On the Road: A Search for American Character

Award-winning actress, playwright, and professor Anna Deavere Smith explores performance as a way of knowing in this four-part series. Since 1980, Smith has been interviewing Americans through her project “On the Road: A Search for American Character,” which she developed into a new form of theater. Delivered with segments of performance, these lectures examine this material collected over the course of Smith’s career: https://www.nga.gov/research/casva/meetings/mellon-lectures-in-the-fine-arts/smith-2024.html Lecture 1 of 4: “On the Road: A Search for American Character” https://youtu.be/jhQxG0Znf68 Lecture 2 of 4: “This Ghost of Slavery: A Solo Reading” Smith conducts a solo reading from her newest play “This Ghost of Slavery,” published in The Atlantic (December 2023). https://youtu.be/-pXLXAKh_kA Lecture 3 of 4: “Let Me Down Easy: On the Vulnerability of Our Bodies / The Resilience of Our Spirits” Featuring photographs by Diana Walker. https://youtu.be/Ru5zMVVnSSU Lecture 4 of 4: “Me: Shot Out of a Moving Canon—Black, Female, and the 1970s” https://youtu.be/2eYUdk0YLG0 The A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts is the longest-running lecture series at the National Gallery of Art. Past lecturers have included art historians, artists, poets, and musicologists: https://www.nga.gov/research/casva/meetings/mellon-lectures-in-the-fine-arts.html Still haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channels?    National Gallery of Art ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtUS   National Gallery of Art Talks ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtTalks  ABOUT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART     The National Gallery of Art serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity.     More National Gallery of Art Content: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nationalgalleryofart Twitter: https://twitter.com/ngadc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ngadc/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ngadc/_created/ E-News: https://nga.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=e894a1837aca4526f7e8a11b3&id=2085ff9475 #annadeaveresmith #contemporaryart #mellonlectures #performance #theater #acting #americanart