Floral Heart Project

COVID-19 has upended all of our lives with various degrees of severity, sadly no one has been spared its horrible impacts. The gamut of tragedies has spanned from the simple yet profound loss of normalcy to far-reaching mental health effects to the ultimate loss of life.

Back in April 2020 Kristina Libby, an artist based in Greenwich Village, New York City felt despair and helplessness related to COVID-19, so she started to leave anonymous floral projects around the city to honor those affected by the virus. Her memorials were recognized by 1-800-flowers and together they birthed-The Floral Heart Project which today has become a much larger nationally established venture. Kristina believes that “Flowers represent not only love and sympathy, but also eternity and immortality. A human’s life is symbolized by the fragility of a flower, where proper conditions are necessary for them to grow and blossom. These floral hearts are both a symbol of hope and a blessing for a better world”. Their heart garlands have been featured in iconic locations around the city from Times Square to Bryant Park. Kristina has now chosen to take this project nationally. She has paired up with representatives across the country from California to Texas to Illinois to right here in Medfield, Massachusetts. My friend brought this idea to me as a cathartic project to serve as an outlet for the loss I have witnessed on the fronts lines this past year.

On March 1st the first unofficial National Day of Mourning for COVID-19 tragedies, these floral displays will be unveiled in Medfield and nationwide as a powerful reminder of what we have all been through. I have selected a group of Freshman boys in a service group called Medfield Strong to help me a with this above endeavor. This initiative gives this group of high school students a voice in their grieving process. The large floral project will be displayed on the front lawn of the town hall for its central location and its visibility. We are proposing it to be seen as a memorial to be viewed by the town and embellished upon by any resident who would be interested in adding a photo or note to our accompanying cork board. Or if you would prefer to reach out to me directly at bmcoughlin10@gmail.com I would sympathetically add your loved one’s name, photo, or story to our display. The display will be available to view from March 1st to March 8th.

Grief has a funny way of burying itself deep within us, healing can sometimes begin by holding its hand and putting a name to it. We hope this project will do just that.

https://www.floralheartproject.com/