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BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) will premiere a new digital-first children’s educational series, Ziggy’s Arts Adventure, that aims to teach young learners fundamental artistic and academic concepts through the magic of storytelling, puppets, and Louisiana culture. The 9-episode series premieres Monday, August 2 on its YouTube channel and lpb.org/ziggy.

With an exciting group of special guest artists that includes everything from musicians and dancers to painters and poets, the program will engage children in grades K-5 with Ziggy’s fun adventures and experiences. Each episode is aligned with Louisiana Academic and Arts Standards and is designed to help develop the critical thinking needed for STEM-subject problem solving by utilizing proven strategies developed by Harvard University’s Project Zero.

“This project is exciting on so many levels,” says Beth Courtney, President and CEO of LPB. “As Louisiana’s largest classroom, LPB is a trusted resource for parents, caregivers, and educators looking for programs that not only entertain children, but also provide that something extra…art education. Ziggy provides all that with the added benefit of being written and produced right here in our state.”

The first episode of Ziggy’s Arts Adventure premieres Monday, August 2 with a new episode released weekly. Viewers can follow the fun on YouTube (Ziggy’s Arts Adventure) and also on the website at lpb.org/ziggy.

A little about Ziggy
Ziggy’s Arts Adventure follows the experiences of a 9-year-old-alien named Ziggy, who comes from a planet where art does not exist because everyone communicates telepathically through “emoticles.” However, Ziggy’s emoticle does not work, making him different from his peers. When the NASA spacecraft Voyager I lands on his planet and Ziggy hears music for the first time, he discovers new ways of expressing emotion. Determined to learn more about art and music, he builds a rocket ship and heads to Earth. Landing in a Louisiana junkyard, he meets a group of friends who share his love of music and become his bandmates. Together, this unlikely group of friends meet Louisiana artists and learn a lot, developing lifelong friendships along the way.

“From the multiple sets we’ve built, to each of the puppet characters, to the music in each episode, Ziggy’s Arts Adventure is 100% a Louisiana-based production, shot right here at LPB Studios in Baton Rouge,” adds D. Ray Washington, LPB Digital Media Director.

Getting smart with art
“Studies have proven that arts education helps children succeed in academics, especially math and science, and unfortunately, it can be the first to go when schools face budget and time constraints” says Linda Midgett, LPB Executive Producer. “With this exciting new program, LPB hopes we give parents and teachers another trusted and useful resource to help spark a love of the arts in all of Louisiana’s children.”

Ziggy’s Arts Adventure will help develop an appreciation of Louisiana arts and culture, while helping students build on core concepts like math, science, English, reading, writing, and social studies. The series focuses on important academic concepts like time, movement, sound, and space! Ziggy makes these ideas understandable to young minds through storytelling and fun episodic art or STEM activities that reinforce the lessons.

The series aligns with Louisiana Academic and Arts Standards and was developed with the Ziggy Advisory Board of Louisiana Educators and Teaching Artists and with the teaching methods developed by Project Zero, founded at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.

“I think a show like Ziggy’s Arts Adventure is important and timely as it provides a fun and exciting way for parents and educators to include art and music into the lives of children,” says series creator Clay Achee. “But most importantly, I hope that kids will love the show, and enjoy it so much that they are unaware of how much they’re learning.”

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