This week and next, Worcester residents can sit down and play the piano—on the streets of the city.
Worcester officials installed four pianos for public use: one outside City Hall, one at The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, one at 72 Shrewsbury Street, and one at Peace Park. Local artists painted each of the instruments, and the fun began with a concert at each piano last Friday afternoon.
The city is sponsoring the effort, partnering with C.C. Lowell Art Supply Company and Massachusetts Pianocraft. The program is similar to ones taking place all over the world, in cities as far apart as Boston and Melbourne.
Edward M. Augustus Jr., the city manager, said people can play the instruments, or simply take a look at them as pieces of art. The goal is to get people thinking and engaging with the instruments in a different way. When the program winds up, the city will donate the pianos to local schools.
Docents are keeping any eye on the pianos, and covering them if the weather turns nasty. There has not been any vandalism thus far, and Augustus said he did not expect any, since there has been a piano sitting in Kelley Square for weeks without incident.
Communities like Worcester might add to the fun and whimsy of public art projects by adding Banners, which are sturdy and work well outdoors, to the installations.
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