Artist Heather Hart builds community one porch at a time

Hart, who was born in Seattle, Washington and resides in Brooklyn, New York has shared her artwork across the country in over a dozen states. As Hart elaborates on her website, “My work explores nostalgic futurism, amalgams of distorted traditions and symbols, handed down and mashed-up to fit our prospective needs. This work is not meant to be preserved in a vacuum, or off limits behind velvet ropes, Each piece is meant to expand with public programming and viewer activation.”

The design of her porch-like structure is based on principles of sacred geometry and Dunbar’s Number, the ideal number of people to have at the table to maintain a cohesive conversation being five. The structure itself consists of five five-sided porches that are connected, each containing a five-sided table to encourage interaction. It is also inspired by important events in the Civil Rights Movement, including the 1960 Woolworth's lunch counter sit-ins and the 1979 Greensboro Massacre. 

After much research and a visit to Frankfort to learn about our history, Hart determined the specificity that this porch would hold. The Porch Project at JSP is subtitled Take it to the Bridge, and includes bridge access from the main parking lot, acknowledging Frankfort’s history connected to the Singing (or swinging) Bridge.

The Singing Bridge is the site of at least two verified lynchings in Franklin county. The Frankfort-based social justice group, Focus on Race Relations and the Equal Justice Initiative placed a historic marker by the bridge in 2022 in memory of the Marshall Boston and John Maxey, two Frankfort men that were lynched. In addition, JSP and the City of Frankfort commissioned a permanent sculptural bench that was installed in March 2023, creating a space by the Singing Bridge for truth-telling and reflection about racial terrorism and its legacy.

About this sculpture, Hart shares: "Take it to the Bridge is inspired by the idea of a bridge as a space of possibility. It literally traverses liminal space and acts as the connective tissue between my territory and yours. A bridge is also a space that has been historically violently interrupted with the torture of Black people. This sculpture holds all the joy and possibility of what is in front of you and aches of a past we can never forget."

Hart’s intentions are to connect people through shared histories that are sometimes difficult to speak about. Her works create a space and place to communicate and share ideas and perspectives. Her installations also host a variety of community events, from dance performances to speed dating. “This space is open to our community, for you to decide how you want to use it. We hope to see people using it in creative ways,” shares Melanie VanHouten, JSP Founding Director, “The artist wants people to feel safe in a familiar space, but also to challenge each other, to explore our individual and collective identities and communities.”

The Porch Project: Take it to the Bridge was completed in Spring of 2023 and now it is up to the community to continue transforming the piece. “We hope The Porch Project: Take it to the Bridge will become a community gathering place and will serve as a catalyst for social change, community conversations, and personal transformation,” says JSP Assistant Director, Jeri Katherine Howell. “Please come get to know the sculpture and make it your own. So far, visitors have used the sculpture as a unique lunch spot, an outdoor classroom, a team meeting space, an accessible birding location, a shady space for reading and meditation, and even a concert stage during 2022’s Symphonic Stroll with the Lexington Philharmonic!” 

The Porch Project: Take it to the Bridge at JSP is made possible through a very generous sponsorship from 84 Lumber and grants from the Onassis Foundation USA, the National Endowment for the Arts, HSG Foundation through the Blue Grass Community Foundation, Kentucky Foundation for Women, Snowy Owl Foundation, and Fund for the Arts in partnership with LG&E and KU Foundation. Additional support was provided by Expree Credit Union and advisory board members Art VanHouten of VanHouten Builders and Kristofer Nonn. Special thanks to Marshall and Company, Lee Colten, and Don Stosberg.