If you walk through the Vernon Street Town Square, you may discover a new way to express yourself. Sitting in the middle of the Square is a colorful, upright piano. It rests quietly with 88 keys awaiting your fingertips. It’s a functional, open-air work of art, ready to be explored.
“It’s pretty cool to walk by at any given time of day to see and hear someone playing the piano,” said PR&L Superintendent Kristi LaRoche. “Some of the kids who sit at the piano have never touched a keyboard, then when they push the keys, they see that it creates music. What a fun way to learn.”
Part of a larger vision
This colorful addition to the Square is the result of several staffers working together to breath more life into the City’s vision for downtown.
“It all goes back to the Downtown Strategic Plan to create a vibrant downtown,” Kristi added. “This is another part of the plan - the Mural Project, the piano, the events that we have downtown. They’re all connected back to that development. You can see that Town Square has changed dramatically since the time that it opened to where it is today.”
Over time, we’ve seen the energy of the downtown area grow and expand. “You’re seeing totally different restaurants, vendors, and people who come to our downtown. I think that it all relates together to make Roseville such an awesome place,” Kristi stated.
The idea to place a piano downtown was initially presented by Dion Louthan (City Manager's Office) and Kathy Barsotti (PR&L). Both felt this would be an excellent idea for our city. The City partnered with Placer Arts who arranged for local artist Gia McNutt to decorate the piano with historically relevant images.
A second piano is to be decorated by McNutt with patriotic themes. It will make appearances throughout the year, possibly during the Fourth of July, Veteran’s Day, and other patriotically themed events. You may even discover both out at the same time. We may have dueling pianos on the doorstep of the Civic Center.
“I think that it’s just a cool thing,” Kristi added. “You expect something like this in larger cities – San Francisco, Chicago, and Minneapolis. You expect that type of thing in those cities, so that’s what makes Roseville so unique. This helps make our downtown really fun.”
The piano is scheduled to be downtown June through September.