Within Us: Using Art to Bring People Together for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

As all humans do at some point in their lives, I felt lost — unsure of what my next step would be, because it didn’t seem to exist. I was on a path in medicine that was basically carved out for me. All I had to do was continue making my way through med school, and I would be a doctor; but something didn’t feel right. Instead, I turned toward art. I left med school, and took a job at Albany Center Gallery, where I work with community partners for public art consulting (especially in murals), coordinate logistics for partnership opportunities, and help curate and manage exhibitions.

I felt happier but something was still missing. Funnily enough, it was medicine. I realized that for me to feel fulfilled, I had to merge these two paths of art and medicine to create my own: one that felt authentic to my values — one that simply felt like me.

I’ve noticed that public art holds a special power. It can speak and connect to you in an unknown, subconscious language. You can’t explain it, but when it happens, it just feels right. Art becomes a safe space: a sight that, on some deep level, connects you to the community.

I had an inspiration for something I felt could connect our community: public murals placed throughout Albany, directly related to the topic of mental health and suicide prevention. I wanted to use art in this way to spark dialogue amongst the members of our community around this important subject.  

I felt passionate about this idea because of my own journey navigating through the difficult patch in my own life in which I felt I didn’t belong anywhere. I realized the topic of mental health wasn’t just something that impacted me; that I wasn’t alone in my thoughts.

And so I forged ahead on what became an ambitious project called Within Us, in hopes that those in our community would come across these murals and find strength and healing in what they saw.

For Phase 1 of Within Us, we decided to focus on youths in Albany. We partnered with three local organizations — RED Bookshelf Albany, Pride Center of the Capital Region, and Shaker High School — to host workshops based on the theme of mental health. We had different creative prompts for the young participants to respond to: either to draw or write about a place they felt completely safe, or to write a supportive letter to themselves.

Artist Jade Warrick, aka TrashKiD Art, created a mural design on moveable plywoods, which was inspired by the dialogue shared in these workshops. The design the artist created included a space on the mural itself for an interactive element. We brought the mural to different community events: one being the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Hike for Hope event at Thacher State Park, where people were given access to information on available resources from AFSP related to suicide prevention, as well as support for those who have lost loved ones. At this event, visitors were invited to write messages and statements of encouragement directly on the mural. Community members wrote phrases such as: “You are loved; this moment is temporary… breathe, this will pass; the day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit… keep going!” The local AFSP chapter helped with the listening sessions, providing guidance before and during each session, and helping to recruit some facilitators from the University of Albany’s student-led peer mental health group Middle Earth.

For Phase 2 of Within Us, we widened the scope of the project beyond young people, to include Albany citizens of all ages. This time, we partnered with five local artists — BOOGIEREZ, Ramiro Davaro-Comas, Cara Hanley, Alicia Lea, and Kim Tateo — who created five different murals tied to the theme of mental health and suicide prevention. Created once again on plywood, this time the interactive element took on a new dimension. The murals were painted live, in real time, at Albany Center Gallery’s second annual Summer Art Fest, so community members were able to watch the murals develop from start to finish. Each of the artists shared that they found the process of painting the murals quite healing, as each mural design was quite personal and special to them. At the event, the artists and community members were also able to share stories and connect with each other while creating each mural. 

(See below for more images from Phase 2 of Within Us.)

The Within Us project has been in the works for quite some time. To see it come this far has been quite healing for myself and, I hope, for all the members of our community who have seen and contributed to the murals. But Within Us doesn’t stop here. For Phase 3, we plan to create a public installation featuring all the murals from Phase 1 and 2 so that more people can experience them. Our hope is that the murals will offer a moment of healing for everyone on their own journey in life.

We are never alone in the fight to support mental wellbeing, prevent suicide, and support those affected by suicide. Art can be a powerful catalyst for healing and serve as a tool for fostering community discourse around difficult subject matters. It’s my honor to use art to establish an open and safe space, share stories, and normalize open dialogue around this often taboo topic in the community.

Within Us is a collaboration between Albany Center Gallery (ACG), Albany County Department of Mental Health (DMH); Albany County Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF); American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Capital Region New York Chapter; and artists local to the Capital Region in NY.

Within Us is funded by Albany County’s American Rescue Plan grant (ARPA) awarded to Albany County Department of Mental Health, John D. Picotte Family Foundation, Cynthia Kim, and the RED Bookshelf Albany.

Learn more about Within Us here.