The Prisma Health–Upstate Foundation recently partnered with our Prisma Community Engagement team to bring a community mural to Artisphere. Created by artist William Downs, a Greenville native, the mural helped raise awareness of our new Behavioral Health Hospital during Mental Health Awareness Month. Following its completion, William shared his vision and inspiration behind the piece.

Bringing Hope Forward, One Brush Stroke at a Time

I wanted to do something that talks about how the brain is the most important muscle in the body and all the things we do to make the brain excited—hiking, yoga, biking, boating, swimming, fishing, and traveling.

I also wanted to bring in the community because the community is going to be a part of this. I thought birds would be a good metaphor for people to leave their mark, because we’re all flying through. The homes then became part of the whole idea of community and the way Greenville is growing. I grew up here, and it’s so much more developed than it was then—so this became kind of a gathering of new people and new homes.

Then I thought about how the mental health aspect is about mental space, and that’s why the hand is holding the head. The circle is about this person thinking about the forest and the stream.

This morning, I thought more about how the birds were going to represent everybody, flying through the tree, which is kind of the central root of this place.

All the faces are about people helping make this together. We’re humans, so those are all observers and participants—people doing yoga, headstands, and handstands. And the brain is right there. It’s kind of the main character in this whole thing.

I want people to leave their mark on it and be a part of this community. Because I grew up here, I feel honored to be the conductor of this whole ensemble of color and collaboration.