(more photos below)
 

The Willoughby Arts Collaborative (WAC) is excited and proud to announce that The Painted Piano has been recognized as a 2025 Best of Cleveland Magazine editor pick in the category of Best Public Art Initiative! 

 

WAC is a nonprofit with a mission to create and support a community rich in the arts. WAC’s President, Pat Carroll Bonander said, “We are very grateful for this recognition and excited to continue our work- this year promises to be exciting and artful.”

 

Delinda Mariani, a practicing artist and dedicated K–8 art educator with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, teamed up with a talented group of young artists to complete this vibrant public art installation for the Willoughby Arts Collaborative. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art, Mariani works primarily in vitreous enamel, but is well versed in a variety of other mediums. 

 

The collaborative team included her two children—Nicholas Mariani, a visual artist and painting major in his junior year at the Cleveland Institute of Art, and Jacob Mariani, a performance artist and theatre major in his junior year at Kent State University—as well as Maya Sims, a visual artist and painting major in her sophomore year at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Together, the four artists combined their creative strengths to transform a piano into a striking visual centerpiece. 

 

The piano, now installed in front of Michael Stefan Salon, features a bold leopard print design inspired by the salon’s lush plant life. As a long-time client of the salon, Mariani envisioned a theme that would complement the greenery both inside and outside the space. The large leafy plants surrounding the salon evoked a jungle atmosphere—making it the perfect setting for a leopard print piano to call home. 

 

As Mariani explained, “Once the project began, the team worked seamlessly together, each artist contributing fluidly to the process. The finished piece has drawn significant attention from the community. The piano is available for anyone to walk up and play, inviting spontaneous creativity and interaction from passersby. This project exemplifies the power of collaboration, family, and community engagement through art.”

 

Special thanks to Michael Stefan Salon, a big supporter of the arts in Willoughby, for taking care of our piano and allowing it to reside outside the salon at 4082 Erie Street, Willoughby.

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WAC will be participating in Cleveland Magazine’s annual Best of Cleveland Party on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at the Great Lakes Science Center. Those at the party should look for the WAC table, we have tuned up an exciting surprise! Everyone else, please follow our social media for updates. More information is available on WAC’s website, www.willoughbyartscollaborative.org