan Neighborhood Network and the Alliance for Community Media. Artifact 5: Sony CA-327 Studio Camera and Cable (c.1990). One of the many cameras used by CTV studios over the years that unbelievably became outdated in a 'blink of an eye'. Artifact 6: David Vogel/List of GMs Over the Years. David Vogel was the fifth general manager of CTV, and the longest standing. In his time, David revolutionized free speech, free expression, and public information for the community of Knoxville, Tennessee and was an equally impactful influencer for access centers across the nation. He forged long-lasting relationships with the City of Knoxville and Knox County as well as area nonprofit organizations. His leadership was strong and his approachability made him a living legend in the world of public access tv. David engaged the community in a way no one had before and had even organized a television series that allowed trustees from prison to come to the station to create their own television program series. He was an advocate for youth, the voiceless, the disenfranchised, and anyone who was eager to have their opinion shared with the community. David left a pair of difficult shoes to fill. Artifact 7: Metro Pulse Cartoon by Rik Baldwin (from David Vogel's personal collection). This cartoon was inspired by free expression pushed to its limit. Community Producer, George Bove, created a television program titled, "GTV". This show was risqué and edgy - a possibly blatant attempt to provoke the community or, at the very least, raise some eyebrows. The program ended up threatening the stations standing in the community and was the focus of debate regarding funding, free-speech, and free-expression. Many community members followed suit in the 1990s and early 2000s creating other edgy programming - such as the "Satanic Puppet" program. Artifact 8: Knoxville Community Media Logo (by Peter Riesing)/Video Archives/Studio Prop Plant). Knoxville Community Media's new "K" logo. The logo was built on the idea of nature, technology, and community. The video clips presented a variety of programming between 1975 & 2015. They were edited by KCM (then CTV) staff and digitized by TAMIZS. The prop plant will live forever. Artifact 9: Projection Stack/Logo Variation. The video projector is seated on a stack of outdated equipment from our studios. The adjacent wall has a hand-painted variation of the KCM logo. In the Case:
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