Kids & Family

Marathon Kicked off Hearts Across Framingham Community Art Project

If you didn't watch the 2014 Boston Marathon at the Mile 6 Moment, you missed the launching of a community art project.

Just after 6 a.m., employees from the Framingham Parks and Recreation began installing a heart sculpture at the intersection of Route 135 and 126.

The vision of Nancie Handy, co-founder of F.Y.I. for the Arts in Framingham, the sculpture was created by students at Keefe Technical School in less than 6 weeks.

The sculpture, which sat on a giant box, so runners could see it as they ran pass Mile 6, featured 8 metal arms forming a heart with red spray painted sneakers inside the heart.

"The sculpture had to be put together while on the ground," said Handy. "The Parks & Rec employees were dubbing it the Hiroshima Heart."

Editor's note: the photo in the slideshow gives you an understanding why.

"This community art project, was a perfect vessel on so many levels for so many purposes," said Handy. 

The heart sculpture honored and celebrated "our athletes and Team Framingham, who were all running with their hearts this year," said Handy.

The sculpture also honored and highlighted and paid respect to"Framingham's world-renowned Heart Study," said Handy.
 
The heart sculpture also kicked off our Hearts Across Framingham Campaign," said Handy.

Handy said the sculpture got a tremendous amount of attention from the spectators and even some runners, who stopped with their cameras to take a photo.

Handy said another purpose of the sculpture was to highlight F.Y.I. for the Arts, a new organization in Framingham.

She said they wanted to "expose and promote FYI for the Arts, making note of our fundraising efforts and making note that we will be starting our after school program at Amazing Things Art Center come Fall 2014."

The sculpture was also interactive, as each of the black box sides were painted with chalkboard paint, "so people could express themselves in any way. My son and I were remembering our dear friend Kris Burke, who had been battling cancer for 13 years," said Handy.

Keefe Tech instructors Pat Fogerty and Rick Costa, along with eight students cut out the eight metal ribs and welded the 3-D heart.

Juniors Jeff Heino of Natick, Ian Heino of Natick, Jake Crandall of Hopkinton and Vinnie DeSimone of Framingham, did the majority of the work said Fogerty.

Find out what's happening in Framinghamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Heino brothers from Natick came to Mile 6 to see their work on Marathon Monday, said Handy.

Handy, along with her F.Y.I. for the Arts co-founder Jen Martin and Kylon Colinet, said there are so many people to thank for the project:

  • Keefe Tech's welding, carpentry and graphics departments
  • Framingham Park & Recreation for the manpower
  • Savers for the donation of sneakers and spray paint
  • Tempo spray painted the heart
  • Lowes donated supplies
  • Framingham Salvage Company donated supplies
  • Monnick Supply Company donated supplies
  • Petroni Media Company for PR/Marketing

Find out what's happening in Framinghamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here