Photo Credit: Steve Weinick
A powerful new mural is bringing color, hope, and awareness to the walls of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in North Philadelphia. Unveiled during Suicide Prevention Month, Embracing the Light is the latest addition to the city’s public art landscape.
But it’s more than just a piece of art.
It’s a call to conversation, a symbol of resilience, and a reminder that no one has to struggle alone.
Created by artist James Burns in collaboration with Mural Arts Philadelphia, First Person Arts, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS), the mural was two years in the making. Community members, patients, families, and hospital staff came together for writing workshops, storytelling sessions, and community paint days, transforming blank panels into a vibrant message of collective healing.
In his opening remarks, Associate Director of Population Health Patrick Kessel said “I would like to thank the Philadelphia Mural Arts program for bringing us together today — and also for the outstanding work they do in making our city so beautiful – and doing so with deep meaning and purpose.
The thousands of pieces of art they have contributed throughout our city tell powerful stories about Philadelphia and the people who live here. Porchlight is particularly focused on behavioral health and wellness, standing hand in hand with the mission of DBHIDS.
Given the many traumas we have and continue to experience in our city, Mural Arts is a significant part of DBHIDS’ efforts to blanket the city with trauma supports. Why? Because it exemplifies community connectedness – in the way the art is created, and the way it reflects, and the way it is integrated into the community. It is of the community, and we know that within the community is where healing happens.”
By turning a hospital wall into a shared canvas, Embracing the Light helps normalize conversations about mental health and suicide prevention.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Call or text 988, or take a free screening online.
Artist James Burns with Patrick Kessel of DBHIDS
