Takes Heart is an art and awareness project created by Laura Crossley. Through interactive, digitally connected artwork, Laura connects the community to women-owned businesses. New awareness of surrounding businesses and TakesHeart.org make it possible to support these businesses and alleviate the impact that the funding gap has on business growth for women entrepreneurs.
The high notes:
- Artwork creation: Laura Crossley, the artist behind “Takes Heart,” created a 5-foot tall interactive heart sculpture designed to celebrate and support women-owned businesses. The artwork is crafted with meticulous attention to detail, incorporating inspired details, hidden meanings, and interactive features.
- Parade of Hearts event: “Takes Heart” is showcased as part of the Parade of Hearts event in Kansas City in 2024. During this event, the heart sculpture is publicly displayed in a to-be-announced location from April to August, allowing people from across the region to experience the art firsthand.
- Interactive features: “Takes Heart” incorporates interactive features that allow viewers to engage with the artwork in meaningful ways. By holding their phone near one of the sparkling tiles on the heart, individuals can instantly reveal business listings, entrepreneur resources, heart stories, and more through the takesheart.org website.
- TakesHeart.org website: The takesheart.org website serves as a central hub for the “Takes Heart” project, extending its reach beyond the Parade of Hearts event in Kansas City. The website provides a platform for participation across the US, allowing people to discover women-owned businesses, access resources, share stories, and support the mission of empowering women entrepreneurs.
- Community connection: “Takes Heart” fosters community connection by bringing together people from across the region during the Parade of Hearts event and by providing a platform for nationwide participation through TakesHeart.org. The project aims to unite communities in support of women-owned businesses and to inspire action towards gender equality in entrepreneurship.
Overall, “Takes Heart” is a multifaceted initiative that combines art, technology, and community engagement to celebrate, support, and empower women+ entrepreneurs across the US.
