Fort Collins resident Emily Ku has rekindled her passion for art while pursuing her career aspirations in aerospace engineering. Recently, Ku was selected to participate in NASA’s Psyche Inspired program, which began in 2017 at the University of Arizona. The program invites undergraduate students to creatively share the innovation of NASA’s Psyche mission through musical scores, sculptures, painting, 3-D models, photography, acrylic art, needlepoint, stop-motion films, mixed media, and more.
“Growing up in an Asian household meant that other career paths were prioritized over my artistic endeavors,” Ku shared. “Rediscovering and indulging in these creative parts of myself has been revitalizing.”
As part of her artistic journey, Ku is painting a piano through Pianos About Town, a program that brings local art and spontaneous music to the streets of Fort Collins, Colorado.
“I believe all artists leave a piece of their soul in their artwork, and I’m excited to leave a piece of mine in Old Town,” said Ku. “It’s beautiful to be part of the collective stories told through these pianos.”
Ku’s piano design, titled “Movements in Flow,” features bright orange and yellow autumn leaves swirling in the wind. This design symbolizes the changes in flow and the passage of time, inspired by the movements in written music. Ku will be painting at the Art in Action tent on the south side of Old Town Square through Sept. 23. Upon completion, the piano will move to various surprise locations across Fort Collins.
View Ku’s Art on their website
Pianos About Town
Pianos About Town is a collaboration among Bohemian Foundation, the City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places, and the Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority. Community members watch as local artists transform donated pianos into public art. Placed across 20 locations across town in the summer, and six locations in the winter, the completed pianos offer surprise interruptions of color and music across Fort Collins.