What is the HeART Wall?
The HeART Wall is a community-engaged mosaic mural located in the heart of Gainesville, FL. From November 2023 through May 2024, Gainesville artist Sarah Hinds hosted HeART gatherings in schools, community centers, and parks, creating over 2,500 individual mosaic hearts with Gainesville locals. Each heart represents a thread in the vibrant fabric of our community, woven together to form a powerful visual symbol of unity and creativity.
This monumental mural was installed on July 27th, 2024 near Depot Park (874 SE 4th St)
UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine and local artists partnered to engage the Gainesville community with collaborative arts and culture programming. Our community is part of this legacy of public art. Our hope is that the HeART wall reflects the vibrant spirit of Gainesville, where art thrives in our schools, clinical spaces, and communities.
We believe in the arts as a catalyst for health, healing, and connection. The HeART Wall nurtures a sense of belonging and well-being while enriching the overall identity and beauty of the place we proudly call home.
The Makings of the HeART Wall
The HeART Wall is a true collaboration, made by the hands of Gainesville residents. Check out the photo galleries to discover the journey of the wall from the first workshops all the way to the installation and ribbon cutting ceremony.
How It All Began
Artist Jennifer Kuhns of JK mosaic led a weekly mosaic program for at-risk teens at Choice High School in Washington State for 5 years. In January 2017, she launched a mural project for the side of the high school. They made mosaic hearts in class and with the community all year. Here’s a picture of her completed mural:
Jennifer and Cherie Bosela of Luna Mosaics then teamed up to coordinate a second, more ambitious version of the mural in Orlando. Cherie coordinated volunteers and managed the installation of over 1000 hearts from all over the world. In 2023, Cherie expanded the mural through a grant from the city. Find out more about the Diversity mural here.
Artist Sarah Hinds volunteered to help with installation of the Diversity mural and was inspired. She reached out to Jennifer and Cherie for their blessing and began dreaming of installing the third heart mural in Gainesville, Florida.
With the help of the Art in Public Places Trust and the City of Gainesville, Gainesville Regional Utilities, The Alachua County School Board, the Florida Division of Arts and Culture, Children’s Miracle Network and more, this vision will become a reality in July of 2024.
HeART Wall in the News
July 2024 “Tell Me About It” Podcast on WUFT
July 2024 Gainesville Sun
Feb 2024 The Alligator
Special thanks to our sponsors: The City of Gainesville, The Florida Division of Arts and Culture, Gainesville Regional Utilities, One Nation One Project, Arts for EveryBody, CROM