Together We Build a Healthy Community

In 2012, Groundswell partnered with Montefiore Medical Center and its Office of Community Health and Wellness Healing Arts Program to create five beautiful murals celebrating the theme "Visions of a Healthy Community." Groups of young people were recruited from local afterschool programs to participate in the five-week project. Along with Groundswell professional artists, these youth were charged with researching, conceptualizing, designing, and painting the murals on stretched canvas. Each completed mural was then installed in the waiting area of one of five Montefiore health centers, enhancing these spaces for thousands of patients and community members. Together We Build a Healthy Community is one of these murals, created in partnership with students from Lehman High School. The imagery is composed of a father and son on the left side of the panel overlooking a scene filled with vibrant images of a healthy community. The entire panel is painted over a wash of bright colors, symbolizing positivity and optimism. The mural is installed in Montefiore's West Farms Family Practice.