We're making it even better by spreading the joy of music everywhere — with free public pianos, transformed into playable art by Chicago-based artists.
Our mission is to provide free access to pianos in public spaces in Chicago. At the same time, we commission Chicago-based artists to transform the pianos into "playable art."
Founded by John McCarthy, Chicago Plays works with local artists, donors, and host sites to provide free access to pianos in public spaces in Chicago.
We accept donated pianos, commission artists to transform them into public works of art, and place the pianos at host sites to serve as “playable art.”
A stencil collage of birds, bees and butterflies. A tribute to the large importance of these small creatures to our environment.
This piano transforms into a stage where two warriors meet in a dance of harmony. Moving through a garden of cherry blossoms, they do not clash with swords but with music itself — notes crossing, tangling, and rising into a melody. Their duel becomes a song of love and trust, where rhythm replaces rivalry and sound blossoms into beauty.
This baby grand is a vibrant abstraction of color inspired by the state of flow I entered into while painting — a space where time disappears and creation moves freely. Much of this piece was made with my hands and fingers, the same tools that will be used to play this piano by whomever passes by. Art has a way of creating a ripple effect. A song becomes a painting, a painting evokes a feeling, and that feeling becomes inspiration passed from one person to another. My hope is that anyone who sits at this piano finds their own state of flow. So take a seat, play a song, and become part of the creative journey; your song may just inspire someone.
The freestyle, wispy lines represent how I appreciate music for its many forms, shapes, and flow that it can take on. So versatile, it's never static nor is it ever dormant. Every piece of music is transformable with so much motion behind it.
The deep purple hue reminds us of the depths of space. The intermittent bursts of color and complexity remind us of life amid the vacuum. This piano allows us to make music to turn the vast emptiness into something more inhabitable.
With additional thanks to John and Kathy Gelsinon.
We are a 501(c)(3) organization. We depend on you. Here are a few ways you can help:
Keep the music going with a gift via Zelle, PayPal, or Venmo.
We're always looking for hosts for the next painted piano.
Interested in working on a piano? We'd love to hear from you.
We are a 501(c)(3) organization, and we depend on you to help us.
We are always looking for hosts. Please contact us at info@chicagoplayspiano.org.
Please contact us at info@chicagoplayspiano.org.
Recent coverage of Chicago Plays and its public pianos. Have a piece we're missing? Let us know.
John McCarthy, the founder of Chicago Plays, wants to bring art and music to residents across the city – he's doing it through free-to-play pianos.
A neighborhood profile of the project, following a piano outside County Fair Foods in Morgan Park and founder John McCarthy's plans to keep expanding citywide.
Founder John McCarthy joins Lisa Dent to talk through how Chicago Plays chooses locations, matches artists to instruments, and finds hosts for each piano.
Block Club Chicago's Jon Hansen joins Bob Sirott to recap the piano project as part of WGN's weekly roundup of Chicago neighborhood stories.
The origin story of the project — how a trip through European train stations and public piazzas turned into Chicago Plays' first painted pianos during the Beverly Art Walk.
Whether you're a host, an artist, a donor, or just someone who played one of our pianos and wanted to say thanks — we read every note.