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GRAND FORKS – Hillary Kempenich said moving, sanding and priming an upright piano inside the buildings of Altru Health System caused quite a stir March 8. As she used a small paintbrush to create bright green leaves on the piano later that afternoon, Kempenich said she's excited to be a part of Project 88, a public art initiative.
"I know public art projects can be hard, but people don't normally think of this space as public, so it's different," she said. Her piece was on the second floor lounge of the Altru Rehabilitation Center.
Kempenich's design was inspired by her daughters, aged 8 and 11, and features brightly colored birds, foliage and bicycles. She applied online to be a Project 88 artist.
Project 88 is a coordinated effort between the Grand Forks Public Arts Commission, North Valley Arts Council, University of North Dakota Student Group Project 88 and the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks (Minn.) and Region.
In East Grand Forks, Mary Ann Austin's Project 88 piano titled "A Secret Place," which features birch trees and flowers, sits outside Mama Maria's restaurant in the River Cinema Mall.
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Artist Lillian Stegman was going to begin painting her Project 88 piano in the Grand Cities Mall last week.
The pianos are the second large PAC project this year, according to Forum News Service archives. The first was "Ghosts," farm equipment that was painted white and installed in January in a field along South 42nd Street in Grand Forks.
Kempenich said the piano she's working on is fully functional, and she hoped her daughters would join her as she worked on the piece.
