Six Artists Selected to Create Community Murals at NYC Health + Hospitals
The artists will design the murals in collaboration with hospital staff and the community, followed by “paint parties” to create the mural
The six new murals will build on the 35 murals already created through the Community Mural Project
Apr 15, 2024
NYC Health + Hospitals’ Arts in Medicine department today announced the selection of 6 artists to create new murals at its facilities as part of the Community Mural Project. The artists will design the murals through focus groups with hospital staff and the community, followed by “paint parties” to create the mural. 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. Decades of research have shown that the arts can play a role in “healing the healers” as well as improving patient outcomes and forging community health awareness and partnerships. The new murals will build on the 35 murals already created through the Community Mural Project. The first few years of the project were recently featured in a new book, Healing Walls: New York City Health + Hospitals Community Mural Project 2019-2021. The Community Mural Project and several other Arts in Medicine programs at NYC Health + Hospitals are made possible with a grant from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.
“NYC Health + Hospitals is in the vanguard of hospitals in America utilizing art as a tool in healing,” said Laurie Tisch, Founder and President of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. “We are proud to partner with NYC Health + Hospitals to bring these healing murals to communities throughout New York. The murals and the collaborative process to create them not only increase community engagement and improve patients’ experiences, but they are also instrumental in creating a more positive work environment for the frontline staff and health care workers who face enormous pressure every day. These murals will be a lasting testament to the power of art to bring communities together, reduce stigma and improve lives.”
“Arts in Medicine is thrilled about this year’s cohort of Community Mural artists!” said NYC Health + Hospitals Assistant Vice President of Arts in Medicine Larissa Trinder. “They bring a multitude of mediums, backgrounds and community work that exemplify the mission and values of this beloved program. Our artists and this program continue to be an integral part of our strategy at NYC Health + Hospitals to support our patients, staff and families. It is a tremendous joy to watch our sites engage with our artists to begin to develop imagery that reflects their experiences.”
The following artists were selected for the latest round of the Community Mural Project:
BRONX
Sophia Victor (@iamwetpaint)
NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx
Sophia Dawson, who creates art under the name Sophia Victor, is a Brooklyn-based visual artist dedicated to highlighting stories of individuals confronting injustice. At just sixteen, Sophia joined Groundswell, a non-profit arts organization, where she directed her skills towards creating large-scale murals addressing social justice issues. Her leadership led her to become a teaching artist at various New York-based organizations, including Artistic Noise and the Lower East Side Girls Club. Sophia is currently a resident in the Whitney Independent Studio program.
BROOKLYN
Ebony Bolt (@ebony_bolt)
NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull
Ebony Bolt, a New York-based artist, draws from her background as a CAD Print Designer in the fashion industry to create vibrant prints and patterns inspired by the city’s energy. Her work blends sketches of train commuters with motifs from the urban landscape and nature, reflecting the diverse tapestry of New York City. Influenced by the people and rhythms of New York, Bolt’s creative process celebrates the city’s diversity and the human experience.
Fitgi Saint-Louis (@fitgisaintlouis)
NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
Fitgi Saint-Louis, 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.
MANHATTAN
Raul Ayala (@raulayalart)
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur
Raul Ayala is a Brooklyn-based visual artist and educator specializing in mural production, drawing, and public art. With over 15 years of experience, he has created large-scale murals in New York and Latin America, infusing his work with a commitment to community engagement and social justice. His murals act as healing spaces for diverse communities, offering visual affirmations and fostering a sense of belonging. He holds a Master of Fine Art degree from Rutgers University and currently teaches Drawing at Rutgers University Newark Campus.
Cindy Lozito (@acleartrace)
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
Raised in Queens by Puerto Rican and Italian parents, Cindy Lozito explores her mixed identity through an art practice that includes murals, illustration, and comics. She recently completed a mural at 3 World Trade Center that portrays two dreamers atop the Unisphere, emblematic of her childhood aspirations and a tribute to Queens as a cultural melting pot. She completed the Mural Arts Philadelphia 2024 Training Program this winter, where she refined her technical skills and community engagement strategies in public art
Joshua Serantitis
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
With over 35 years of experience in public art, Joshua Serantitis views participation and collaboration as fundamental aspects of his work. He prioritizes connecting and employing local talent in all his projects, offering opportunities to enhance their quality of life, from teaching creative skills to providing job prospects in the arts. Currently, as a Research Affiliate at the MIT Media Lab, he explores the integration of ceramics and electronics for public art endeavors.
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.
Over the past year, artists created 10 murals at NYC Health + Hospitals through the Community Mural Project:
NYC Health + Hospitals stewards the largest public non-museum art collection in the city. Its visual collection of more than 7,500 artworks includes historic murals commissioned through the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s, paintings, mosaics, photographs, sculptures, installation art, and murals by both emerging and established professional artists. The collection includes works by some of America’s leading artists, such as Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Helen Frankenthaler, Mary Frank, Betty Blayton, Candida Alvarez, Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, and Keith Haring. More than an art collection, these works contribute to healing environments, activate spaces, engage staff, promote visual acuity, and expand access to the arts for 43,000 employees and more than 1.2 million patients who receive care NYC Health + Hospitals facilities.
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About NYC Health + Hospitals’ Arts in Medicine Program
The Arts in Medicine department at NYC Health + Hospitals seeks to foster the emotional well-being and promote healing and wellness for 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 art and cultural experiences to the system’s acute 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 municipal 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.
