A community art project with heart hits Innisfail, Alta.
Local entrepreneur and artist Karen Scarlett started working on the initiative this past January, in partnership with the Innisfail Welcoming and Inclusive Community Committee as well as the Innisfail Art Club.
Handmade hearts lined the chain link fences between the Autumn Grove Seniors Lodge and the hospital in Innisfail, Alta., on Saturday.
That was thanks to something called the Crochet Heart Bomb Project.
Local entrepreneur and artist Karen Scarlett started working on the initiative this past January, in partnership with the Innisfail Welcoming and Inclusive Community Committee as well as the Innisfail Art Club.
"Wouldn’t it be nice if a few people joined in on sharing some love and joy with the seniors at the Autumn Grove Lodge and hospital?" Scarlett said was her line of thinking at the time.
The community is welcome to swing by and lend a hand. Also, to help care for the hearts after they're up.
Turns out she wasn't alone -- others thought it would indeed be nice.
On Saturday, Scarlett said around 300 volunteers showed up, including volunteers ranging in age from eight years old to 90.
"It was a spectacular day of community gathering," Scarlett said, in an email to CTV News. "Even the mayor posted about how great the event was."
"Our free pattern has been downloaded hundreds of times from locations around the globe and now thousands of hearts are arriving in time for our install party," said Wilma Watson, Innisfail Art Club president.
A release to media explains the hearts "consist of handcrafted crochet, knit, quilted, macramé and all manner of hand-stitched items," and "will be installed on June 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m."
The community is welcome to swing by and lend a hand.
Also, to help care for the hearts after they're up.
Local entrepreneur and artist Karen Scarlett started working on the initiative this past January.
"I will be leaning on the community to help,” Scarlett said.
"If the community keeps an eye out for damaged hearts and continues to care for the fence and ask for new hearts to be made, we may have a love-filled fence for years -- maybe decades -- to come."
She says she's doing this for Grandma.
A release to media explains the hearts 'consist of handcrafted crochet, knit, quilted, macramé and all manner of hand-stitched items,' and 'will be installed on June 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.'
Ethel Scarlett was a founding member of the original art club and toward the end of her life, a resident at the original seniors lodge where she was still known for a creative endeavour or two.
All age groups helped with the Crochet Heart Bomb Project. (Photo courtesy Candice Hughes)
"I feel like she would be pretty thrilled with this project," Karen Scarlett said.
More information is available at innisfailartclub.org/crochet.
A release to media explains the hearts 'consist of handcrafted crochet, knit, quilted, macramé and all manner of hand-stitched items,' and 'will be installed on June 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.'
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