WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER

This message was painted on the west side of the Cottonwood Center for the Arts building in 2017 by Michael Fudge, a Colorado Springs based artist/illustrator and former Cottonwood Center artist. Its purpose is to encourage those with mental health issues to seek help and to enable the general public to be able to reach out to those with mental health issues.

The mural was commissioned by Kaiser Permanente Southern Colorado health organization as part of their “Find Your Words” campaign. The artist, with approval from Kaiser, chose the words “we are all in this together” for the mural. The goal of the “Let’s Talk Colorado” media campaign is to reduce the stigma around mental illness so that people who need treatment are more likely to seek it. More information can be found at their website: letstalkco.org.

If you or someone you know is in need of support, please contact Colorado Crisis Services at 1-844-493-TALK (8255), text “TALK” to 38255, or go to www.coloradocrisisservices.org to access a live chat available in 17 languages.

Cottonwood Center for the Arts felt that the nature of the message fit well with the mission of the Center (which is to promote the arts and artists) and donated the wall space. Michael chose the messaging words for the mural. A number of local volunteers assisted in the completion of the mural. See the photos below for mural details. The bear that appears in the letter h is a signature item for the artist. (Source: The Gazette, Oct. 18, 2017 and letstalkco.org web site)