HeART Wall Ribbon Cutting Celebration

On Saturday, July 27th, Gainesville locals gathered to help us celebrate the HeART Wall: A Love Letter to Gainesville, from Gainesville, a 208-ft long mosaic mural installed adjacent to Depot Park in Downtown Gainesville, FL. The HeART Wall consists of over 2,500 mosaic hearts made by the hands of Gainesville locals who attended a HeART Wall workshop at parks, public schools, and community centers starting in November of 2023.

Sarah Hinds was the lead artist and designer of the project, and gives credit to the inception of the mural to artists Jennifer Kuhns of JK Mosaic and Cherie Bosela of Luna Mosaics, who are known for the Diversity mural installed in Orlando in 2023.

With help from her “mosaic fairies”, or volunteers from the community who dedicated hundreds of combined hours to completing the wall, Sarah created the wall with funding from One Nation One Project which aimed to engage 18 cities across the US in community artmaking activities culminating in a nation-wide event on July 27th, 2024.

The HeART Wall is a tangible reminder that marking art in community can build bridges, create bonds, and heal the fabric of our society.

Image credits: Erin Beardslee