ATLANTA — A fresh wave of color and the sounding joy of black and white keys will echo through the rich streets of metro Atlanta as the Pianos for Peace festival launches its seventh year this fall.
It’s one of the largest public art displays and efforts to bring the arts to underserved communities in the city.
The organization aims to show that people can live together in peace.
Pianos will be scattered around the city during the festival starting on Friday, September 1. People can find them by downloading the app or by stumbling upon them on their weekend adventure.
With summer on its last leg, piano hands are getting warmed up. One of the colorful pianos can erupt into a full concert at any moment.
Reginald Laurent, the artist who added a spunk of color to the pianos, said that nature became his muse for this project.
“When I first saw a fall in Atlanta, the colors blew my mind. I’ve seen colors I have never seen,” Laurent said.
The artist added that his purpose was to create a world of harmony in the colors on the canvas.
“My job is to take all of the colors in the world and make them exist harmoniously on a canvas… something we struggle with in life,” he said.
Laurent said the project was a challenge he was up for.
“By far, one of the most unusual things. I knew that it would be a challenge and I knew that it would be an amazing work of art,” he added.
The founder of the organization, Malek Jandali, believes projects like Pianos for Peace bring unity to communities around the world.
“Peace is always taken for granted and we need to celebrate it. There is nothing better than music and art to celebrate peace and unite the community,” Jandali said.
Metro Atlanta students and artists also helped contribute to the project, allowing the gift of music to keep on giving.
“The majority of our students come from a minority background and opportunities aren’t just like this every day for them. So we are so grateful for Pianos for Peace allowing our students to design and paint one,” said Dr. Johana Strong, Utopian Academy for the Arts Principal.
The pianos can be located on the BeltLine, near Spelman College and even several MARTA stations during the festival. The festival will end on September 21.
Jandali said that all the pianos will be donated to Atlanta Public Schools, nursing homes, healthcare facilities and communities in need once the festival is over.