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Michelle Obama offers Warhol Museum trek to spouses of world leaders

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While President Obama and leaders from 19 other world economic powers meet at the G20 economic summit in Pittsburgh, Michelle Obama is scheduled to shepherd dignitaries’ spouses through a day of arts-hopping Friday.

In the morning, they’ll tour a local arts middle school/high school, the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School, where students will give a concert with Yo-Yo Ma, pop singer Sarah Bareilles and country music star Trisha Yearwood as ringers.

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Then it’s on to the Andy Warhol Museum, repository for the art and archives of a leading Pittsburgh native son. Lunch at the museum follows the tour, and Culture Monster wants to know whether the fare will include site-specific helpings of Campbell’s soup.

The newest kid on Pittsburgh’s cultural block, the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, named for the playwright who set all but one of the 10 plays in his cycle on black America during the 20th century in his hometown’s Hill District, opened Thursday and was hoping for summit-related action. ‘We didn’t make the cut,’ says Shay Wafer, vice president for programming (and former managing director of L.A.’s Cornerstone Theatre Company). But, she added, ‘we’re still hoping we might get a surprise. We’re directly across the street from the convention center, and if they ask for a private tour, we’ll be happy to give them one.’

The Obamas got lots of attention -- not all of it positive -- when they took in a Broadway performance of Wilson’s ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ this year during one of their date nights. Some griped that the first couple and their security entourage shouldn’t have shuttled up to Manhattan on the taxpayers’ tab.

-- Mike Boehm

Related stories:

The latest news and analysis about the G20

The Obamas give their regards to Broadway

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