Hearts of the World is an ongoing collaborative art project involving children and adults from all over the globe. With a special emphasis on children, the project invites people from every culture to express what is in their hearts through color and form. The intent of the project is to introduce art to those who may not otherwise have access and in doing so help them to realize their own passions. The project, launched with the L.E.S. Girls Club in New York City in 2010 and has traveled around the U.S. and to Latin America, Asia, Europe, South America with plans to spread to all corners of the globe.

Each child starts with an identical image of a stylized anatomical heart and are encouraged to paint it in with their dreams, their fears, passions or hopes for life. 

Heart panels silkscreened and ready for painting

As we approach the school I wonder what the Neopolitan kids will paint. Every workshop is so unique. In Mexico, the children tended to represent their feelings with symbolism, stormy skies, rainbows, ladders, footprints, flowers… in Japan, the hearts were quirky and full of pop culture characters, in New york, there were a lot of material items, iPhones, money, dresses, also some cute stuff, flowers, strawberries… In Haiti the hearts were generally filled with dots and houses…. In China, at an orphanage for blind children a 9 year old boy painted a blue sky, white clouds, a green forest and a yellow sun and then covered it all in black. He told me “The darkness is very beautiful. There are many colored lights in the darkness.” You can learn so much about someone when you see how they express their heart in form and color.

The classroom is wild. The children talk incessantly and we fight to explain the project. Jade is there with me and she makes the announcement in Italian. “SILENCE!” she says and finally the kids simmer down for a moment. The project and purpose is explained and then we ask the kids if they are ready to paint. They squeal with delight and shout excitedly as we pass out the heart panels. 

They paint happily and we encourage them to tell the stories of their hearts. 

What is in the hearts of the Neapolitan kids? We have soccer fields, family, friends, dogs, a rainbow and a motorcycle.

9 year old Carmella and her heart full of people

Title: “The Field where we play.”

Back to the tram…

Only a few days left to finish painting Napoli’s #2 city tram with Jade Fusco before I head back to NYC~