The city is preparing to test the idea that art is a universal medium by commissioning artists to paint murals that would raise awareness about mental health.
The Health Department has obtained a $500,000 grant to hire artists who will complete three large murals next year aimed at reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness. The plan comes with a unique catch: Each of the artists has to enlist 30 to 40 people from community-based mental-health programs to help with the project.
“The Health Department is launching its first Mural Arts Project using art as a public-health approach to address mental and behavioral health issues through artistic collaboration,” said department spokeswoman Carolina Rodriguez.
The money is coming from the state Office of Mental Health, officials said.
The project is modeled after the Porch Light Project in Philadelphia, which a study found helped curb discrimination against individuals with behavioral disorders or addictions. The murals in New York City will be installed in three yet-to-be-identified neighborhoods.
The artworks will “give a voice to the concerns and experiences of individuals with mental-health problems and their communities that are often unheard,” a write-up for the plan