"Aragon" at Ashford Park

Artist:  Doug Smith

Contributing Artists:  Midtown International School Arts Department Faculty and Students

Piano Donation:  Don ("Stumpy") and Camilla Tomberlin

Location:  Ashford Park in Brookhaven

Find and play Aragon on the porch of the community building.

Aragon Retired in 2022.

Aragon's Story

There was a grass roots request to have a public piano in Brookhaven, which is incredibly gratifying. And although the piano in Ashford Park took longer than usual to pull together, it was definitely work the wait!

Several design concepts were submitted for this piano at the same time, but there was no question as to which one would be chosen. Brian Borden, Director of Parks and Recreation, shared the designs with the City Council, which included "Dragon John" Park, who just happens to be the city councilman for the district where Ashford Park is located!

When we posted the design on our Facebook page it was extremely well received. In fact, the name was suggested by a Brookhaven resident after a street that 's not too far away from the park.  She thought the name sounded "dragonesque", and we agreed!

Doug Smith, one of the Visual Arts Instructors at Midtown International School (MIS), designed the colorful dragon theme. Then the MIS Arts Department and students worked with him to bring the design to life. “Aragon", said Doug, “symbolizes the magical, creative bond between visual artists and our fantastic musical cousins.”

Sherilyn Taylor, another Visual Arts Instructor in the MIS Arts Department as well as a contributing artist to Aragon, says, "I'm thrilled to be involved with such a wonderful project.  We love the idea of bringing visual and musical arts together with this interactive installation, and hope that Aragon brings joy, excitement, and curiosity to everyone in it's presence.”

(A little inside information, Sher painted the bench, including the awesome lettering!)

Ashford Park is a lovely little park with a couple of tennis courts and a wonderful update-to-date playground. There's also a very busy community building with a wrap around porch.  You can find Aragon on that porch.

“We are thrilled and honored to add a piano by Play Me Again Pianos to Ashford Park,” said Brian Borden, Director of Parks and Recreation in Brookhaven. “We’re pleased to offer a musical outlet to the patrons of our park."

About Doug Smith

Local artist, Doug Smith, is a graduate of Michigan State University. He’s an experienced art teacher for elementary, middle, and high school, and is currently a Visual Arts Instructor at Midtown International School. Doug focuses on acrylic, watercolor, pastel and fused glass as his chosen media.

About the City of Brookhaven

Brookhaven is a city in the northeastern suburbs of Atlanta. Home to about 51,029, it is located in western DeKalb County, Georgia, directly northeast of Atlanta. On July 31, 2012, Brookhaven was approved in a referendum to become DeKalb County's 11th city.
For more information visit, www.BrookahvenGA.gov.

About Midtown International School

Midtown International School serves gifted and academically superior students who thrive in small class environments. The globally minded curriculum and problem-based instruction create a community of engaged global leaders dedicated to the values of respect, responsibility, citizenship and justice. For more information visit, www.MidtownInternationalSchool.com. 

Aragon's Birthdate:  June 4, 2017
Installation #7
Aragon Retired: March 15, 2022

Share Your Aragon Stories

If you have a story with Aragon that you'd like to share, please do so, we'd love to hear from you! We'd also enjoy seeing your pictures and videos.

Tag:
@PlayMeAgainPianos
#PMAPAragon