Hudson MA heart art project spreads joy from schools to Town Hall to seniors

The Hudson Health Department has unveiled its final display for Hudson Has Heart, a mental health awareness initiative, according to a community announcement.

The project, which began in 2023, asked residents to decorate small red wooden hearts with messages of joy. Over the past two years, more than 1,200 hearts have been collected from a diverse cross-section of the community, including local nonprofits, churches, schools and summer camps, according to the announcement.

Several downtown businesses, including Islay’s Terrace, Leia Owen Marketing and Business Consulting, Main Street Bank, Mullahy’s, New City Microcreamery, Serendipity and Rail Trail Flatbread Co., participated by displaying blank hearts for customers to decorate. The Health Department also brought hearts to various community events, encouraging attendees to contribute.

Initially, the National Art Honor Society at Hudson High School arranged the hearts into a design resembling hawk wings, a nod to the school’s mascot, according to the announcement. This design was photographed and will be displayed as a mural.

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The hearts have now been mounted on panels shaped like large hearts. The panels were unveiled May 3 during Discover Hudson’s ArtsFest. In coming weeks, they will be placed in prominent community spaces, including the Hudson Public Library, Hudson High School, the Hudson Senior Center, Town Hall and the Hudson Historical Society museum in the Landing at Hudson Mills, according to the announcement.

“We started this initiative coming out of the worst of the COVID years,” said Lauren Antonelli, Hudson’s Director of Public and Community Health, in a statement. “We wanted to give our community the chance to heal and focus on things that lift their spirits. Now we hope these displays will bring joy as well.”

Hudson Has Heart was inspired by a similar art installation in Natick, called “What’s In Your Heart?” Its creators, Denise Girardin and Jo LaFalce, provided advice and support for Hudson’s display, according to the announcement.

This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Hudson Has Heart displays 1,200 messages of joy across town