Play Me, I’m Yours by artist Luke Jerram comes to Salt Lake City: June 15-30, 2012 @ UMOCA

Contact: Danica Farley| danica.farley@utahmoca.org | 801.328.4201 x 115

www.utahmoca.org | 20 S West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

For Immediate Release:
June 4, 2012

Play Me, I’m Yours by artist Luke Jerram comes to Salt Lake City: June 15-30, 2012
Turn the streets of SLC into an improvised concert hall

Salt Lake City - The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art is pleased to announce that Play Me, I’m Yours by British artist Luke Jerram is coming to downtown Salt Lake City. This internationally-acclaimed public art installation will place 10 pianos on the sidewalks of downtown for the public to play. The pianos are painted by local contemporary artists and are one-of-a-kind works of art distinctive to the region.

Touring internationally since 2008, more than 500 pianos have been installed in 22 cities across the globe, from New York to Sydney, and now Salt Lake City, bearing the simple invitation ‘Play Me, I’m Yours.’ The project has reached more than two million people worldwide, with each new city that commissions the work becoming part of a growing legacy.

“With the pianos serving as blank canvases upon which people can share their own creativity, we invite our neighbors, co-workers, and fellow residents and visitors to the Wasatch Front play these instruments,” said Adam Price, UMOCA executive director. “Beyond solo playing, we encourage choirs, bands, other musical ensembles and even dancers to incorporate rehearsals or jam sessions at the piano sites.”

“The idea for Play Me, I’m Yours came from visiting my local launderette. I saw the same people there each weekend and yet no one talked to one another,” said Play Me, I’m Yours creator Luke Jerram. “I suddenly realized that within a city, there must be hundreds of these invisible communities, regularly spending time with one another in silence. Placing a piano into the space was my solution to this problem, acting as a catalyst for conversation and changing the dynamics of a space.”

In 2012, in addition to Salt Lake City, the artwork will be presented in London, Paris, and Geneva in June and Salem, Oregon in July, with more cities to follow. Websites are created uniquely for each city, acting as one of the legacies for the project while serving to connect the pianos and communities across the globe. The website for UMOCA’s presentation in Salt Lake City is www.slcstreetpianos.com. The public is invited to upload videos, photos, and stories to share their interaction with the pianos.

UMOCA’s presentation of Play Me, I’m Yours is supported by  Nordstrom, Bert and Lynnie Zimmerli, George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Daynes Music, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Arts , Salt Lake City Signature Event Fund, Downtown Alliance, Jarvis & Constance Doctorow Family Foundation, Mundi Project, Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts & Parks, Utah Arts Council, Salt Lake City Arts Council, City Weekly, and helpful piano minders at Jones Waldo, Celtic Bank, Squatters Pub Brewery, and the United States General Services Administration.

The public is invited to join UMOCA for an opening reception at UMOCA on June 15, 7-9 p.m., accompanied by local piano-biker and composer Eric Rich (as seen at the Downtown Farmers Market, visit http://ericrichmusic.com/pianobike for details). Play Me, I’m Yours is accompanied by a new exhibition at UMOCA, entitled Cantastoria.  Like Play Me, I’m Yours, Cantastoria also explores how artists use languages, music, messengers, and witnesses to tell stories about their own communities.

MEDIA IS INVITED TO A PRESS EVENT ON JUNE 14, 10 A.M. (IN FRONT OF UMOCA) WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS AND SPECIAL GUEST PERFORMANCES BY LOCAL PIANO PLAYERS. DETAILS TO FOLLOW.

Luke Jerram is a British artist (born 1974) whose multidisciplinary practice involves the creation of sculptures, installations, and live arts projects. Living in the UK but working internationally, Jerram has created a number of extraordinary art projects that have excited and inspired people around the globe. www.lukejerram.com

About UMOCA
The award-winning Utah Museum of Contemporary Art exhibits groundbreaking artwork by local, national, and international artists. Five gallery spaces provide an opportunity for the community to explore the contemporary cultural landscape through UMOCA’s exhibitions, films, events, classes, and presentations.

Founded in 1931, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art has been recognized as Best Museum in the State of Utah for 2011 and 2012 and a recipient of funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation.

Located at 20 S. West Temple; open Tuesday-Thursday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Friday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Saturday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. Admission is free. For more information call (801) 328-4201 or visit www.utahmoca.org.

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Danica Farley | Director of Communications | Utah Museum of Contemporary Art | 20 S. West Temple | Salt Lake City, UT 84101 | 801.328.4201 ext. 115