Tampa Tunes is a nonprofit organization founded by a prior WMNF Anchor, Josh Holton.
Holton created it to display painted pianos in public locations and grant 24-hour access to music for people in the community.
“We want to create a place where everyone can feel free to be themselves at any time. We want to bring music and art to the community, and we want the community to bring music and art to our partnership,” according to Tampa Tunes’.
“There’s something special about having a human musician playing the piano,” Holton said. “Then having the art on the piano being created by a person, coming out of their mind and through their creativity.”
The most recent piano is a baby grand hand-painted by Cuban-American artist Yunior. He worked on the project during a live event at 1920 Ybor on Wednesday. His other work lines the walls of the small gallery, including various portraits and an all-encompassing mural of Cuba.
Yunior’s piano painting has a portrait of a mermaid coming out of a wave alongside a white dove and a few goldfish. He said his inspiration was Florida’s ecosystem and highlighted how people should care for it.
“The musician will bring the music that reminds us about the ocean and different background noises that will promote us to take better care of the ocean and our environment,” Yunior told WMNF through a Spanish translator.
After Yunior finished painting, a 52-year local pianist, Paul Català, played three original songs.
The pianos can be found in six locations across Tampa Bay, including Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Crowbar Ybor, Marcolina’s Fine Arts Gallery, and 1920 Ybor.
Their debut was Jan. 6 this year. Six installments are already in place, and Tampa Tunes plans to have six more by the end of 2024.
“One of the things I want people to take away from this project is that human creativity needs to be prioritized,” Holton said. “The fact that we’re able to highlight human creativity from a visual and an audio standpoint is hopefully going to remind people of the fact that not only should they support artists. But they should take a leap and try something themselves.”
Holton said this initiative wouldn’t be possible without the artists, musicians, volunteers, and donors that include the Gobioff Foundation, Armando Personal Injury Law, Zi MED SPA, TPC Lending, and Insta Real Estate Solutions.
On Friday, Dec. 6, the organization will have a live performance at the Imagine Museum in St. Petersburg to debut their most recent painted piano and give a preview of what their permanent exhibit will entail.
The museum will permanently host Yunior’s painted piano after it travels to Miami this weekend to be featured in Art Basel.
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