Pianos Come Out to Play in Santa Barbara

That lovely, lively, joyful time of the year is almost upon us: the annual Pianos on State interactive public art and music experience that hits the streets of Santa Barbara every autumn. The colorfully painted pianos will be displayed along State Street October 3-23, and they’ll even have additional pianos at the New Vic (home to Ensemble Theatre Company, 33 W. Victoria St.), on Stearns Wharf, and at the Santa Barbara Airport — all placed strategically for the community to play, listen, and enjoy.

This year’s selected artists are Amanda Harris, Babymoet, Brett Renee, Catalina Bertola, Hello Coyote, Elina (Suzy) Lopez Garza, Elzy Sherlock, Jenn Swain, Madeleine Gendreau with friends and family, Matt Rodriguez, Mia Franco, Stephanie Ingoldsby and Rebecca Zendejas, Stephen Harper, and Vandana Khare — all of who will come together for a weekend of piano-painting fun at the Community Arts Workshop (CAW) prior to the October 3 piano displays.

A fun new show is also happening at CAW this year, as artists who have painted at least two pianos for Pianos on State in past years were invited to participate in the Pianos on State Retrospective Gallery Show, which will be on view in CAW’s Little Gallery September 28–October 15, with a reception on September 29 from 5:30-8 p.m. “The core of Pianos on State is bringing people together. Our amazing community of artists are essential to making this project come to life. We are thrilled to honor some of our previous piano-painters and celebrate their work as prolific artists within the region,” stated CAW spokesperson Adrienne De Guevara. The artists whose work will be on view at the retrospective show, curated by De Guevara and Kai Tepper of Children’s Creative Project, are Sharyn Chan, David Diamant, Mike Irwin, Adam Janke, Jack Mohr, Jami Joelle Nielsen, Judy Nilsen, Matt Rodriguez, and Sara Wilcox.

“These artists are creative professionals representing a diverse range of practices and careers within the creative sector. From gallery owners to arts educators, entrepreneurs, and full-time artists, these are the creatives who help inspire the rest of us on a daily basis,” said De Guevara.

For a map of all the piano locations, please visit pianosonstate.com/map.