Playable Pianos For Visitors To City Market

The beauty of music can be found at the Indianapolis City Market.  “Spark” is offering two refurbished pianos painted by local artists Quincy Owens and Rita Spalding for the public to enjoy.

The American Pianists Association teamed up with Big Car and City Market to bring music to Spark.

With a nod toward the 2017 American Pianists Awards that begin this fall, visitors to Spark Pianos are encouraged to “play like a winner” when they sit down to play. But you don’t have to know how to play to enjoy them.

Lee Clifford with the American Pianists Association, says “there’s a visual beauty that we are bringing to the market as well. If you can’t appreciate or don’t know how to play the piano, you can just take in the work of art” 

“Rita Spalding’s grand piano is titled 'Fragile Things/Tenacious Things,'" Clifford says. "The variety of robins’ eggs, quails’ eggs and songbirds’ eggs represent the wide diversity of people who will hopefully be playing and enjoying this piano.” 

Quincy Owens was given an upright piano for the project.  It's colorful and kind of messy, “it has the look of a childish painting so kids are attracted to it,” says Owens.

Spark pianos will be in place at the City Market through the end of October. Pop up performances are also planned by American Pianists Awards past winners and current finalists.

To join the social conversation about this project, use hashtags #AmericanPianistsAwards, #circlespark, #CitySparket and #bigcarcollaborative and follow:

• Facebook: American Pianists Association, Spark Placemaking, Indianapolis City Market and Big Car Collaborative
• Instagram: @APApianists, @sparkplacemaking, @indycm, @bigcarpix
• Twitter: @APApianists, @citysparket, @IndyCM, @bigcar