Hey Guys

Earlier this week Kelsey and I went to Parkland, Florida to do 3 murals for the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas and we are still reeling from the experience. Amy Kenny (the school’s Yoga Instructor) and Jodi Friedman (a community member) specifically sought Kelsey out to do these pieces because Amy said when she saw one of Kelsey’s murals she literally felt better. After the attack on MSD she wanted to reclaim this space for her students.

So we went and got to spend the weekend in the presence of incredible women, powerful stories, immeasurable pain and profound hope.

A number of times during our time on campus our host, Amy, went off to comfort someone who saw horrific things or lost a family member. The rest of the time she spent teaching yoga to healing students and community members. Jodi was on hand to provide a steady stream of hugs, falafel and kindness. Thank you to you both for allowing us the honor of doing these pieces.

Kelsey created the wings and titled them ‘a growing meadow.’ They are designed to bring calm, peace and their name (Meadow) is deliberate. Kelsey also did her signature balloons and the number 17 is on purpose. Her third piece, a flock, is a nod to our grandfather’s belief that birds are great metaphors for angels.

We don’t want these murals to memorialize what happened instead we think this quote from Leonard Bernstein sums it up best, “But this sorrow and rage will not inflame us to seek retribution; rather they will inflame our art. Our music will never again be quite the same. This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

Change music to art and you stole the words out of our mouth Mr. Bernstein.

Below is the amazing Amy Kenny – Yogi and founder of Yoga 4 MSD (we love you)