Common Chord is looking for new artists to help paint the town this year.

Submissions are now open for QC area artists to participate in creating new pianos for the OneSound Piano Project 2023 season. In addition to nine pianos returning as part of the permanent rotating exhibit, three new pianos will be created this year.

A couple of last year’s sites might fluctuate – but one of the pianos from last year didn’t survive the elements, so they will be making three new ones for a total of 12, Common Chord executive director Tyson Danner said Monday.

“It’s looking like most of the sites will stay the same but we’ll have some room for additional new ones too,” he said, noting the nonprofit is still finalizing what the new locations will be.

“We heard from site partners that it drew people in, and they interacted with the pianos. This meant that they stayed in the spaces longer, had a more enjoyable time there, and placed a higher value on the public spaces,” Danner said of the project in December.

Led by Davenport-based Common Chord (formerly River Music Experience), last May, 10 upright pianos were painted by Quad Cities artists and placed at prominent places throughout the community for the public to play.

Using data and GPS phone tracking, they estimated that from June through October — excluding the airport piano — the colorful instruments were visited, seen, or passed by more than 650,000 times, including repeat visitors.

OneSound is an initiative to put the soundtrack of today into the hands of our community, according to Common Chord. By strategically placing artistically designed pianos across the QC, “we provide our community the means to engage in creativity, and break down social barriers through the arts,” it says.

This program operates on the basis of community, with the intention to build long-term relationships with local businesses, artists, and organizations that go beyond the program.

“Knowing that the Quad Cities takes great pride in being a destination that loves art, music, and culture, OneSound provides another element to our already thriving music and arts culture here in the QC,” Common Chord said. “It brings a new level of interactive engagement to the arts community, by encouraging passer-byers to listen, play, and to build bridges through the arts. This is a unique opportunity for our music and visual arts communities to come together in a strong way to elevate culture in the Quad Cities get our community more engaged in creativity!”

The submission deadline for artists to be considered is March 1st, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. All submissions and inquiries can be directed to Steve Ahrens: Email: ; phone: (563) 326-1333 Ext. 110, Address: 129 Main St., Davenport, IA 52801.

Each selected artist will earn an $800 stipend. For more information, visit the OneSound artist submission website HERE.