The beat-up scratched and, in some instances, graffiti laden pianos that travelled across the US and are now in the possession of Mission Solano, Fairfield's homeless outreach. The once loved 13 upright and 1 baby grand pianos travelled in three 18-wheeler trucks, along with office furniture, from the Disabled Veterans National Foundation in Washington D.C.
"They look like orphaned pianos," said Rod Malloy, chief operations officer at Mission Solano. "They're definitely well-worn, tired and abandoned." Mission Solano worked with Charity Services International to have the free furniture delivered to them, which helps the homeless get back on their feet.
"What we try to do with everything we get is to use it some way for the homeless and poverty-stricken," said Ron Marlette, founder of Mission Solano. "The pianos are unique and we want to keep them doing what they do best, for music. Things like this do more than help the homeless; they help the community." She said the pianos could help bring awareness to Mission Solano's work and encourage the community to help even more. "The pianos add to the flavor of it all."
Mission Solano was chosen to receive the furniture and the pianos because it works with homeless veterans at its Bridge to Life Center."The furniture has to benefit veterans in some way," Malloy said. "We can't sell anything; we have to put it all to use. It's a pretty large amount of high-end furniture."
Most of the furniture is now in storage, awaiting the completion of two education centers to be built at the Beck Avenue Center. Malloy said Mission Solano initially asked for letters of interest from people who might take the pianos; however, there was little follow-through with potential owners. Mission Solano is now asking artists of all ages to come up with a design for each piano, which could then be distributed around the county for residents to play. This similar to the "Play Me, I'm Yours" art project that visited New York and San Jose last year, with brightly painted pianos placed around the cities, along with open invitations for residents to play and enjoy them.
Cynthia Garcia, volunteer board member of the Fairfield Visual Arts Association, is excited about the potential for the Mission Solano pianos. "This will be a phenomenal project. There are so many different ways to take this idea," she said. Garcia notes that a lot of planning has yet to be done, factoring in such things as safety, weather proofing the pianos, tuning and maintenance.
thereporter.com
