Public art pianos placed on corners, parks and pedestrian plazas from 30th Street Station to Clark Park were met with smiles, stares and intrigued musicians during their debut today.

The University City District is overseeing the project, which is entitled Heart and Soul and is similar in spirit to public piano project in several cities worldwide that combine visual and performance art.

“Hey, how’d you get that piano here?” one passerby asked a man playing the piano placed in the central plaza area of Clark Park, the piano that is farthest West.

Anyone can play the eight pianos until this project ends on June 17. They were transformed into works of art by local artists and placed at high-traffic pedestrian areas today. A list of the locations and bios of the artists are available here. See more photos below.

A standing-room-only crowd evenly divided for and against a proposed liquor store at 43rd and Chestnut will have to wait a few more days for a decision. The Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA), which held a special hearing on the controversial proposal today, will make a decision in a private session likely within a week.

About 75 people attended the special hearing, including a large contingent of residents who attend the Masjid al-Jamia mosque at 43rd and Walnut and live near the proposed location. The liquor store would replace the Risque, an adult video store, and an adjacent check cashing place on the eastern end of a strip mall along Chestnut Street.

“We do not need another liquor store in our community,” said Larry Falcon, the pastor of Covenant Community Church and owner of the Toviah Thrift Shop near 42nd and Chestnut. “I’ve buried 18 kids in 11 years who were killed in drug or alcohol related homicides.”

Most of those opposed to the store were Muslim residents who said that the community organizations like the Spruce Hill Community Association, which approved the store in April, don’t represent their interests.

“You have to understand that the people who live near there see the world differently,” said a Muslim college student who asked not to be identified as the debate from the hearing spilled into the hallway.

Opponents of the store submitted a petition with some 600 signatures.

Proponents of the liquor store say it will serve an area that has no other liquor store following the closure of the one near 40th and Market. The proposal is for a store that would include increased square footage and a premium selection of products. A Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board official who testified at the hearing said that the proposed store would offer a “premium shopping experience.”

The location includes off-street parking and a loading area in the back of the store, both of which would ease traffic concerns, said property owner Ted Pagano. He said the University City District has also agreed to patrol the location to alleviate concerns about public safety.

Barry Grossbach, who represents the Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) on zoning issues, said the SHCA has included stipulations in its approval that would require measures to prevent increased traffic problems and crime near the store.

Grossbach also added that no particular groups should have control over any parts of the neighborhood.

“It’s a live and let live neighborhood,” he said. “We don’t want to start a neighborhood war over this.”

A decision on the store is expected to be issued within a week. Risque is currently on a month-to-month lease and the check cashing establishment’s lease expires in August.

Update: Andy L. knows the hood! He solved this one pretty quickly. It’s the town crier bulletin board near 40th and Pine. See comments below.

Think you know the neighborhood? Where was this photo taken? Each morning we’ll zoom out a little until someone guesses right. Place your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day please.

Update: According to Sateesh Daniel of the West Philadelphia office of Organizing for America, all the tickets for Michelle Obama appearance at the National Constitution Center are already gone at his office.

Michelle Obama is speaking on Wednesday at the National Constitution Center. Tickets for the event are first-come, first-serve. They will be available beginning at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow at five Organizing for America offices in the city.

For those in West Philly, the best bet is the office at 209 S. 52nd Street.

The doors to the event will open at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
 

The Mural Arts Program and Warrior Writers, a veteran-focused arts organization that fosters artistic exploration and expression, is hosting a community barbecue on Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Woodland Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets – the future site of the mural “Our City, Our Vets.”

The event is part of an ongoing effort to gather community support for veterans returning to Philadelphia. Veterans are encouraged to share their stories through visual art and writing in projects that will help the public better understand what they have been through. You can see some of the artwork created so far here.

Veterans have been attending workshops at Studio 34 since January to create their own pieces and help artists Willis Humphrey and Phillip Adams come up with a design for the mural, which will be installed on a wall at 4129 Woodland Ave. (the location of Saturday’s barbecue) in the fall.

During the barbecue the Mural Arts program will project images of the proposed mural and other art work by veterans. There will also be poetry reading storytelling and the chance to create some art of your own.

Update: Per Glenn Bryan’s Facebook post this afternoon, the Malcolm X Park concert this evening featuring GB and Reference Point is canceled. Glenn has reported on his Facebook page that bassist Aaron Hayes was shot on his way to work this morning. Please keep Aaron and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Here is the Philly.com story about the shooting.

The West Philadelphia Jazz Heritage Series was supposed to kick off tonight at 7 p.m. in Malcolm X Park (52nd and Pine) with Reference Point, featuring Glenn Bryan, Craig Winn, Aaron Hayes and Tony “Stickman” Wyatt. These guys have a bunch of different influences, from classical to Latin to R&B.

This summer’s series includes eight more dates in June, July, August and September. We’ll fill you in on the acts as we get them. The series is hosted by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and the Friends of Malcolm X. Park.