In a collage of photographs, students paint designs on upright pianos for Pianos on State Street. (Courtesy photo)
High school students, ages 13-18, can apply for mentorship programs, including the public art Pianos on State project. (Courtesy photo)

The Arts Fund’s Teen Arts Mentorship program and Pianos on State, a Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative project, will collaborate this fall, inviting Santa Barbara County high school students to create their own piano designs.

Working with past piano artist and mentor Irene Ramirez, students will contribute ideas and elements, then work together at the Community Arts Workshop (CAW) to prepare and paint their final piano design alongside other Pianos on State artists.

“This mentorship helped me see myself as an artist without guilt or expectation,” said a student in the 2024 Teen Arts Mentorship program. “ Besides helping me open up and share a creative space with other people, it gave me a freedom to see the ideas inside myself waiting to happen.”
 
The final piano design will be on view during the Pianos on State public art event in October. Students will also have the opportunity to exhibit their design ideas and sketches during the annual Teen Arts Mentorship Exhibition.

Applications are open for this and other free mentorship programs in both north and south county, including: Typewriter Poetry with Simon Kiefer; What’s Next? with Jamie Dufek; and Poetry & Self-Expression with Cie Gumucio.

Students ages 13-18 can apply to the free mentorship program through the first week of September at artsfundsb.org/TAM/apply.

The Arts Fund’s Teen Arts Mentorship Program provides tuition-free mentorship, pairing small groups of high school students with professional working artists.

The 30-plus year program provides arts enrichment opportunities for students of Santa Barbara County outside of a typical classroom setting. All students 13-18 are invited to apply to one or more programs. Learn more on The Arts Fund website.

Pianos on State is an interactive public art and music experience that takes place every October in downtown Santa Barbara. Each piano, painted by local artists, becomes its own interactive piece placed in public space for the community to play, listen, and enjoy.

Each year, piano painting takes place over a weekend at the CAW, where creators of all styles and stripes trade tips and information while making art together.

The 2025 application deadline for Pianos on State is Sunday, July 13. The theme for this year’s design is Time. Click here for guidelines and application.