Air & Space, and Concertinas

[NoNaYet]

From the January 2011 issue of Air & Space, in the article "From Kites to the Space Shuttle." Notice the last sentence.

 

 

 

 

While Painting “The Space Mural — A Cosmic View” on a wall in the National Air and Space Museum in 1975, artist Robert McCall invited astronaut and artist Alan Bean to paint a single star high up near the rooftop domes. Artist Eric Sloane, working high on scaffolding on a mural on the opposite wall, was kept entertained by an assistant playing a concertina.

 

 

http://www.airspacemag.com/multimedia/photos/?c=y&articleID=106621358&page=10

[Bruce McCaskey]

Clearly the focus of this news bit was skewed in the wrong direction. Why didn't they show a photo of the concertina player with a description mentioning that while they played an artist painted on the opposite wall?

 

More seriously, it appears this occurred about 35 years ago, but does anyone have a notion as to who the referenced assistant/musical artist might have been? I'd love to know what sort of music was selected to accompany the painting. Something light and classical, or maybe an assortment of jigs and reels with occasional breaks in the painting effort to enjoy a pint of something fitting the music? Considering the source of funding, maybe that latter act had to wait until the end of the work day.