In celebration of Hmong American Day on May 14th, the Appleton Public Library developed an initiative with WiLS Ideas to Action Funds, Community Chords: Engagement through Music & Art, that will bring everyone together through a shared love of music, art, culture, and literacy – all components that make Appleton a thriving community. As part of Community Chords, we are seeking donors to provide functional upright pianos and local artists to use the pianos as their canvas. The reinvented pianos will then be placed throughout the community to enjoy visually and play instrumentally throughout the month of May. After the pianos are placed, the public is encouraged to share their positive piano engagement experience on social media using #CommunityChordsAPL. Maintenance and cleaning of pianos will be done regularly, but piano players will be asked to sanitize them before and after every usage.
We are excited to highlight Hmong professionals and have them share their skills and narratives with our community.
The initial grant proposal was to have the project align with the Fox Cities Book Festival’s author visit from Kao Kalia Yang, who is Hmong-American, in October 2020. However, we decided to delay the project to align with Hmong American Day in May 2021 due to the rise of COVID-19. The change worked out well for us because it gave us more time to think through the process and design a project that included more Hmong programs. The cultural programming lineup includes a Hmong shaman who will share ritualistic music, a Hmong metalsmith who will teach children how to create their own chain bracelet using a three-coil model, a Hmong author who will lead a creative writing workshop, and more. All programs will be held virtually and revolve around the Community Chords project. We are excited to highlight Hmong professionals and have them share their skills and narratives with our community.
It is our mission to bring different demographics together to learn, know, gather, and grow, and Community Chords aspires to do just that.
Additionally, we are excited to work with local organizations and businesses to determine host locations for the pianos and to work with the selected artists to create video marketing that will introduce the artists and stories behind their designs to the public. We developed a Community Chords committee which selected five artists, many of whom come from culturally diverse backgrounds, to put their designs on the pianos. From the process of seeking artists, we’ve learned for next time to be clearer in our call for diverse designs. It was not a requirement to have designs centered on the Hmong, but the message must have been interpreted that way because all artists who submitted proposals created Hmong-inspired designs. We also learned that there is more paperwork required than we anticipated. We had to meet with our city’s Risk Manager, Attorney, and Parks and Recreation department to discuss logistics and ensure best practices.
Working on the project has been more exciting than anything else. It is our mission to bring different demographics together to learn, know, gather, and grow, and Community Chords aspires to do just that.