PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and Mural Arts Philadelphia, in partnership with the city’s Department of Public Health, are bringing the community together with a community paint day, giving kids, adults and seniors a chance to contribute to a mural dedicated to suicide awareness and prevention.
“We’re making pictures, and then we put them together,” said Joshua, 8.
The budding muralist joined dozens of adults and other children, painting by numbers on sections of fabric that will eventually be pieced together on an outside wall of the hospital.
Joshua describing the new mural coming to St. Christopher’s.
“We’ll, it’s a lady, like in the air,” he said. “She’s making her hands into the shape of a triangle, and there’s fire in the middle. It’s very cool.”
Joshua’s favorite part was spending time with the people he loves.
“Yeah, because I like painting with my dad. It makes me feel happy and excited inside.”
Michele Williams with St. Christopher’s says that’s the goal: “The mural is to give hope that there is help out there.”
Suicide isn’t just about adults and adult issues, she said.
“What we’re seeing now is more and more children presenting with suicidal ideation.”
The two-year project, Embracing Light, is about promoting community wellness, according to Nadia Malik with the Porch Light Program at Mural Arts.
“For 10 years now, we’ve done projects on suicide awareness. The artist, James Burns, did a mural and this is a continuation of that project.”
The image was designed by muralist James Burns and inspired by residents whose lives have been touched by suicide. He says he hopes the message is received loud and clear.
“Recognizing that help is available. I think that’s what we’re doing here today,” he said.
Burns says he wants his art to bring attention to a very real problem, because suicide doesn’t discriminate.
“Suicide, it affects everyone. And it’s rewarding to see how people turn out and want to acknowledge it.
If all goes as planned, Burns says, the finished mural is expected to go up on the side of the hospital sometime in August or September.
According to Burns, the finished mural is expected to go up on the side of the hospital sometime in August or September.