The management and employees of NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx (NCB) joined artist Sophia Victor for the unveiling of a brand new mural entitled Healing Waves, created by Victor and painted on one of the interior, corridor walls of the Norwood-based hospital on June 28.

 

In reference to the team at NCB who contributed ideas for the mural’s theme, Victor said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, “It has truly been an honor and privilege to work with you guys. I think the final product is really beautiful and this is one of the most seamless projects I’ve ever done.”

Victor added, “I understood that the staff really wanted to make sure that diversity was represented on the wall and they wanted different people to be able to see themselves in the mural, but they also didn’t want it too specific so we decided to color block the figures as opposed to making them super detailed.”

 

The project was completed through a series of focus groups where community members, staff, and patients painted the mural together in sections according to Victor. It depicts two hands reaching toward each other along with seven figures and an array of vibrant flowers.

According to NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx, the mural demonstrates that “care is illustrated by the gestures and expressions of each of the caregivers,” such as a smiling doctor who listens to an infant’s heartbeat, a physician who bows her head and smiles at a child, and a nurse who listens to an elder. Officials said the portrayal of staff tenderly providing service to patients symbolizes the strength of collaboration in supporting each other.

 

Larissa Trinder, assistant vice president for arts and medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals, said of Victor’s final work of art, “It is very inspiring; the images that resulted from her project today illustrate the tight bond and sense of belonging found here at North Central Bronx. In fact, this feeling is something that I notice everywhere I go at Health and Hospitals.” Addressing Victor directly, she added, “Sophia, your mural represents not just North Central Bronx, but all of us at work [who] are aligned with the mission and core values of New York City Health and Hospitals.”

Victor later explained that she used Photoshop and a process called posterization to simplify the colors. She said the mural was also based on real photos of employees. “My husband helped, my son helped,” the artist said. “I have family friends that helped, and the staff members had their own paint party.”

 

The mural got the vote of Deon Holder, staff member at NCB, who said, “I’ve got 30-something years here and this mural means something to me because we are very compassionate. We love our patients and it’s just heartwarming to see such beautiful art come to us because we deserve it. NCB is a loving place to be, and to have such beautiful art for us is wonderful.”

Earlier this year, NCB also unveiled a new employee wellness room at the hospital, which was designed to create a space where employees can take a break and rejuvenate.

 

For his part, José Ithier, chair of the NCB’s community advisory board, said of the new mural, “If you make the employees happy, the patients are happy and this reflects that. This makes the floor look beautiful.” He added, “When I first saw the design I said ‘That’s it. That’s what we wanted.”