The Arts Council of Princeton recently concluded April Arts, a month-long celebration of art and culture within the Princeton Community. The kickoff event, the Piano Project, delighted audiences with strategically placed upright pianos available to play throughout town.
Adam Welch, the Executive Director of The Arts Council of Princeton, describes the Piano Project as an active performance installation.
“We wanted to create public artwork and put it around town,” says Welch.
The process for the piano project started back in November with some community outreach. The project received thirty people interested in donating their pianos, and many of those were selected based on their locations.
Participants knew the pianos would be decorated by local artists, which were held by the Arts Council for several months until placed on the streets.
Welch says, “ We had a couple of people who donated their pianos that came by to watch how they were being painted, so they felt like they were part of the event which is really great.”
The artists involved were also proud of their work, often working in multiple sessions spread out over several weeks to achieve the final products.
Leon Rainbow, a local Trenton graffiti artist, was excited to contribute his piece.
“I feel like street art and graffiti is a worldwide art movement.” says Rainbow, adding, “I feel like bases on Princeton feels like unrepresented, it feels like a little more conservative but at the same time, especially graffiti and street art exhibits.”
When asked to describe the meaning of each artwork, Welch shared that each artist had their unique components.
“I love Leon’s because there’s that sort of tag graffiti look, and there’s sort of life, lively and spunky,” says Welch.
Stephanie and Naomi Nazario, a mother-daughter team, decorated a piano placed in Hinds Plaza. The instrument, placed next to the Princeton Public Library, drew lots of attention. The duo were inspired by crochet artists on Tik Tok.
Welch says, “As a mother-daughter team, they decided well lets crochet with these plastic bags as a callout to Princeton’s plastic ban. It’s a way of reusing, and repurposing, and upcycling.”
The pianos were loved not only by locals, but online as well. “I think it exceeds our expectations,” says Welch. “It’s been really great, our social media has been blowing up.”
But most importantly, Welch is excited by the aspects of art and community the project inspired.
He says, “I was driving through town,” shares Welch “and I was at the stoplight near Leon’s piano and I see a woman, probably a teenager, playing this beautiful music. It just made me stop and daydream.”
