Local artist Jill Wells designed a City Sounds piano in 2022. (Photo courtesy of City Sounds)
By Dan Ray
You know those meticulously painted pianos that mysteriously pop up around the city every summer? Maybe you’ve even stopped to play one? The one outside Raygun is my go-to.
In my head, the pianos are Des Moines’ own edition of “Toy Story”: They get together while we’re all asleep, paint each other like they’re applying sunscreen and scatter across the city to find us when we wake. In reality, the pianos are an annual project the local nonprofit City Sounds organizes to make music accessible to the public.
It all starts with a donated piano, usually from a church, estate or community member. Then, there’s a call for an artist to paint the instrument. And finally, when a local business applies to host, and the piano gets wheeled out and bolted down for the season.
“ We try to consider how each piano is telling a story,” City Sounds Director Monica Bollenbaugh said.
At the season opener, set for 2-4 p.m. May 16 at Mainframe Studios, organizers will reveal the locations for this year’s pianos. (Spoiler alert: Raygun is back.) It’ll be a gallery-style event where patrons can get a first look at the pianos and meet the artists who painted them. This year’s artists include Bradford Johnson, Mallory Leonetti, Carly McCoy, Abby Niederhauser, Cassandra Tant and Zane Vredenburg. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.
“ This is the one place you can see all six pianos unveiled together at the same time,” Bollenbaugh said.
After the opener, the pianos go out for the season, where the hosting businesses care for them. Come October, functional pianos are auctioned off at the annual Piano Smash. Pianos at the end of their lives have their art harvested and are offered to the public for smashing.
Apart from public pianos, City Sounds also offers music lessons and instrument storage at their Mainframe space. During First Fridays, they also offer live piano karaoke.
To buy tickets to the season opener or learn more about donating to or volunteering for City Sounds, visit citysoundsdsm.org or find them on IG: @citysoundsdsm.
Contributor Dan Ray is a musician and freelance journalist. She’s covered music, arts and culture stories for Seattle Mag, Little Village and dsm magazine.
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