WXXI TV

Explore a unique documentary series about our futures and how we can reimagine them.

A Brief History of the Future, a three-part series, concludes Wednesday, April 24, at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

How do the stories we tell shape the boundaries of our beliefs about what is possible? From the dawn of time, stories are how humans have made sense of the world. A Brief History of the Future: Once Upon a Time emphasizes the fundamental role stories play in our lives, our inclination towards dystopian narratives, and the potential for bigger, better stories to unleash the power of human imagination and creativity moving forward.

This week David visits with talented young musicians Tray Wellington and Lakota John Locklear. 

David Holt’s State of Music “Lakota John Locklear and Tray Wellington “ airs Sunday, April 14 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Tray Wellington is an African American banjo player who has won the IBMA Momentum Award; John Locklear is a member of the Lumbee tribe who excels at the blues. 

This beautifully shot documentary spotlights the restoration of Boynton House –  the Frank Lloyd Wright house located on East Boulevard in Rochester, New York.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Boynton House: The Next Hundred Years airs Sunday, August 11 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Owners Fran Cosentino and Jane Parker share how they acquired Frank Lloyd Wright’s Boynton House, and how they worked to restore it to its original beauty using materials and processes that Wright himself intended.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Boynton House: The Next Hundred Years, gives you an inside look into every room in the house and the amazing transformation that occurs during the restoration process. More than 150 talented individuals worked on the home over a two-year span to make Cosentino and Parker’s dream home a reality. The documentary shares details about the home’s structural repair, the unexpected insect infestation, the restoration of the 253 art glass panels, roof replacement, conservation of 17 pieces of the home’s original furniture,  landscaping, and much more.

The history of the house, and that of its original owner Mr. Edward Boynton are also told by many experts including Jean France, Boynton Historian and Architectural Scholar; Carol Boynton Atwood, descendent of the Boynton Family; Eric Norden, owner of Eric Norden Restorations; and John E. Page, owner of Bero Architecture. The Landmark Society’s Executive Director Wayne Goodman also talks about the importance of preserving this national treasure.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Boynton House: The Next Hundred Years is a co-production of WXXI Public Broadcasting, Fran Cosentino and Jane Parker.

A one-hour special documentary that follows the actor, author, humorist, and renowned performer as he goes back to school, to demonstrate the transformative power of arts education. 

Art Happens Here with John Lithgow airs Friday, April 26 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV. It repeats Sunday, April 28 at 5 p.m.

John immerses himself with teachers and students to explore four arts disciplines: dance, ceramics, silk-screen printing and vocal jazz ensemble. Art Happens Here with John Lithgow celebrates arts education as a tool to nurture and inspire the hearts and minds of students of all ages. 

Tells the dramatic and inspiring story of the ordinary women who fought against overwhelming odds for the health and safety of their families.

American Experience “Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy of Love Canal” airs Sunday, April 28, at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

 In the late 1970s, residents of Love Canal, a working-class neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, discovered that their homes, schools and playgrounds were built on top of a former chemical waste dump, which was now leaking toxic substances and wreaking havoc on their health. Through interviews with many of the extraordinary housewives turned activists, the film shows how they effectively challenged those in power, forced America to reckon with the human cost of unregulated industry, and created a grassroots movement that galvanized the landmark Superfund Bill.

The story of Love Canal began in the late 19th century, when William T. Love, hoping to harness the power of Niagara Falls, began to dig, but later abandoned, an enormous canal. Decades later, in the late 1940s, local company Hooker Chemical decided that Love’s Canal was the perfect site for a waste dump. For nearly a decade, Hooker dumped roughly 22,000 tons of dangerous chemical waste into the defunct waterway, a common disposal practice and one largely unregulated by the local government.

Photo caption:

 Surrounded by the media, Lois Gibbs waits outside the Love Canal Homeowners Association for a phone call from the White House. May 1980.
Credit: Mickey H. Osterreicher

Ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, American Masters continues its quest to examine influencers and disruptors of American political thought with Thought Leaders, its strand of programming that focuses on changemakers in politics, law, and music.

American Masters: The Incomparable Mr. Buckley airs Friday, April 5 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

The Incomparable Mr. Buckley follows the personal and political journey of conservative writer, strategist, candidate and provocateur William F. Buckley, Jr. See how one of the architects of the modern conservative movement rose to prominence as a public intellectual and influenced generations of politicians — including Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater. As founder of the National Review and host of the public affairs program Firing Line for over 30 years, Buckley created new spaces for civic discourse that were accessible to the public. Interviewees in the film include Buckley’s son Christopher Buckley; Richard Brookhiser, senior editor for National Review; Jeff Greenfield, journalist and Firing Line moderator; Sam Tanenhaus, former editor of The New York Times Book Review and William F. Buckley  biographer; Jay Nordlinger, senior editor of National Review and more. 

Photo:  William F. Buckley
Credit: Provided by PBS