NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County Unveils New Community Mural

NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County Unveils New Community Mural

The Community Mural Project is believed to be the country's largest public hospital mural program since the 1930s

Seven new murals will be created this year across the health system

Aug 06, 2024

New York, NY - NYC Health + Hospitals today unveiled a new mural as part of the Community Mural Project run by the health system's Arts in Medicine department. The mural, We Gon' Be Alright at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, was developed by artist Fitgi Saint-Louis through a series of focus groups with community members, staff and patients and brought to life at a paint party where the community was invited to paint the mural together. We Gon' Be Alright is one of 7 new murals that will be created this year, adding to 37 murals created at NYC Health + Hospitals since 2019. The first wave of the Community Mural Project is featured in a book, Healing Walls: New York City Health + Hospitals Community Mural Project 2019-2021. A video of the artist and members of the community speaking about the mural is available here. This and other murals at NYC Health + Hospitals can be viewed on the free Bloomberg Connects app. The Community Mural Project is made possible through the support of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.

We Gon' Be Alright, located at Kings County Hospital's Wellness and Recovery Center, embodies the collective journey towards healing, showcasing the resilience and unity of individuals reclaiming their lives from addiction. By portraying circular forms and repetitive patterns, the mural symbolizes cultural and gender diversity. Intertwined silhouettes, rendered in vibrant colors and dynamic lines, represent the interconnected lives of those who gather in the Community Room, highlighting the deep connections forged through shared struggles and triumphs. In this project, the artist had a temporary studio space within the clinic, where daily interactions with patients and staff during open studio hours facilitated a unique collaborative process. This environment allowed patients to unwind, take pride in their contributions, and engage in meaningful dialogue.

We Gon' Be Alright, the new mural by artist Fitgi Saint-Louis at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County.

"Decades of research have shown that the arts are a powerful tool in healing," said Rick Luftglass, Executive Director of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. "In setting up an open studio to work on her mural within NYC Health + Hospital/Kings County, Fitgi Saint-Louis truly expanded the community engagement and inclusiveness of the community mural process. We Gon' Be Alright is a beautiful mural that will inspire connectivity, bolster strength and bring joy to all who see it. We are proud to have funded its creation."

"Fitgi Saint-Louis describes her work as a reflection of the vibrant layers of community through abstract geometry," said NYC Health + Hospitals Assistant Vice President of Arts in Medicine Larissa Trinder. "Her brilliant use of color engages the viewer and invites them into an entire immersive experience. She fosters a deep sense of connection and shared identity in her open studio practice that allows for multiple voices to be heard and included in the final rendering. We are proud of this beautiful mural and the joy it will bring to the entire Kings community."

"Our new community mural, We Gon' Be Alright, is more than a work of art; it's a reflection of our collective strength and the journey towards healing," said NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County CEO Sheldon McLeod. "Through this collaborative effort, we celebrate the diverse voices and shared stories that unite us in our pursuit of wellness and recovery. A special thank you to the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund for their generous support, which has made this meaningful project possible."

"We wanted to create a space that was calming but energetic, because people come here to lean on each other during the recovery process," said Artist Fitgi Saint-Louis. "We included bright colors to reflect the diversity of where people are from and the energy that people bring with them to this space."

Fitgi Saint-Louis (@fitgisaintlouis), a New York City-based artist, explores the African diaspora and her Haitian heritage across various mediums. With a BFA in Design from the School of Visual Arts, where she also teaches, Saint-Louis infuses her work with vibrant imagery that celebrates Black culture. A respected dancer and educator, she has taught at prestigious institutions like the Alvin Ailey Extension Program and Peridance Capezio Studio. Saint-Louis remains dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in both art and design communities.

The Community Mural Project is believed to be the country's largest public hospital mural program since the 1930s, when the depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissioned murals in public buildings, including virtually every hospital in New York City's public healthcare system. The WPA murals were the start of NYC Health + Hospitals art collection, which now is the city's largest public art collection and includes more than 7,000 pieces of art of multiple disciplines. The art collection is used to enhance the healthcare environment, inspire creativity, promote wellness, increase access to the arts, and engage staff.

The Community Mural Project creates opportunities for hospital staff to collaborate with each other and with neighbors, relieve stress, and enhance the physical environment of the facilities. Healthcare worker burnout is a national health crisis, and the continuing COVID-19 pandemic has created mental health challenges across New York City, especially in low-income, immigrant and historically excluded communities, which are significant patient populations for NYC Health + Hospitals.

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MEDIA CONTACT:[email protected]

About NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County is a 639-bed acute care teaching hospital located in Central Brooklyn. Among our highly specialized programs are a Level I Trauma Center, Pediatric Emergency Room, Level 3 Perinatal Center, Heart Health Center, Stroke Center, Sickle Cell Program, Behavioral Health Center, and Diabetes Education Center of Excellence. Many of our programs have received national recognition, including our cardiac, stroke and diabetes services. The hospital offers a broad array of primary and specialty care, including practices in neuroscience, orthopedics, urology and cardiology. Annually, our ambulatory care practices see well over 500,000 visits, and more than 150,000 visits in the Behavioral Health outpatient program, in addition to close to 23,000 inpatient discharges. NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County has played a major role in providing health care to vulnerable populations in Brooklyn since 1831, and is part of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health care system in the nation. For more information visit, www.nychealthandhospitals.org/kingscounty and stay connected on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KingsCountyHosp or X (formerly known as Twitter) at @KingsCountyHosp.

About NYC Health + Hospitals' Arts in Medicine Department
The Arts in Medicine department at NYC Health + Hospitals seeks to foster the emotional well-being and promote healing and wellness for all patients and their families, employees, and the greater community by utilizing the arts, including literary, visual, and performing arts throughout the health care system. In addition to managing the system's significant visual arts collection, the Arts in Medicine department encourages evidenced based practices and provides technical assistance to all of the system's health care facilities and clinics. This is accomplished by combining artistic innovation and education into a comprehensive health care continuum that supports the healing benefits of the arts. For more information, visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/artsinmedicine/.

About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund is a New York City-based foundation that aims to improve access and opportunity for all New Yorkers and foster healthy and vibrant communities. In 2018, the Illumination Fund launched Arts in Health, a multi-year initiative to support organizations utilizing the arts as a tool for healing and building understanding in communities across New York City. The initiative's areas of focus are stigma, trauma and aging-related diseases as well as supporting organizations addressing mental health in communities disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019 the Illumination Fund supported the creation of NYC Health + Hospitals Arts in Medicine department, expanding programs serving health care staff, patients, and communities in sites across the City. For more information, visit www.lmtif.org or follow @LMTischFund on Twitter.

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