“Play Outside” Painted Piano

The Play Outside piano was an interactive experience combining art and music on one instrument that anyone and everyone can play. Throughout July 2018, all individuals could access the piano in the courtyard of the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum to express themselves and have fun. One of the primary goals of this project was to foster community pride through collaborations between locals, visitors and artists. The Creative District, Music Festival, and Museum, together, selected Richard Buchannan, a graduate from Western State Colorado University to be paid paint the piano using his unique style of painting textural hands. When describing the project, the Music Festival’s Executive Director Christa Ryan said, “the piano is an amalgamation of Crested Butte, a physical display of the artistic, creative and amusing qualities and individuals who make up our community.”