Jacquie Comrie, a Toronto artist and mental health advocate, designed this large-scale mural for a seven-storey section of Mount Sinai’s parking structure on Murray Street. Jacquie’s design, titled Colour Medicine, was selected from four short-listed designs by local artists.
A seven-storey section of concrete wall on the outside of Mount Sinai Hospital’s parking structure will soon become a blank canvas for Toronto artist Jacquie Comrie.
Jacquie has been chosen among four finalists who submitted design proposals for the Sinai Mural project, a partnership between Sinai Health and the City of Toronto’s StreetARToronto (StART) program.
Jacquie’s design, a multi-colour abstract work titled Colour Medicine is meant to inspire mental health and well-being. “The COVID-19 pandemic has sadly magnified a global mental health crisis contributing to a rise in anxiety, depression and stress since the onset of the pandemic,” Jacquie says. “Colour is the universal language of emotions and its psychology has been proven beneficial to the human mind and body.”
Dr. Lesley Wiesenfeld, Chief of Psychiatry at Sinai Health says, “We know imagery is a powerful tool for healing and reflection and it’s wonderful to see another opportunity for the whole Sinai Health community to be uplifted by this kind of artistic generosity and talent,”
Sinai Health has a history of embracing the connection between art, healing and wellness on both its Mount Sinai Hospital and Bridgepoint Active Healthcare campuses.
- Mount Sinai is home to more than 2,000 works of art including a large collection of sculptures bequeathed by renowned Israeli-Canadian artist Sorel Etrog in the Hennick Family Wellness Gallery on the hospital’s main floor.
- At Bridgepoint, the healing power of art and design was built in. Bridgepoint was completed in 2013, purpose-built to support the healing and well-being of complex patients. There is art both inside and outside the hospital, including the large-scale and colourful Max Tanenbaum Sculpture Garden, an installation by Canadian artist William Lishman.
Incorporating art into healing is one way Sinai Health aims to create a welcoming environment for person-centred care. The new large-scale mural will bring unexpected beauty to an otherwise mundane space. Jacquie’s design was selected following consultation with patients, employees, physicians and learners, and the community. Work is expected to start in late summer for an unveiling in the fall.
Learn how the mural project is raising funds for key Sinai Health initiatives at sinaimural.ca