The quirkiest park in Ohio has added a newly renovated installation to its wonderland.
“Dripping 88” has been a staple of the Boardman Arts Park since 2023. With water flowing over the keys and flowers growing out of the tail, it was not only a sight to see, but a place for children and adults to interact with a piece of art.
The original structure was made out of a real baby grand piano, and after a couple years of weather and continuously running water through it, the art piece was in dire need of repairs.
“Water and wood do not go together,” Director of the Boardman Arts Park Roxanne Amidon said. It lasted three seasons, but it didn’t drain very well. Sometimes the piano was overflooding with water, other times it was dry as bone.”
Last year, Amidon connected with owner of ARTalyis, Darryl Stafford, through a LinkedIn outreach effort aimed at building new community partnerships. During a conversation about the park, Stafford had an idea to replace the aging “Dripping 88” with a new version created using large-scale 3D printing technology.
The process of creating such a large piece starts at the same as any project: the drawing board.
“Roxanne wanted a similar build to the original baby grand piano and wanted the water to flow out in the same way,” Project Manager for Dripping 88 Eric Nickell said. “I first created the piano digitally with a three dimensional design. I started with the outer edge creating the curve of the piano, and then built out everything after that.”
After a few necessary tweaks, the design was completed after two weeks and was ready to move to the next step. The easiest part of building a structure like this is printing all of the components, which only took 18 hours.
ARTalyis uses sand and a binder jet process to print, making the final steps meticulous and crucial to completing any project. The team has a method of strengthening the sand into a piece of granite. Then, all by hand, they sanded the structure, applied coats of thick resin, and painted, taking two weeks to complete.
Once the new and improved “Dripping 88” was completed, the ARTalysis team used a forklift to take it back to its home in the Boardman Arts Park.
“This was our first chance to build something close to us, and to have it be installed in an art park is really great,” Nickell said.
All of this hard work could not have been possible without the sponsorship of Willow Brook Christian Communities. Working with the Boardman Arts Park for the past three years, Willow Brook has sponsored many events in the past and even has a teammate that has helped with various art projects and residents who have donated squirrel houses to the park.
When the opportunity came up to sponsor “Dripping 88” CEO Troy McKnight said it was an opportunity they could not pass up.
“Our residents are very supportive of the arts and take pride in Willow Brook’s tradition of being a community partner,” McKnight said. For them to know that we made this installment possible not only for them and their families, but thousands of other community members and visitors to enjoy, was very appealing to us.”
At its core, the Boardman Arts Park is a place for community and union with interactive art for all ages to enjoy.
Amidon says the mission of the park is to connect people through creative experiences and unique events in a quirky setting.
“One of the analogies I really like to use at the park is stone soup,” Amidon said. “It is a delicious stew of all kinds of community assets coming together.”
“Dripping 88” is a perfect example of what the Boardman Arts Park stands for. The project brought together local businesses to make it possible, creating a piece of art for family and friends of Delaware and beyond to enjoy for many years to come.
There will be a ribbon cutting for “Dripping 88” on May 18th at 3:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend. RSVP here.
To learn more about the Boardman Arts Park or view upcoming events, visit their website.
