Make beautiful music with Downtown Barrie’s newest public art installation

"Play Me"

Downtown Barrie’s latest art installation will bring music to your ears.

Michelle Hardie had seen public pianos in other cities, and wanted to bring “some of that same light to Barrie“. She started her mission, scouring kijiji, making some phone calls and eventually finding a piano that was being offered for free. Michelle then got in touch with Councillor Mike McCann, who directed her to the City of Barrie’s poet laureate Victoria Butler. The rest, as they say, is history.

“The whole entire process took 6 weeks, from inception to installation, thanks to Victoria. She just ran with it and expedited the entire process”

Michelle Hardie
Michelle Hardie (l) and Victoria Butler (r) play a little tune in downtown Barrie

This is Michelle’s first project with her organization, “Millions of Miracles,” a company that is focused on implementing community-based projects throughout the City of Barrie. After Hardie found the piano, the community rallied around the project to get the piano to it’s current home in Meridian Place. Hardie arranged for the piano to be moved to Art in House, where owners Mar and Jon Lewis allowed local artist Bhreagh Campbell to use their space to design and create the artwork. Andy Thompson of Thompson Architecture also donated his expertise, designing and building a small rooftop for the piano to help keep it safe from the elements.

Public pianos have been implemented all over the world as a means of community engagement

These installations are intended to “invite people from all walks of life to participate, observe, listen, and come together over a shared love of music“. Depending on the community’s response to the first public piano, the City could investigate expanding the “piano program” and bringing public pianos to all sorts of parks and public spaces around Barrie.

Hopefully we’ll be able to have a program next summer and have these pianos all over Barrie, and commission local artists to paint them”

Victoria Butler

You can find the public piano in the heart of Meridian Square in downtown Barrie.

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