Healing Hearts Project 2

About the artist

My name is Nicoelle Danielle Cohen. My alma mater is Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD) class of 1995. I am an artist and an alumna of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.  As an artist, I wanted to use my visual voice to honor the victims of the mass shooting at MSD High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018 where 17 students and staff were killed. I really wanted to do something to spread LOVE.  I was completely devastated and heartbroken.  On February 20, 2018 I put out a call on Facebook for handmade fabric hearts to help me spread LOVE in a time of such deep sadness.
 

About Healing Hearts Part 2:

To date, I have received 1,000 handmade fabric hearts from people all over the country (and the world, including Scotland and Tanzania).  The hearts have traveled and have been displayed in heart installations in Parkland, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach and Delray Beach, Florida; Burlington, Vermont;  Denver, Colorado;  Las Vegas, Nevada. 

I recently made hearts with the current MSD yoga students and with their help, I displayed the heart installation for them in the gym.  They added their hearts to the hearts already collected and this was an incredibly healing experience for all of us.  On February 14th I brought the heart installation to Deerfield Beach where an event for the MSD families and students was being held, called 'A Day of Hope and Healing'. 

After speaking with the heart making participants and viewers of the installation, I noticed how they reacted. Some have cried, some take photos, some just want to touch the hearts and read the messages of love. It’s helped me fully grasp the power of healing through art and how this project has the ability to help those around the country heal.


Vision and Goal: 
The end goal for the Healing Hearts Project is to continue to spread love and support, to all of the victims, the survivors, the families, the friends and the communities that are impacted by gun violence every single day, by using art and hearts as healing.  With the outpouring of our global community participants creating handmade hearts and by bringing them together in an art installation we are using our collective voice to help continue the much needed conversation and discussion about common sense gun control around the country.

 

How you can help: 

This has all been an act of service and fully self funded but as the projects grows and continues to evolve I am reaching out for support in helping me spread this message of love to as many people and to as many places as possible.  I am asking for your support and help with travel expenses including gas, car rental, airplane tickets, lodging, food and the materials needed to make the hearts. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation please email me at [email redacted] and I can send you a link to be able to do that. 

You can donate to my gofundme or please also consider any of the following...

1. airplane travel miles 
2. gift cards to grocery stores, gas stations, craft stores etc. 
3. hotel stay points

I will be documenting each place I visit so you can follow the Healing Hearts Project journey along the way on Facebook and on Instagram. 

I am planning on visiting the cities posted below throughout the year where I have the help of my friends and fellow MSD Eagle alumni.  

In each city I will:

    *conduct a community heart making event 

    *display the healing heart installation where the participants can add  
      their hearts to the installation.  

   *In a few select cities I will also have a 'Healing Heart Art Show' which  
     will include the original "Heart Art" made specifically for the Healing
     Hearts Project by over 40 artist from around the country.  In each of  
     these cities I will have a few artists who are also from that specific
     city and I will donate a portion of the proceeds from the art sales to a
     nonprofit in that area of my choice. 


With your help I can bring the healing hearts and help spread love and awareness to these cities...

New Orleans, Louisiana
 
   *April 29, 2019 and May 2, 2019 Installation and community heart  
     making event at the New Orleans Healing  Center. 

   * April 30, 2019 Installation at Loyola University with Moms Demand  
      Action and Students Demand Action.
 
   * May 1, 2019  'Healing Heart Art Show' at 102.3 WHIV FM studios  
      and installation 

Corvallis, Oregon
 
   *May 15-17  Oregon State University Installation and community  
     heart making event.

Burlington, Vermont

     *June 8  'Healing Heart Art Show' and  
       Installation and community heart making event at Skinny Pancake.  

Nyack, New York

      *June 28  'Healing Heart Art Show' and  
        Installation and community heart making event  at 95 1/2 Main Art  
        Gallery. 

Chicago, Illinois

      *July 6-7  Installation and community heart making event TBD

Eagle River, Wisconsin

      *July 8-12  Camp Interlacken JCC to make healing hearts with the  
        campers for the Tree of Life Synagogue. 

Dates TBA for the following cities below.  

Atlanta, Georgia
Washington D.C 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Tree of Life Synagogue 
Orlando, Florida 
Tallahassee, Florida 
Jacksonville, Florida 
Gainesville, Florida 
Asheville, North Carolina 
Boston,  Massachusetts 
Denver, Colorado 


I appreciate any amount of help you can offer.  
Thank you so much! 
Nicoelle Danielle Cohen

Please follow Healing Hearts Project 2 on

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/healingheartsandthoughts/

Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/healingheartsproject2/