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On September 13, 2018, the Arlington Heights Memorial Library officially began their piano project. Six artists have decorated pianos that have been placed throughout Arlington Heights. And several residents of the village donated their pianos for the art exhibition. The pianos were located through Friday, October 12 at Harmony Park, Arlington Heights Metra Station, Northwest Community Healthcare Wellness Center Lobby, Senior Center Patio, Arlington Heights Memorial Library Dunton Avenue Entrance and the library’s Underground Garage Entrance. Below are the names of the artists and where their pianos were located.

Preeti Iqbal – Village Landscape

Specializing in watercolor art since 2002, Preety Iqbal worked in information technology as she honed her skills as an artist. She volunteers at WINGS resale store in Niles and donates her art to many silent auctions. Iqbal was inspired by the library and the One Book, One Village program. She designed her piano with expanisve green meadows with mountains and a bright blue sky. Additionally, she used a field of flowers to bring out some more color. Her piano was featured at the Northwest Community Healthcare Wellness Center at 900 W. Central Road.

Violet Jaffe – Reaching Toward Joy

Violet Jaffe has painted for more than 30 years and studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She told a personal story with her piano. Her grandfather had ALS and was cared for by her grandmother. A recent entry in the One Book, One Village collection, Every Note Played, brought many of her feelings about watching her family as they dealt with the disease. She used the image of a raven to illustrate death and bluebirds to sumbolize joy and life. Lastly, she included chained hands to describe her grandfather’s paralysis and fear. Her piano was featured at the Library’s first floor and will be on display starting October 15.

Anthony Lewis – Video Disruption #3

Anthony Lewis works as an artist, writer, and video technician. He draws from hsi work in video engineering through his painting and texture. His piano continues a line of work that he has presented across Chicago over the past years. He uses the iconic test pattern image from television to create conversation between generations. With nostalgia for some and lack of knowledge of test patterns, Lewis wanted to reshape the musical instrument. The piano was located at the Library’s Underground Parking entrance.

Teresa Meyanci – Once Upon a Tune

Teresa Meyanci has many artistic talents from sketching to painting to actually playing the piano she painted for this exhibit. In her design, she wanted to showcase how music can transport you anywhere your imagination can go. She uses kraken and pirate ship images, characters from fairy tales, and a magical forest with a dragon on a castle tower to create that story. The piano was located at Harmony Park on the corner of Vail and Campbell Streets.

Tara Riley – Grow Wild

A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1988, Tara Riley has created her own work and taught many others to explore their creativity. With many art exhibitions throughout her career, she worked as a substitute art teacher in school districts 211 and 214. For her piano, she took inspiration from Gustov Kimt’s The Kiss. She used mosaic tile work, metallic work, and jewels to combine Art Nouveau with inspiration for her own garden. The piano was located at the Senior Center courtyard at 1801 W. Central Road.

Tom Rybarczyk – Rainbow Zebra

For 31 years, Tom Rybarcyzk worked as a graphic artist. Over the past few years, he has worked as a watercolor artist and is the committee chairperson for the Arlington Heights Art Guild. He wanted to create a powerful and fun piano that included a colorful zebra print and musical notes. He used pattern and design to help people experience the sound of music without having to touch a single black or white key. His piano was inside the Arlington Heights Metra Station at 45 W. Northwest Highway.

If you are interested in seeing some of these wonderful pieces of art, check out the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, where they will be on display for a limited time. The Law Offices of R.F. Wittmeyer, Ltd. continue to work to bring as much art and culture to the northwest suburbs through create work with the Northwest Cultural Council.

This special local project helped to raise awareness for the arts and support for the library.  The pianos are all on display on the first floor of the Arlington Heights Library through November 7th.