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.