Public art with a purpose comes to Historic Avondale
Hearts 4 Minds brings its latest mural project to Avondale. The mural installation took place throughout November and will be unveiled at Christmas in Avondale on Dec. 3.
Artists Hanna Hadzic, Ramses Allen, Emma Flare and Corey Kreisel have transformed the wall at the corner of Talbot Avenue and St. Johns Street into a work of art titled “Generations.” Their art is designed to pay tribute to the generations of people who have called Avondale home for more than 100 years. The artists will talk about their creation during the unveiling event, along with representatives from Hearts 4 Minds and Art Bikes Jax.
“The design features a gorgeous live oak tree with children climbing on the tree,” said Ron Rothberg, Art Bikes Jax owner. “The children are timeless. They could be today’s children or today’s grandparents when they were children.”
Rothberg and Sheryl Johnson, who co-founded Hearts4Minds with her husband, Todd, discussed their common desire to add public art in Avondale. Missy Cady-Kampmeyer, owner and broker of Cady Realty in Avondale, and Rothberg worked with the owner of the building that houses the Old School Barber Shop, All Spiced Up and Whit’s Frozen Custard of Avondale to get permission to have the mural painted on one of its walls.
“Hearts 4 Minds and Art Bikes Jax share a similar mission. We both know that public art is a great medium to bring people together and to communicate with them,” Rothberg said.
“In our murals we use art to help attract people to consider changing how they perceive mental health,” Johnson said. “When people look at art and colorful and friendly images, that elicits good feelings. Art helps people slow down, relax and change their mind. It helps to advance discussions about things they usually are reluctant to talk about.”
The Johnsons’ son, Alex, died at 22 as the result of anxiety and depression. They turned their grief into a mission to help other young adults by founding the Hearts 4 Minds nonprofit and establishing the Alex’s Dragonfly Endowment for Young Adult Behavioral Health through the Baptist Health Foundation.
To raise awareness of the need for an endowment, the Johnsons have created and launched a three-year mental health awareness campaign with funding from the City of Jacksonville. The Avondale mural is the fourth mural they have funded.
The murals all include dragonflies — Hearts 4 Mind’s symbol of hope, health and healing, as well as change, transformation and strength. The murals also include a QR code that takes people to their website, which includes a 24/7 hotline.
“The ‘Generations’ mural in Avondale will become a focal point for our Art Bikes Jax tours and a place where people will want to come and have their photo taken — a new Avondale selfie wall,” Rothberg said.
By Karen Rieley
Resident Community News
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