A look back at the life of Amiri Baraka will be one of three features of State of the Arts this evening on NJTV, along with a Newark-based filmmaking couple and their new 3D movie about the city, and the band Cowboy Junkies. See below for NJTV’s release about tonight’s program.

It will air at 8pm tonight (3/23), as well as tomorrow (3/24) at 5:30am, and Thursday (3/27) at 11:30pm. For both Verizon and Comcast, NJTV is channel 23 in standard defintion. For HD, it is channel 523 on Verizon and 800 on Comcast.

Remembering poet Amiri Baraka, a 3D film about Newark, and the Cowboy Junkies bring their classic album “The Trinity Session” to the South Orange Performing Arts Center

This time on State of the Arts, we look back on the life and career of one of New Jersey’s most famous poets, Amiri Baraka, who died earlier this year. He was New Jersey’s last Poet Laureate, and his talent for walking the line between art and activism made him into an American icon.  Over the years, he appeared on State of the Arts many times.  In this segment, we look back on some of our conversations, as well as some of his performances, from our archive.  Celebrated and controversial poet Amiri Baraka, who died in January 2014. Husband and wife filmmakers Jerome and Marylou Bongiorno live and work in Newark, New Jersey – Marylou’s hometown.  The city and its people are the subject of Revolution ’67 and The Rule – two social justice documentaries they’ve produced together.  Recently, their film New Work 3D – a unique portrait of Newark, presented in 3D – has been given a home at a very unlikely venue: Newark Liberty International Airport.  New Work 3D offers a rare glimpse of one of America’s oldest cities as seen by two artists who live there. The Cowboy Junkies burst onto the independent music scene in 1988 with their critically acclaimed album, “The Trinity Session,” recorded live on a single Calrec stereo microphone at Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity, and featuring a now classic cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane.”  State of the Arts talks with lead singer Margo Timmins, and catches the alternative folk/rock band in performance at the South Orange Performing Arts Center.   Cowboy Junkies: siblings Margo, Michael, and Peter Timmins, with bassist Alan Anton. Thanks for watching!