BALTIMORE, Md. — A new mural in Baltimore's Penn North neighborhood is turning heads along Pennsylvania Avenue while delivering an important message about mental health support.
Community-inspired mural in Penn North shines light on 988 services
The large-scale artwork was commissioned by Behavioral Health System Baltimore as part of an effort to raise awareness of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a free and confidential resource available 24 hours a day for people experiencing mental health or substance use emergencies.
"It's not just a mural; it is a public offering of, if anyone needs support, here it is," said muralist Yewande Kotun Davis.
The message comes as awareness and use of the 988 hotline continue to grow. According to BHSB, 988 receives more than 4,000 calls from Baltimore City each year.
"It launched in 2022, and we've seen it increase ever since," Daniel Rabbitt, BHSB Policy Director, said. "It's really normalizing reaching out for help, and we love to see that people need help, and we want people to feel comfortable reaching out for help whenever they need."
Davis, who has created several murals throughout Baltimore, brought a unique perspective to the project. In addition to her work as an artist, she has a background in health administration.
"The interests aligned," Davis said. "From there we were able to identify this building through working with the Black Arts District and partner with Resurrection Sandtown, whose building this is."
Resurrection Sandtown is a church and community hub that offers services and support to neighborhood residents. One of the many reasons they chose to place this piece in Penn North.
"There's so much beautiful and illustrious history here on Pennsylvania Avenue, and we also know that there are some things that have happened in the neighborhood," Davis said.
She pointed to the mass overdose event that occurred in July of 2025.
"I thought it was a great idea to have this mural that is very culturally relevant, but also calls out a message to get people the help they need," Davis said.
She says it was important that she get community input and feedback on the piece to ensure the artwork reflected the neighborhood's identity.
"They wanted to see themselves reflected even more so than just maybe another brown face; they wanted to see actual people that they could recognize from the neighborhood," Davis said. "I was able to bring in faces from the art social club, the Royal Theater, some row homes."
After three weeks of work, the mural now stands as both a public art installation and a resource for residents.
Anyone seeking mental health or substance use crisis support can call or text 988 or visit their website at any time. The service is confidential and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For help from BHSB, click here.
