Piano, Piano

For the culmination of the 2025 Artistic Alchemy course at Index, Lover LLC produced a group art show featuring work by 19 members of our cohort.

In Italian, piano carries many meanings: softly, slowly, a plan, an instrument, a floor. Said twice, piano, piano is a directive to move with intentionality, to trust in the process. The purpose of the show was for the artists to take what they learned in class and channel some raw audacity and get some exposure therapy by sharing their art with the world whether the piece was “perfect” or not. It was pure magic. The room was packed. The art was largely interactive and totally moving.

This was not your typical gallery opening. It was a party, it was an act of resistance, and it gave back to the community. The art was interactive, the dance floor was full, cake was cut, and there was a line out the door for the fortune teller. Benham Jones coordinated a clothing drive to cycle winter wear directly back into the community via Astoria Food Pantry. Ella Fitch sold copies of her poetry books and gave 100% of proceeds to The National Immigrant Justice Center. Hugs were hugged, tears were shed, and there’s lore that a few folks met and cuffed up that night.