At the Heart of Art: Erika Funke's Journey

"Host of Afternoon Classical Music, ArtScene and other WVIA programs, including Keystone Edition Arts on WVIA TV, Erika Funke is a Senior Producer and Classical Music Host at WVIA Radio.

“ArtScene”, her award-winning daily arts program, features interviews with creative individuals from the region, the United States and abroad. She has produced many programs about the history of northeastern Pennsylvania and its residents. Her radio play “Who Pretender Is, Or Who Is King” centers on the lives of the residents of Laurel Run, a borough outside Wilkes-Barre, plagued by a chronic mine fire. The piece was produced by The Northeast Theatre and broadcast on WVIA Radio.

Erika also has television films to her credit. She wrote and narrated a documentary on the Knox Mine Disaster that happened in the Wyoming Valley in 1959. And an Emmy-nominated documentary on Mozart that looks at the composer and his music in the context of the cities that were important in his life.

She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of University of Chicago and received a master’s degree in Humanities (Interrelationships in the Arts) from Penn State University. She served on the PA Humanities Council for two terms. In 2023, Erika was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Misericordia University and, in November 2024, she was inducted into the Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame."

Key Takeaways:

• Erika Funke has spent nearly five decades in broadcasting.
• Art can help communities recover from hardships.
• Memorable interviews often lead to unexpected connections.
• The Knox Mine disaster symbolizes a pivotal moment in local history.

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