The notes of an Alexander Scriabin prelude rang out from the sunny, small backyard behind the Rosewater Market on Monday afternoon. Silas Berlin played them on a painted upright piano while workers watched during their afternoon breaks and fellow musicians waited their turns. Next, Mr. Berlin moved on to Chopin and Debussy.
The painted piano is a collaboration between musician Andy Herr and several Vineyard painters. It will be available at Rosewater Market for anyone to play every afternoon for the rest of the summer, from noon to 5 p.m. Mr. Herr, who teaches piano and guitar lessons, said he first saw a public piano installation in Boston in 2013.
“I decided I had to make this happen here,” he said.
The undertaking included many contributors. The installation required approval from the Edgartown board of selectmen. The piano was donated by Clarissa Crossland and stored at David Stanwood’s studio in West Tisbury. Jim Langando sanded and primed it. Artists Alexis Rusilla, Susie Herr, Jannette Vanderhoop and Lenston Daugherty 3rd, collaborated on the painting, which shows the ocean, a beach and a pond in the distance.
“At first we were thinking it was Stonewall, and then it looked kind of like Squibnocket,” said Ms. Vanderhoop as she listened to a song. “Then we figured it could be any beach.”
The other collaborators are yet to be determined, as performers of all experience levels are welcome, and audiences of all types are encouraged.
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