America: Painting a Nation is showing at the Art Gallery of NSW for just one week more. Head over to see sad clowns, communist commentaries, pioneer portraits and a diverse range of styles and subjects from the painted history of the US of A. As an added bonus, every Wednesday night the gallery opens its doors late with a pop up bar, bands and a greasy spoon diner.
As part of the exhibition, Word Travels‘ Miles Merrill has been reading from classic American writing, responding to the curation and spanning the Nation’s history from the 1700s to the present day. Trevor Brown composes different soundscapes every week from a haunting clarinet to the mischievous melodica. Tomorrow night Miles will be treating you to a touch of Capote, some Woody Allen, and if we’re lucky, his own rendition of Charles Mingus’ the Clown.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Szy-MHXDQQ?feature=player_detailpage&w=640&h=360]