It begins with a book.
One book is given to both a songwriter and a visual artist. They write a song and create a work of art inspired by the book they read fulfilling their TRIO. Each TRIO will travel to museums, galleries, and literary events throughout the following year.
The books chosen for the 2020 TRIO Exhibit are Appalachian Book of the Dead by Dale Neal, Call Your Daughter Home by Deb Spera, Chinaberry Sidewalks by Rodney Crowell, Darling Girl by Terry H. Watkins, For You to See the Stars by Radney Foster, Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown, I Am a Town by Shari Smith, Ill-Mannered Ghosts by Nicole Sarrocco, I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones & Gilly Segal, John Prine: In Spite of Himself by Eddie Huffman, The Last Entry by Jim Hamilton, Lindy Lee: Songs on Mill Hill by Kimberly J. Simms, Out Past the Wires by Rod Picott, Stay by Bobbie Pyron, Thelonious Rising by Judith Richards, There You Are by Mathea Morais, Treeborne by Caleb Johnson, Witch Hairs: Mirth, Miracles, Mayhem & Music by Dixie Gamble, and Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark by Tamara Saviano.
TRIO songwriters include award-winning musicians and songwriters Sarah Aili, William Beckmann, Mark Bumgarner, PJ Brunson, Steve Conn, Patrick & Kay Crouch, Mark Currey, Ben de la Cour, Eric Erdman, Radney Foster, John Jorgenson, Rod Picott, Sunny Sweeney, and Molly Thomas.
Visual artist TRIO contributors cover a wide variety of media and genres and include M.C. Churchill-Nash, Robert Oren Eades, Amie Esslinger, Sally Fanjoy & James LaBrenz, Charlie Frye, Keith Funderburk, Joanie Gardner, Melissa Gibson, Stacie Huckeba, Marianne Huebner, Nikki Kozak, Liz McKay, Jennifer Pierstorff, Sarah Rakes, Stacey Pilkington-Smith, and Wes Waugh.
TRIO’s creator is Shari Smith, the creative and maternal force behind Working Title Farm, author of I Am A Town, and script writer of many stage productions combining literature and music that change with every performance, defying description and delighting audiences. She is a publisher and an editor who is sometimes forced into being a backup singer.
Book the TRIO Exhibit here.
