About a month ago Lisa Glover, a Honesdale resident, saw a piano out on Main Street with a sign that said “free.”
She’s heard street pianos played before in big cities, like Boston.
"I figured this is the perfect chance we have to go for this," she said.
The wooden upright piano and the art project are for everyone. The entire surface of the instrument will be painted, minus the keys. Glover created design sheets for Wayne County residents to contribute to the piano’s final look. They’ll stencil out the art and create a paint by numbers system.
"These kinds of community art projects are so important because ... while it's great to be able to see a mural, it's even better to have been able to participate in designing or painting that yourself," she said.
The piano was outside of David Figura’s Brass & Woodwind Repair on Main Street. He’s in the process of downsizing his shop and moving a few doors down. The instrument was his late mother’s — a longtime dance teacher in the region — and in the basement of his shop. It was used for lessons.
He thinks Glover's art piano idea is great.
"My mom has had a long history with the town, being very community minded," he said. "I'm sure she'd be happy to see that it's making its way around Main Street.”
Glover made a plastic tarp for the piano. For now, it’s sitting outside the Dragons Den Games and Hobbies store and below the place that she calls home. She’s heard people stop by and play the Pink Panther theme and the Beatles’ “Let it Be” or just try and figure out a basic song.
"It's just so wonderful to hear people engaging with something free and fun," she said.
Glover is a member of the board of the Wayne County Arts Alliance. They received approval from borough council to house the art piano under the Fred R. Miller Pavilion on Main Street.
They're looking for a place to store the piano in the winter, she said, adding she hopes it can still be in a public place. They’re also looking for donations for the overall project. Those can be made by contacting the Wayne County Arts Alliance.
