My experience with the 2024 Parade of Hearts has been nothing shy of spectacular at every turn. What I anticipated would be a fun art project for a couple of months has spiraled into something of unintentional inspiration for women and organizations across the metro. I’m honored, humbled, and so unbelievably astonished that my artwork can do this.
Soon enough, I’ll have another big announcement for the heart art. I can’t share what’s been brewing behind the scenes, but I can tell you that woman+ entrepreneurs in the KC metro have to Add a Business to the site immediately. The surprises ahead are exclusively for Takes Heart businesses…and they’re awesome. You truly won’t want to miss this.
In the span of a few rapid-fire weeks, the heart has gone from work-in-progress to change-making icon.
- Start of March – returned the finished artwork to the Parade of Hearts team
- Late March – heard news that Kauffman Foundation was the heart’s sponsor
- Early April – met with the Kauffman Foundation team to learn about their plans for showcasing women-owned businesses at the kick-off party
- April 12-13 – launched the heart at the Parade of Hearts kick-off surrounded and supported by incredible local women entrepreneurs
- April 18 – saw Takes Heart installed on-location at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
- Through May – ongoing growth of the database with new entrepreneurs, updated listings and more
- Start of June – Takes Heart included in the June issue of KC Parent magazine
- {and, then…}
I genuinely believed that the launch of the heart was likely the end of the wild activity related to this art process, but I was exceptionally wrong. Our local women entrepreneurs and entrepreneur-loving organizations are making this project sing and it warms my heart to know that it’s having such an impact.
We’ve repeatedly discussed how the tech inside of Takes Heart “works like magic.” In fact, I’ve gotten quite a few chuckles from telling people that’s the reality. Beyond the technology, I do believe Takes Heart has magic. But it’s innately baked into the community of people that it gathers in support of what it is and what it represents.
One woman – a former art teacher – stopped me at the kick-off event to discuss my technique. She said “it makes me lean in for a closer look. It makes me ask questions. That’s what makes it great art.” As I described the many, many steps of the process to create it – she asked “how did you know it was done?” And that one has sat with me for quite awhile. Other than touch-ups to wear and tear from travel, I haven’t had a desire to change the heart art in any way. It’s truly finished. But how do I know?
It tells the story. It tells the full story of the entrepreneurial journey in a way that is driving people to lean in. People are engaging without knowing why. People are championing this artwork without knowing me. It’s relatable in its challenges and inviting in its joyful brilliance. All of these things colliding plus the constant “we’re going to take it a step further” – it’s just magic.
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