In collaboration with Albany County Department of Mental Health (DMH), Albany County Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF), American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Capital Region New York Chapter, and artist Jade Warrick aka TrashKiD Art, Albany Center Gallery (ACG) is proud to present “Safety Is Where I Find Myself” 

This mural was created for Phase 1 of the Within Us Project. The goal was to create murals of dialogue and healing through a series of workshops with 4 different local organizations and a focus on youths aged 13 to 18, to create a safe space and stimulate dialogue regarding suicide prevention and mental health.

Learn more about Within Us here

Words from the Artist Jade: “I was really excited when Albany Center Gallery brought me into this project, as I connected to the theme of the project. Through workshops with youths and having conversations about their stories and also drawing from my own story, I was inspired to create this mural design which also incorporated a community interactive element to allow anyone to share a word or phrase of encouragement to someone that is struggling right now. We wanted to create something that emphasized community support, what brings us out of places of darkness, and how we can keep going, together. The title of the mural is also inspired by a line of poetry from a student from one of the workshops done for this project.”

Within Us is funded by Albany County’s American Rescue Plan grant (ARPA) awarded to Albany County Department of Mental Health, John D. Picotte Family Foundation, Cynthia Kim, and the RED Bookshelf Albany.

Additional workshop support provided by UAlbany Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program.