Famed NFT artist Micah Johnson is raising awareness for the American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, to release a limited edition non-fungible token (NFT) in support of American Heart Month.
"With my family history of heart disease, the thought that a character I created can play a role in helping drive awareness and hopefully solutions for my family and potentially even me is incredibly humbling." said Johnson.
A former professional baseball player, Johnson has gained global notoriety as a digital artist and has been featured on the cover of Time Magazine as well as being named one of Fortune's Top 50 Most Influential People in NFTs. This cause is one that is near and dear to Micah, as heart disease and high blood pressure run in his family and in 2015, Micah lost his grandfather to heart disease at a very young age.
The NFT will be auctioned off starting Thursday, Feb. 2 at 6:30 pm EST on Manifold.xyz's NFT minting platform. The auction will end Saturday, Feb. 4 at 6:30 PM EST and 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association.
Titled "Aku's Heart," the NFT is part of his series with a character named Aku, a young boy wearing an astronaut's helmet inspired by Johnson's young nephew asking, "Can astronauts be Black?"
"As we kick off American Heart Month, we are excited to have Micah Johnson raise critical awareness in this new way," said Raymond Vara, volunteer chairman of the American Heart Association board and president and CEO of Hawai'i Pacific Health in Honolulu, Hawai'i. "He started this art project to inspire youth – something the American Heart Association is passionate about too – whether it's encouraging kids to live a healthy life or pursue careers in science and medicine."
