“Before I Die” project in Ocala

The City of Ocala in partnership with Hospice of Marion County will open an interactive art project on April 12 at Tuscawilla Art Park, 213 NE Fifth St.

The exhibit will be on display through Monday, April 19. The park is open daily, sunrise to sunset. As a part of National Healthcare Decision Day, volunteers from Hospice of Marion County will be on-site Friday, April 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to facilitate conversations about mortality and adding meaning to our daily lives.

Before I Die, created by artist Candy Chang, reimagines how the walls of our cities can help us grapple with mortality and meaning as a community today. After the death of someone she loved, Chang painted an abandoned house in her New Orleans neighborhood with chalkboard paint and stenciled the prompt, “Before I die I want to ___,” to restore perspective and find consolation with her neighbors.

More than 5,000 Before I Die walls have now been created by communities in over 75 countries, including Iraq, China, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and South Africa.

Attendees are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings, maintain proper social distancing and frequently sanitize their hands. For more information about this exhibit, please contact the City of Ocala Cultural Arts Office at 352-629- 8447 or artinfo@ocalafl.org; or visit www.ocalafl.org/culturalarts.