Join me on Australia Day at 10:30 for Arts Thursday.

To begin, meet Emily Valentine whose extraordinary work, made by ‘painting in feathers’, can be seen at the exhibition Preen at the Janet Clayton Gallery in Oxford Street until 29^th January.

Emily’s lively and inventive art has been literally stopping the traffic on the pavement since the exhibition opened.

Her exotic, feather-based wearables tell of centuries of traditional use of bird feathers for fashion and status, as well as the modern-day carnage of birds on our roads.

Her quirky mermaids and transformed Barbies, also question notions of commercialised beauty, particularly when contrasted with the natural glory of birds’ plumage and there are also some mythical beasts and familiar forms – clad surprisingly in feathers –in the exhibition.

For further information on Janet Clayton’s Gallery and the Preen Exhibition go to: https://www.janetclaytongallery.com.au/

The second half of the show will reprise part of an interview held with Sydney Festival Director Wesley Enoch where he speaks about Australia Day as well as his thoughtful views on the ethics of sponsorship – both of which issues remain current.

To hear the whole interview go to: https://eastsidefm.org/directors-overview-sydney-festival/

To conclude, I’m playing an old favourite, an interview with Stephen Martin about Penguins, based on his book of the same title.

For information on Penguins by author Stephen Martin and published by Reaktion Books go to: https://www.reaktionbooks.co.uk/display.asp?K=9781861893765

I hope you can join me for a lively, amusing and stimulating Arts Thursday from 10:30am on 26^th January.

DON’T WORRY IF YOU MISS THE PROGRAM!

If you miss the program you can listen again by going to https://eastsidefm.org/arts/artsthursday/ and clicking on the date 26 January 2017.

Join Maisy Stapleton fortnightly from 10:30 to noon on Arts Thursday for conversations with leaders in the arts and regular coverage of Sydney’s exciting arts events.