Street Pianos to be unveiled Monday
Mackenzie Sheldon (left) and Jazmine “Jazz” Fiore
The Fredonia Street Piano Project II unveiling is slated for Monday, May 13 at 6 p.m. in Mason Hall Room 1075 at SUNY Fredonia.
The public is welcome to attend and meet artists Ibi Sonne Amhild, Jazmine “Jazz” Fiore, and Mackenzie Sheldon, and share in a mini-performance on each of the pianos, followed by a brief reception.
Amhild is a 17-year-old exchange student from Denmark, currently living and going to Fredonia Central School. Her project features illustrations of different eyes, and is titled, “See Yourself Here.” In applying for the project, she noted, “I want to leave my mark on Fredonia before I go back to Denmark.”
Fiore is from Sauquoit, NY, and a sophomore Visual Arts major at SUNY Fredonia. Her project is a surrealist portrait of a body of water with various surrounding plants, with the main focus being various koi fish in and under the water.
Sheldon is a Fredonia native and a SUNY Fredonia alumna. She earned a master’s degree in Art Education at Ohio State University and is one of two art teachers at Fredonia Middle School. Her project, “Four Legged Best Friends” features local pets and flowers.
The Fredonia Street Piano Project places artist-designed pianos in public spaces in SUNY Fredonia, the village of Fredonia, and the city of Dunkirk for anyone and everyone to play in an open festival of art.
The project is sponsored by Big L Windows & Doors through the Fredonia College Foundation. Bill Horbett Sr., president of Big L, and retired marketing director Tom Walker, were part of the Department of Theatre in the 1970s. Mr. Horbett, who earned a degree in Theatre, and Mr. Walker pursued careers in theatre in New York City before returning to Western New York. They never lost their passion for the arts and dedicated their sponsorship to the memory of Horbett’s son, James, a musician and composer, and Walker’s wife, Diane Gaidry, a film actress.
The project receives additional support from the Fredonia School of Music, Department of Theatre and Dance, and Department of Visual Arts and New Media.
