FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Misty Lackey is a teacher by day, but an artist the rest of the time. Since March, she’s stayed home, thinking of those who can’t.
“I have two best friends who are on the front lines," she told 11Alive's Matt Pearl. One’s a doctor. One’s a nurse. I get to stay home because of them.”
She says she felt powerless. "What can I do?" she wondered.
So she did what she does best: produce a piece of art that features the Atlanta skyline, silhouettes with hearts for masks, and the word "Resilience." That piece now sits outside Piedmont Fayette Hospital.
"It's just to say thank you," Lackey said. “I really feel like that’s the least I can do. I can paint, and I can encourage kindness.”
At a time that has crippled Atlanta’s arts industry, so many artists continue to create. The nonprofit Living Walls ATL has spurred hundreds to post with the hashtag - #SignsOfSolidarity.
Lackey chose to add one more.
For several days, over several weeks, she took to her canvas. She painted the skyline, then the shadows, then the hearts. She finished with a word that’s on the forefront of the healthcare industry during this incredibly difficult time, resilience.
“We really are, truly, all in this together," Lackey said. “I felt so powerless. I still feel powerless. I think everyone wants to help in some capacity.
"I’m hoping that’s what the art portrays," explained Lackey.
The artist says her piece will be stationed outside the hospital for several weeks, then hang inside, to say thanks.
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