ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Three colorful pianos will be unveiled during the finale of this summer’s Top of the Park events in June.
University of Michigan students will work between May 1 and June 21, to paint bold student-submitted designs and place the instruments at three locations around downtown Ann Arbor.
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Called Community Keys, the project is the brainchild of U-M School of Kinesiology student Ashley Gray.
“In my hometown of Danville, California, painted pianos were placed throughout unique public spaces,” she said in a release. “The sounds of the piano lingered throughout the halls and streets of downtown, calling for pedestrians to walk over and tickle the ivories. Although these ‘art exhibits’ were temporary, it left a special imprint on community members. I am eager to see the school community unified by such a unique experience. The power of music is universal!”
Pianos will be showcased at:
- Michigan Theater (603 E. Liberty St.)
- Ann Arbor Farmers Market (315 Detroit St.)
- U-M Shapiro Library (919 S. University Ave.)
Each piano will be painted with a design submitted by a University of Michigan student. This year’s designers include Biochemistry student Vivien Wang, Earth & Environmental Science student Avery Jura and students from the Michigan Sport Business Conference.
The project was first proposed to the U-M Arts Initiative Collaborative Projects funding program, which awards money to ideas that help community members engage with large-scale art projects.
“The mission of the U-M Arts Initiative is to support our faculty and students in making big, bold, and beautiful ideas come to life. Ashley Gray’s Community Keys not only invites everyone—on campus and off—to enjoy and even to make music, it sends a vital message about how art brings us together as a community,” said Arts Initiative interim director Mark Clague in a release. “That the grand finale of the whole project will come together at this year’s Ann Arbor Summer Festival couldn’t be more perfect.”
Community Keys will be done in partnership between the U-M Arts Initiative and Ann Arbor Summer Festival (A2SF).
This summer, A2SF will offer more than 200 art exhibits, concerts, film screenings, kids activities and both free and ticketed events between June 14-30.