“Their interest in Springfield began with a conversation with John Legend,” Springfield Museum of Art Director Ann Fortescue said. “The gist of that conversation was his deep appreciation for the art education he received in Springfield.”
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The crew spoke with Fortescue about the museum and also visited the John Legend Theater at The Dome. There, they interviewed Springfield City Schools’ Kim Fish and Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland about the importance of the public-private relationship Legend has with the school district. The new theater, which opened in October, has been celebrated as a way for students to learn the arts in a professional setting.
Fish and others have said the theater would not be possible without Legend’s help. The German documentary is exploring possible cuts to the National Endowment of the Arts and what affects those may have in cities across America. Correspondent Daniel Pontzen said the crew has been in California, Nashville, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Louisville.
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“What is the culture here and what America looks like this year and how it might be affected by the new administration,” Pontzen said about the project. “That’s the big question that we are trying to answer with this documentary.”
He said the crew wants to show what could happen when someone like Legend helps the arts in their community.
“To show an example how important it can be if someone does this personal initiative,” Pontzen said.
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Fortescue said having a foreign television take notice of what’s going on in Springfield is neat.
“They were interested in our renewed focus on art education,” she said.
The show will air on German Public Television sometime later this year.
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