Athens, GA — The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia will host its summer Museum Mix on Thursday, June 27, from 8 to 11 p.m. John Fernandes and his sons Ravi and Kiran will supply the tunes for the night. All of the galleries will be open for the late-night art party. Free food and refreshments from local Athens’ eateries will be provided. The event is free and open to the public.
Athens musician John Fernandes surrounds himself with music full-time; he sells music at Wuxtry Records during the day and develops his sound on his time off. A few years back he won the Flagpole Athens Music Award for the Avant-Garde category. John’s been deep in the Athens music scene for more than two decades, and within the past couple of years, his sons have joined him in performance.
This Thursday, John and Ravi will set the vibe with their diverse deejaying, which includes sounds from African and music Indian, jazz and more. John describes their style as, “meditative, improvisational, and textural.” John remembers Ravi’s interest in music starting at a very young age with vinyl records, “He would go up in the attic and play the Kinks’ ‘Something Else’ album and ‘Safe as Milk’ by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band.”
John refers to his other son, Kiran, as, “the artist.” “Kiran’s been making art since he was young, he’s been artistically inclined his whole life,” John says, handing me a Flagpole magazine from August’s Guide to Athens edition. Then 17-year-old Kiran designed the cover of the guide. His psychedelic drawing paints Athens as the groovy and colorful city that we all love to be a part of. In 2016, Kiran was selected to be a member of the team that painted David Hale’s mural “Birdsong” downtown, which commemorates the 20th anniversary of the AthFest Music and Arts Festival.
Four years ago, Kiran started teaching himself how to play organ and to fingerpick guitar. He’ll be performing this Thursday alongside his father, who plays clarinet. The two have performed countless shows in Athens and toured the Southeast together.
Exhibitions on view will include “Storytelling in Renaissance Maiolica,” “Color, Form and Light,” “Women of the WPA,” “Larger than Life: Mural Studies,” “Our Town and Beyond: Works by Early Members of the Athens Art Association,” “Sculptured Adornment: The Jewelry of David Hayes,” and “Out of the Darkness.”
Sponsors of the event will be: DePalma’s Italian Café, Marti’s at Midday, and Starland Pizzeria and Pub.
Claire Barrera
Michael Lachowski
