Denver based artist Xander Phoenix, created a unique project called "Heart of Money" to pay tribute to his mother, who passed away recently and try to spread kindness, love, along with a little financial support throughout Denver and Boulder.
He crafted 100 paper mache hearts, each containing $100 in one-dollar bills, and placed them across the two cities on Valentines Day.
Each heart is numbered from one to 100 and is made entirely from water-soluble, temporary materials, and has a gold wire with a QR code attached to it, allowing finders to share their stories online. Phoenix hopes to hear from the people who find the hearts about whether they choose to keep it as an art piece or convert it back to currency. "Money can be the root of all evil, money can be the pathway to happiness,” he says, “And for me, one of the questions of this project is what if money is an ally for us to make the world what we want it to be?"
For some, it might spread a message of love and positivity, but for others, it might provide practical assistance and a reassuring message that the community is here to help.
My mom taught me a lot of lessons about money and how to use it as a tool which I hope some of her lessons will be taught to others through this project.