Mark Kistler

The untold story of the prolific artist behind the beloved 80's and 90's shows "The Secret City", "Draw Squad" and "Imagination Station". Mark Kistler became a well-known personality on classic PBS alongside Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, Bob Ross, and Reading Rainbow. He helped shape a pivotal era of instructional programming for children in the pre-YouTube world, teaching 3D drawing before CGI. With over one-million books sold, the Emmy-award-winning host continues to inspire audiences through his incredible hand-drawn worlds and unique teaching philosophies.

Mark Kistler's Imagination Station is a public television series where Mark Kistler taught children – and adults – to draw using techniques such as perspective and shading. The PBS version of the program was originally presented by TV station KIXE in the Redding and Chico areas of the U.S. state of California. Mark Kistler additionally released some publications teaching techniques used in the show. It had a short reprise later in the 1990s but did not continue to run past a few episodes. The show released 131 episodes, from 1993 to 2009. In the summer of 2009 he filmed additional shows that began airing on PBS in the fall of 2009. https://kids.kiddle.co/Mark_Kistler%27s_Imagination_Station

The Secret City was a television program designed to teach children how to draw, starring Mark Kistler as as the fictional ‘Commander Mark’ who led viewers and in-studio club members through various drawing exercises in a sci-fi clubhouse setting full of fun, fantasy, and adventure. While the show’s format essentially prioritizes instruction over narrative, ongoing ‘drama’ is created by the frequent addition of new key features to the emerging scenery of the giant Secret City mural. Often Special Guests would appear on the show to demonstrate other art forms or practical applications for drawing skills. The show was created by John Price & Mark Kistler, based on Bruce McIntyre's AVDP. Much of the series was edited live in-camera and was shot in a somewhat semi-scripted format. It was produced at Maryland Public Television through private funding by Children's Video Associates, and intended for broadcast via national PBS syndication. It also aired on TVOntario.