Through incorporating publicly accessible art on our current properties and future projects, Art @ Ascendant brings together artists, youth, and East Harlem residents through collaborative art-making, neighborhood beautification, and community activism.
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Mental Health is Community Health
29 E 104th Street
Partners: NYC Mural Arts Project
Lead Artist: Kristy McCarthy
Assistant Artists: Members of Chelton Loft, East Harlem Community MembersCompleted: June 2022
Concept
Site
29 E 104th Street, a six-story building, is adjacent to a parking lot at the corner of 104th Street and Madison Avenue. The wall for the mural faces east and is five stories high.
The building is on the same block as El Museo del Barrio. Museum of the City of New York and Central Park are on neighborhing blocks to the south and west. Also nearby are Carver Houses, the Graffiti Hall of Fame, and the Park Avenue Viaduct.
Mission + VISIONING
Over a period of five months, Lead Artist Kristy McCarthy and Peer Specialist Felix Guzman facilitated discussions and art activities with Chelton Loft members to envision a mural design that would reduce the stigma surrounding mental health conditions and inspire hope for recovery in those living with mental illness.
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The building is on the same block as El Museo del Barrio. Museum of the City of New York and Central Park are on neighborhing blocks to the south and west. Also nearby are Carver Houses, the Graffiti Hall of Fame, and the Park Avenue Viaduct.
Mission + VISIONING
Over a period of five months, Lead Artist Kristy McCarthy and Peer Specialist Felix Guzman facilitated discussions and art activities with Chelton Loft members to envision a mural design that would reduce the stigma surrounding mental health conditions and inspire hope for recovery in those living with mental illness.
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Process
About the mural
Mental Health is Community Health is a journey through the hardships of living with a mental health condition and the recovery process. Shani Evans, the protagonist of the mural, gets her hair braided as a visual metaphor for the importance of community support and self care in the healing process. East Harlem's many barber shops, beauty salons and braiding shops are places of community where people literally and figuratively go to let their hair down and talk about what's on their mind.
The protagonist wears a senagalese skirt with a cowry shell earring and has tattoos that include African American and Carribean symbology. The plants in the bottom right corner are healing plants: chamomile, lavender, chrysantheums and hibiscus. The sun with golden rays represent hope for recovery and the phoenix is a triumphant symbol of rebirth and the growth that comes with change. The mural is a message of hope and solidarity with those suffering with mental illness that recovery is possible with support, self compassion, and access to quality care.—via Kristy McCarthy
Painting
The 30 feet wide by 50 feet tall mural design was segmented into paintable sections for the Community Paint Festival on May 24, 2022. Besides helping paint the mural, members of Chelton Loft shared poems, a DJ played music, and Shani Evans provided nail art services. Photos of the Paint Fest are by Matthew Capowski.
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Installing
The mural was installed using a boom lift.
Dedication
The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held on August 22, 2022.
Details
Photos
More Information
NYC Mural Arts Project
NYC Mural Arts Project fosters community building and aims to destigmatize mental illness through a collaborative mural making process. As a program of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYCMAP works with community-based organizations and artists to promote mental health awareness and break down stigmas associated with mental illness.
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Chelton Loft
Chelton Loft is a Psychosocial Clubhouse for adults living with serious mental illness that has been operating in East Harlem for over 35 years. Clubhouses assist adults living with mental illness to promote their recovery and reintegration into a meaningful role in community life. This is accomplished through the provision of self-help, empowerment interventions, community living, and academic, vocational or leisure time rehabilitation.
Ascendant Heritage Apartments
The Ascendant Heritage Apartments are four, five, and six-story apartment buildings serving low- and very low- income residents. Our $34 million Ascendant Heritage project preserves 359 apartments and six commercial spaces across 21 buildings in the AND portfolio.
After years of use, these buildings required a new round of renovations to make them more comfortable, functional, sustainable, and resilient to climate change. We have also restructured and refinanced the buildings to ensure the long-term affordability of these homes.
Ascendant Heritage Apartments was honored with Affordable Housing Finance’s 2021 Reader's Choice Award for Best in Preservation