I have been researching the spectacle of global Insta-tourism, following and photo-documenting travelers in the most Instagram-able destinations such as Greenland, Iceland, Mauritius, and Sicily—and in North America, the National Parks and Monuments of the west. In May 2019, I continued this work in Tasmania. As an artist-in-residence at the University of Tasmania Cradle Coast, I created this project. Titled A Place Remembered and Imagined, it involves a collaboration with the local community for whom a spectacular, pristine nature was a part of everyday life.
While electronic devices serve as intermediaries in the travelers’ experience—allowing for curating of the experience for an online audience—my own studio practice in response to the phenomenon is painstakingly slow paced. Thinking of the landscape as a space half-remembered, half-imagined, I paint large scale paper scrolls to be displayed as free standing, contemplative installations. I have also been examining how the pandemic—disrupting global tourism and travel—has altered our perception of the outdoors, which has now become a safe space. Local state parks, city parks and greenways have become a refuge for those living in the cities, including many who have never considered themselves outdoorsmen.
Maja Godlewska is a professor at the College of Arts and Architecture, Charlotte, NC. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the Academy of Fine and Design Arts, Wroclaw, Poland, and received a postgraduate scholarship at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin. Her work has been exhibited internationally in more than 100 solo and group shows. In addition to receiving numerous grants and fellowships, she has participated in artist-in-residence programs in South and North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Pianos About Town is a collaborative project between the City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places Program, Bohemian Foundation, and the Downtown Development Authority. The 2023 season begins in May and marks the 13th year for the program, 158 murals have been painted.
Pianos About Town combines art and music for the enjoyment of the community. Each summer, a new piano is painted every two weeks allowing the public to interact with artists as they work. The completed pianos rotate to locations throughout Fort Collins, inviting people to admire the artwork and play a tune.
When the pianos are no longer playable, they are disassembled and what isn’t recyclable is offered to artists to create new projects. When the pianos are prepared for painting, plywood panels are added to the back to give the artists a flat surface to paint. A selection of painted plywood panels from past piano murals are featured in this exhibit. They are from:
Amanda Acheson, Bikes About Town, 2015
Jenna Allen, Sugar Beets, 2014
Elisa Gomez, Wonderland, 2019
Michael Ryan, Edges of the Day, 2012
Anne Thouthip, Red Poppies, 2016
For more information about the program visit, fcgov.com/artspublic and @focoart on Instagram.
We are accepting applications for artists to paint pianos in 2023. The deadline is February 28. Learn more at fcgov.com/pianos.