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Downtown Danville is showcasing a new art exhibit called “Hearts Around Hartz,” featuring heart sculptures on display into October.

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    A heart made by artist Sarah Lee, located at Crumbs Breakfast and Lunch at 428 Railroad Avenue. (Photo courtesy of the Town of Danville).
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    One of the hearts located at Village Theatre Art Gallery on 233 Front Street. This heart was created by Bay Area artist Kappy Venezia (Photo courtesy of the Town of Danville’s Facebook).
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    Another heart placed at Danville Brewing Co. at 200 Railroad Avenue. Made by Bay Area artist, Erin Colcord (Photo courtesy of the Town of Danville).

“We were initially inspired by the hearts of San Francisco,” said Marija Nelson Bleier, visual arts coordinator for the town of Danville. “And given that Danville’s main street through downtown is Hartz Avenue, it seemed fitting. And the fact that Danville is considered a small town with a big heart.”

The exhibit is still being installed, but ultimately, each of the 17 hearts will be located in a different part of downtown. A scavenger hunt will be hosted later on in the summer, but due to COVID-19, dates have yet to be tentative as the project has experienced delays.

A map will be available online so viewers can locate each heart as they make their way downtown. Prizes for the scavenger hunt will be given out, upon completion, at the Village Theatre and Art Gallery.

This exhibit will showcase the work of Bay Area artists such as Erin Colcord, Rob Corder, Entropy, Lisa Hoffman, Paula Kim, Sarah Lee, Megan Sara, Deborah Shea, Speth Szabo, Ricky Watts, Jan Weiss and Kappy Venezia.

These artists were chosen out of 100 applicants last fall. The Curatorial Committee for Danville’s Art Gallery, members of the Arts Advisory Board of Danville, members from the Park and Planning, and two town employees were responsible for choosing the selected artists.

An online auction will be hosted virtually for 10 days in mid-October. All proceeds will go to the next public art project, according to Geoff Gillette, the town’s public information officer.

The arts program took off last year with the “Dogs of Danville” exhibit. In that showcase, 15 colorful dog sculptures were placed around town. With the $30,000, the exhibit made from auctions has allowed the town to create “Hearts Around Hartz.”

Bleier added how important art projects are for Danville. With their installments, it inspires those to support downtown small businesses and local artists, she said.

“We put up projects like these for the members and residents of Danville,” Bleier said.

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2 Comments

  2. Happy to see these come to light! I participated in the Dogs of Danville Unleashed and loved every minute of it. Butterfly Beauty was my sweet creation.

    I was hoping Hearts on Hartz was actually going to be all along Hartz Avenue, because it was too much for me walking around trying to find the dogs.. I would have loved a leisurely stroll on Hartz Avenue to view these new pieces… oh well, I’ll do my best, but my knees are getting old 🙁

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