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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2015)
August 19, 2015 Page 11 Arts & ENTERTAINMENT A piano from Vancouver’s School of Piano Technology for the Blind is left vandalized over the weekend. Public Piano Hit by Vandalism The School of Piano Technology for the Blind’s “Keys to the City” program experi- enced its first-ever act of vandalism Satur- day evening when graffiti was sprayed on the front as well as on about half the keys of the “Renaissance” piano which was lo- cated along the Vancouver waterfront trail near McMenamin’s. “We are, of course, extremely disap- pointed and saddened at the loss of this beautifully painted piano,” said Julia Liu- dahl, administrative manager and founder of the Keys to the City program. “We will not, however, allow the actions of one in- dividual to stop us from offering this very popular program to our community. This act of senseless destruction is very disre- spectful not only to the school but also the artist who spent countless hours designing and painting this original work of art.” Each year Keys to the City pianos are Performance Night for Trans Lifeline A silent auction, open mic, and performance night celebration is slated for Friday, Aug. 21, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., at In Other Words Bookstore, 14 N.E. Killingsworth St., to help raise donations for Trans Lifeline, a non-profit ded- icated to the well-being of trans- gender people. The organization runs a cri- sis hotline staffed by transgender people for transgender people – the first and only of its kind. The fundraiser will include vegan food and gluten free beer, a silent auction with opportuni- ties to bid on and win local crafts, goods and services, a live visit from the People’s Priestess for Radical Confessions, and will be MC’d by Portland activist Alyssa Pagan. The event is open to all ages and the space is wheelchair ac- photo by O livia O livia /T he P orltand O bserver Activist Krystal Atkinson participates in the Trans Rights Rally last June during Gay Pride celebrations, downtown. cessible with gender-neutral re- strooms. Trans people of color are welcome to sign up for open mic spots in advance by emailing placed in popular public gathering spots for a 10-day celebration of music and art. The pianos are available and accessible to all, from very beginning players to virtu- osos. Funds raised through the program as- sist the School of Piano Technology for the Blind, the only school of its kind in the world, in fulfilling its mission of providing life-changing training to blind and visually impaired students. trans.open.mic@gmail.com. Oth- er performers can sign up the day of the event at 7 p.m. A sliding scale entry fee of $5 to $10 to support the fundraiser is recommended but not required. For more information about Trans Lifeline, visit translifeline. org. To learn more about the open mic, visit the Facebook community page, facebook.com/pages/Trans- Open-Mic/1000786149941525.