Public piano builds community in Bigfork
Three children discovered the piano one afternoon. The lot of them squeezed onto a solitary bench, pounding out songs of their own creation. The eclectic melody bounced down Electric Avenue accented with their laughter. Nearby shopkeepers propped their doors open to listen and tourists paused their meandering to take in an idyllic slice of small-town life.
The Bigfork Art and Cultural Center’s public piano draws all kinds.
A colorful inscription above the ivories beckons “the young and the old” to sit and play for a while — and they do.
Actors from the playhouse across the street visit the piano between rehearsals, brightening the downtown corridor with their talents.
Passersby tickle the keys with remnants of childhood piano lessons, sometimes just a note or two, other times a simple song.
The piano is there for all of these musicians, big and small, from pupil to prodigy.
“It just brings us even closer together,” said Christine Russo, assistant to the director of the BACC. “When someone’s playing the piano … all of a sudden there’s just a cluster of people standing around the piano. It just puts a smile on people’s faces.”
The concept of a public instrument isn’t new — the street piano is said to have originated 16 years ago in Sheffield, England. Graduate student Doug Pearmen couldn’t lift his piano up the stairs to his new apartment so instead, he left the piano where it sat and placed a sign inviting any who happened upon it to sit down and play. The notion gained momentum in 2008 when British artist Luke Jerram placed 15 public pianos throughout the U.K. as part of his project, “Play Me, I’m Yours.”
Today, an estimated 1,900 street pianos exist in more than 60 cities throughout the world. Bigfork joined their ranks June 1 when they rolled out a Whitney Chicago piano painted by local artist Jill Gotschalk.
Cultural center volunteer Sandy Sanford introduced the idea, and the BACC board purchased the piano for $250 off Craigslist. For another $280, they moved the instrument to downtown Bigfork where Gotschalk spent more than a week bringing its shell to life with eye-catching acrylic florals.
“I think it was the dead of winter, so I was trying to make it bright,” Gotschalk said. “I used acrylic paints because they are bullet-proof and very light-safe, and then I put a polycrylic clear coat on top that gives it a little extra protection.”
An anonymous local donor contributed musical note stickers, which now adorn the piano’s keys to help the more amateur players pick out a tune.
BACC volunteer Lisa Johnson was placing said stickers when a group of children came up to her, Russo recalled.
“She knows how to play the piano herself so she was instructing them. It was kind of great — they were learning from her,” she said.
Cultural Center Executive Director Cheryl Hanes said one morning she arrived at work early to find a pianist from the playhouse already at the keys.
“I almost started crying,” Hanes said. “We are just thrilled that the community loves it.”
The piano will be on display for musicians and dabblers to enjoy during cultural center hours, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
“We will have the piano out there through summer and into fall — as long as weather cooperates,” Russo added.
On sunny days, the piano is particularly busy. Folks rotate in and out, offering their musical gifts for all to hear. The spirit of this small, artistic hub is alive and well. All you have to do is listen.
Reporter Mackenzie Reiss may be reached at mreiss@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4433.