Angelica Ramos
Contributing Writer
BLACKSBURG – Rita Brame, the artist who painted the Stella Rose piano that was once on Draper Road, spoke to the Blacksburg Town Council with a presentation showing them how much the now broken Stella Rose meant to the surrounding community.
At Tuesday’s council meeting Brame also showed photos of the process she took to paint the piano, stating that she attached a canvas to the back of the piano because it was missing a back. Brame, in her presentation, displayed social media posts and comments from community members conveying their sadness regarding the now damaged piano.
“The piano,” Brame read from one of the social media posts originally by Christian White, “brought a lot of joy to people walking down Draper Street. I have heard and met some phenomenal musicians at the piano. Furthermore, Beats in the Streets has become an essential peaceful gathering of creative people from both local and college communities, which is something we need more of.”
Brame showed the Blacksburg Town Council the Town of Christiansburg’s Public Arts policy. In a previous discussion regarding the Stella Rose to the Blacksburg Town Council, Brame stated that Blacksburg does not have a Public Arts policy.
Hart Fowler, local musician and independent journalist for 16 Blocks Magazine, spoke to the town council as well regarding the Stella Rose.
“If you don’t think,” Fowler said, “this was a piece of art, I don’t think you should be on any committee handling art in the future. If you just think this was a decorated piano, I don’t think that qualifies you to be on a public arts committee or to have the ability to handle future pianos.”
Council Member Susan Mattingly, during council announcements, announced that they have obtained a replacement piano that just needs to be tuned and delivered. This is the fourth piano, the council confirmed, to be placed in Downtown Blacksburg.
“It’s fair to say,” Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith said, “that when they live in the wild and they are outside that they don’t last the same length of time that a piano in your front parlor would last.”
