CEDARBURG NEWS

Cedarburg's new outdoor street piano is ready to be played

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The new piano outside the Community Center Gym was painted by Cedarburg High School art students.

CEDARBURG - People walking through downtown Cedarburg may soon hear the sounds of piano wafting through the summer air.

There are no guarantees that the music will be good, but that's just one of the risks that comes with placing a piano in a public place.

Cedarburg Alderman Jack Arnett said he read about the trend of street pianos in a magazine.

The idea originated 15 years ago in Sheffield, England, where Doug Pearman was unable to lift his piano up the steps of his new house, according to The Guardian. His cousin Hugh Jones decided to leave the piano on the sidewalk and attached a sign inviting passersby to play the piano.

The concept has since been replicated across the world. Artist Luke Jerram has installed more than 1,800 pianos across 60 cities worldwide, according to streetpianos.com. The pianos are decorated with the phrase "Play me, I'm yours."

Last fall, Arnett introduced the possibility of a street piano to his colleagues on the Cedarburg Public Art Committee. The city put out a call for used pianos, and Tom and Donna Tanel offered to donate two old pianos they had acquired years ago from Cedarburg High School. One of the pianos was placed outside the Community Center Gym, and the other one was placed inside the building.

The committee tapped art students from Cedarburg High School to paint the piano in a way that would meet Cedarburg's "Summer of Love" theme for this summer's events. The purple paint is accented with fluorescent lines and circles that conjure up imagery from the original Summer of Love in 1967. The students painted "Play Me, I'm Yours," the same phrase used on hundreds of street pianos across the world.

The idea behind Cedarburg's version of the "Summer of Love" will be introduced during Cedarburg's first Summer Sounds concert of the year on Friday, June 15.

Cedarburg officials placed a piano in front of the Community Center Gym on June 5 that invites passersby to "Play me." Pictured are (from left) Alderman Jack Arnett, artist Paul Yank, Alderman Kristin Burkart, Parks and Recreation Director Mikko Hilvo and Cedarburg High School art teacher Deb Mortl.

"The Summer of Love is about our love for our community, the events in our community and our love for the arts," said Mikko Hilvo, director of Cedarburg's Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry. "It promotes community togetherness."

The piano will remain under the overhang of the Community Center Gym until September. In the event of a severe storm, Hilvo said he may move the piano inside or cover it with a tarp.

Cedarburg's Public Arts Committee has been active since it was re-established three years ago. Last year, the city received two donated art pieces: the "Joy" sculpture outside city hall and a metal sculpture of family members holding hands in Centennial Park. The committee also encouraged community members to paint "peace poles" in Cedar Creek Park three years ago.

The public arts committee is also organizing a public arts walk, which would point people to artsy attractions such as the mural at the corner of Bridge Road and Washington Avenue; the sculpture outside the Cedarburg Fire Department and the frog outside Partnership Bank. Hilvo said he expects the directory of public art sites to be finished by the end of the summer.