Montefiore Health System gets Michael Jordan-inspired art to honor front line heroes

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Artist in residence Jeremy Wolff (right) with Buddy Smith of Legion Paper Corp.
Photos courtesy of Montefiore

A health care system in the Bronx recently received the gift of art in honor of the men and women who worked tirelessly since the start of COVID-19.

Artist in residence at the Empire State Building Jeremy Wolff together with Legion Paper Corp. recently gifted six pieces of artwork to Montefiore Health System.

The work, created during the height of the pandemic in New York, is called “Air Frontline” and depicts front line workers in famous Michael Jordan poses with hearts in place of basketballs.

“I really just wanted to portray our real heroes which are the doctors and nurses here at Montefiore,” said Wolff in an interview. “A lot of us think of Michael Jordan as our hero. Everyone wants to be ‘like Mike’ so I wanted to portray our front line heroes, nurses and doctors.”

On Oct. 15, the artwork was installed at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) and it will rotate around various Montefiore sites to remind associates that they are health care heroes.

Wolff is a New York City-based, contemporary artist whose work focuses on pop culture and current events. He collaborated with Buddy Smith at Legion Paper in the creation of the project.

“This is a great way to give back to the community, especially after a tragic pandemic like this,” Smith said.

Wolff recognized that the Bronx and the city in general got hit hard by COVID-19, especially during the first few months of the pandemic.

“I really just wanted to bring positivity and joy to the area,” he said.