mental health awareness

Inspiring positive vibes and sparking conversations about mental health, ten artists were busy last week fashioning a wonderfully diverse array of murals at South Street Seaport. Conceived and curated by designer, illustrator and muralist Annica Lydenberg aka Dirty Bandits and mental health advocate and author Samantha Schutz, the project suggests that we are all connected through our common humanity and, therefore, never alone.

The image featured above was designed by the Chinese American artist Zipeng Zhu aka Mr.Dazzle. Several more images of newly designed “You Are Not Alone” murals follow:

Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist Sally Rumble

Dominican-American visual artist and graffiti writer Indie 184

Brazilian designer and visual artist Cristina Pagnoncelli aka CRISPA 

NYC-based type designer and educator Lynne Yun

The prolific Brooklyn-based designer and visual artist Jason Naylor

 NYC-based lettering artist and designer Alanna Flowers

Filipino-American multidisciplinary artist Richard Tumang

NYC-based multidisciplinary artist Marco Santini

Brooklyn-based Japanese American artist Adam Fu

And a message from project co-founder Dirty Bandits

Stay posted to the Street Art NYC Instagram for images of Priority Bicycles — designed by six of the artists — that will be used for “Priority Delivers” in honor of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month and Bicycle Month.

Photos: Lois Stavsky

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With support from lead sponsors NAMI NYC and the Howard Hughes Corporation, seven new alluringly fashioned You Are Not Alone Murals have made their way onto the South Street Seaport in honor of the 2022 BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month.  Pictured above are the works of the prolific Brooklyn-based artist Jason Naylor and, to his right, designer and illustrator Kasi Turpin. Several more photos of YANA murals — painted during two of this month’s hottest days and captured at dusk — follow:

NYC-based freelance graphic designer Eric W Lee

Bogota-native Calicho Arevalo does it in Spanish

Brooklyn-based multimedia artist Subway Doodle in collaboration with Iranian-American muralist Will Pay and NYC-based multimedia designer Zipeng Zhu to their mural’s right

Brooklyn-based visual artist Efdot in collaboration with textile artist and educator Jessie Mordine

Founded and organized by Dirty Bandits and Samantha Schutz, You Are Not Alone Murals is a pubic art project that inspires hope and connection though creativity. If you are feeling down, the number to text or call is 988.

Photos by Lois Stavsky

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Timed to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month, the first three You Are Not Alone murals surfaced across New York City in May, 2019. And this past month, the project has gone global with 14 new murals — seven in NYC, two in Texas, and one each in New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Brazil and India. Each of the artists interpreted the message, You Are Not Alone, in a distinct visual style using a color palette of black, white, grey and yellow.

Conceived and curated by designer, illustrator and muralist Annica Lydenberg aka Dirty Bandits and Samantha Schutz, mental health advocate and acclaimed author of the anxiety disorder memoir, I Don’t Want to Be Crazy, this timely project reminds us that we are all connected through our common humanity and, therefore, never alone. The mural featured above was painted by the award-winning, Brooklyn-based artist and designer Jason Naylor earlier this month in Bushwick. Several more images of murals that have recently surfaced near and far follow:

 Brooklyn-based product designer and visual artist Adam Fu in the Bronx

Brooklyn-based creative director, designer and muralist Dirty Bandits in Chinatown, NYC

NJ-based designer and calligrapher Rodney Ibarra aka Jexpo76 in Hammonton, NJ

Texas-based graffiti artists and designers Laced and Found in Austin, Texas 

Brazilian designer and visual artist Cristina Pagnoncelli in Curitiba, Brazil

And do remember, “You are not alone!” If you or someone you care about is in need of support or information, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The NAMI HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., ET. 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)

All photos courtesy You Are Not Alone;  photo credit for third mural — just a spectator

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