Keys in the Cities returns pianos to Lansing, East Lansing
Aspiring pianists have a new venue in downtown East Lansing.
An East Lansing-themed piano was installed outside the Marriott Hotel at M.A.C. and Albert avenues Monday afternoon.
The piano is the latest installment in the Keys in the Cities program, which places brightly-decorated pianos in public gathering places throughout Lansing.
Larry Grudt, executive director for Keys in the Cities, said about a dozen donated pianos have been decorated and installed in Lansing and East Lansing. Grudt said the project — organized through Lansing art gallery Keys to Creativity — is in its second year.
“People really enjoyed them," Grudt said. "They got a lot of play.
“Hopefully, next year, we’ll be on course to go statewide."
Pianos located outdoors will stay in place through mid-October, while those located indoors will remain year round. Host locations commit to covering the pianos at night and in inclement weather.
Most of the pianos are painted by artists at the Keys to Creativity art gallery.
Grudt said anyone — from the novice musician to the accomplished performer — can take a turn on the ivory keys.
“It’s community improvement, it’s the arts, it's culture,” Grudt said. “The other towns that had this going on, they found it to be a big improvement for their community.”
Paul Vetne and Marcus Cottom, owners of JiveOne5even, decorated the East Lansing piano. The instrument sports a boom box top and exterior that mimics the East Lansing “hamster cage” parking structure.
A large mitten attached to the front of the piano is decorated with the Spartan “S” and sheet music for the Michigan State University fight song.
Vetne said the design was a product of trial and error.
“This has been a nightly endeavor for about a month,” he said. “We put out heads together and this came out of it.”
Contact Beth LeBlanc at (517) 377-1167, eleblanc@gannett.com, or on Twitter @LSJBethLeBlanc.
Keys in the Cities locations
Marriott Hotel, 300 M.A.C. Avenue, East Lansing
Sweet Lorraine’s Fabulous Mac ‘n’ Cheez!, 547 E. Grand River Ave, East Lansing
Wharton Center, 750 E. Shaw Lane, East Lansing
Sparrow Hospital Professional Building, 1200 E. Michigan Avenue, Lansing
Everybody Reads, 2019 E. Michigan Avenue, Lansing
Allen Neighborhood Center, 1611 E. Kalamazoo St., Lansing
Old Town General Store, 408 E. Grand River Ave., Lansing
South Lansing Farmers Market at St. Casimir Parish, 800 W. Barnes Ave., Lansing
Near JC Penney at Lansing Mall, 5330 West Saginaw Highway, Lansing
Keys to Creativity Event Gallery at Lansing Mall, 5746 W. Saginaw Highway, Lansing
No Name Park at Abbot Road and Albert Avenue in East Lansing (coming soon)