Yep...It's GOING to Happen Here in the Omaha/Council Bluffs/Bellevue Area!

 That's right...Luke Jerram's world famous "Play Me, I'm Yours" art exhibit is coming to America's 43rd largest city...the very same burg from which this blog originates. 

The Omaha Creative Institute (1516 Cuming St., 68102) has teamed up with the "PMIY" folks to put colorfully-decorated street pianos in public places all over the area...something Luke launched in 2008 in Birmingham, England (and all of that with the express hope of just getting people to interact with each other). 

And it doesn't matter what your skill level is when it comes to playing the piano. Whether you're a concert pianist, all thumbs at the 88s, or anyplace in between...it's all about interacting with other people.  

Since that first exhibit, Jerram and Co. have taken "Play Me" almost all around the world. It's been to cities such as Sao Paulo, Brazil; Barcelona, Spain; Pecs, Hungary; Toronto, ON, Canada; London, Bath, and Cambridge, England; and Sydney, Adelaide, and Perth, Australia...to say nothing of American cities like New York City, NY; Cincinnati, OH; San Jose, CA; Grand Rapids, MI; Austin, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; and what previously was the smallest of America's "Play Me, I'm Yours" cities- Salem, OR. (Oregon's capital city had 156,244 people in it during 2011, the year before it- along with LA and SLC- boasted its own set of painted pianos.) 

This year's very first "PMIY" city, Monterey, CA (one of five cities signed up thus far in 2013; all but one of the cities are here in the US), has fewer people than Salem. This city of 28,246 just got through showing off its painted pianos...and that's something also about to happen next month in Munich, Germany (and about to be done in two other American cities besides Omaha, NE: Cleveland, OH and a city that really could use that lift right now...Boston, MA).

The Big O gets its turn during the late August-early September period.

But it can't happen without the pianos themselves.

So...if you'd like to donate (or know of somebody who'd like to donate) an old upright, an old spinet, and/or even an old grand (and/or if you know of a warehouse in which the pianos can be worked on and- yes- prettied up), call or email Natalie Shaw, OCI's development coordinator. She can be reached at 402 669-9807 and at natalie@omahacreativeinstitute.org.  

And to get the real lowdown on past, present, and future "Play Me, I'm Yours" exhibitions, just log on to www.streetpianos.com. 

I'm fired up about "Play Me" coming to Nebraska's largest city. How about you?