HeARTS on Display
HeART project pieces bring color and a healthy message to downtown Rome.
Visitors to downtown Rome who happen to be at the Town Green in February, could look up toward the Third Avenue Parking deck for a colorful and heartfelt feast for the eyes.
The annual HeART project was on display for the community to enjoy. But there was more to the beautiful works of art than just color.
Each year RACA and AdventHealth Redmond display public art that’s centered around the theme of heart health. This was the project’s ninth year and it aims at bringing positive awareness to heart health.
Local artists were asked to create pieces of art around that theme but interpreted in any way they like. For the past couple years, those
pieces, from all across the community, are then displayed from the Third Avenue Parking Deck overlooking the Town Green. They’re seen by thousands of Rome residents.
This year’s project included 31 artists, most of whom have never participated before.
One group of artists participating in this year’s project represented Model High School. Students Molley Maddox, Milan Pinkard, Madison Holden and Saryn Winn created four pieces for the project and each is unique in the way the student interpreted the theme. Each year, area schools are invited to have their students submit ideas and Model’s art teacher, June Manis encouraged her students to participate.
Madison Holden, a junior, said she wanted to participate so she could show that heart health isn’t just about eating healthy or staying physically fit. It’s also about taking time for one’s self and realizing that minimizing stress can improve your health.
“My piece took around 48 hours of work,” Holden said. “The message I wanted to convey through my piece is ‘tranquility.’ I felt that most HeART pieces emphasize physical health instead of mental health. Many people who suffer from stress tend to die at a younger age.”
Molley Maddox, a Model senior, said it was important to participate in the project
because heart health is an issue in her family.
“It took around a week for me to create the painting,” she said. “I wanted to spread the message that you should tell your family and friends that you love them because tomorrow is not guaranteed.”
On Feb. 1, there was a drivethru reception at the Town Green so the public could view all the pieces installed and
displayed in the parking deck.
All the art pieces were printed by Hi Tech Signs and installed by the City of Rome’s public works department. They were up for the public to see throughout February and each piece was available for purchase at $50 per piece. Proceeds benefited RACA’s programs throughout the community.
New RACA Director Lulie Ebaugh said this was her
first HeART project as Executive Director of RACA, but having lived in Rome for 13 years she’s enjoyed the public display every year.
“It really speaks to the heart that’s within Rome,” she said. “We have a dedicated community that cares about health and cares about each other. We really should celebrate these group projects and public displays of art anytime we can.”