SPARTANBURG — Downtown Spartanburg has a new mural on West Main Street that highlights the importance of mental health.

The mural is on the side of Starbucks and is a project that was organized by Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center’s BIPOC and Latinx Outreach Program.

“We want people to start having those conversations about the importance of taking care of their mental health just like they take care of their physical health,” said Gia Quinones, BIPOC and Latinx Outreach Program director for Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center.

In 2020, the center applied for a grant through Mary Black Foundation.

The grant called for the recipient to start a program to raise awareness about mental health in under-resourced communities in the county. One of the goals of the BIPOC and Latinx Outreach Program is to de-stigmatize mental health within communities of color.

The mural is just one of the group’s fun and innovative approaches to get people talking about mental health. Since receiving the grant, the BIPOC and Latinx Outreach Program also created a social media campaign to raise awareness.

Quinones said trying to organize the mural project took almost two years. Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center collaborated with the Chapman Cultural Center for an artist call for the project.

“We were very strategic about including things that resonate with people from this area,” Quinones said.

At one end of the mural, there’s a teal and purple butterfly for suicide awareness. The mural also features faces of people from different ethnicities and age groups. Quinones said she wanted the mural to have different faces that represent the diversity in Spartanburg and to show that anyone can be impacted by mental disorders.

The background of the mural has an abstract lotus flower, which can symbolize rebirth, strength and resilience. Mural artist Lauren Andreu said the four faces on the mural are of her close friends and family members.

“I love public art because you can walk down the street and enjoy something without walking into a museum or gallery,” Andreu said. “You can make an everyday space feel sort of special.”

There’s a garland around one woman’s neck that flows to the other side of the mural.

Andreu said the design of the garland was inspired by a Hawaiian lei that she received while traveling. For Andreu, the garland is a symbol of protection and healing. Inside of the garland, there are purple flowers that are commonly found in the Upstate.

When fully complete, the mural will have the words “you matter” in different languages around a QR code linking people to mental health resources on Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center’s website.

Mural organizers are still working on a date to have a public unveiling event but have plans to fully complete the mural by the end of the year.