I Like You the Way You Are – Mental Health Has Many Faces

About This Mural

This collaboration between the NYC Department of Education, VIP Community Services, and lead muralist Tova Snyder began in September of 2016 and continued through July of 2017. Tova worked together with participants to discuss issues most important to them, especially relating to mental health and wellness. “Acceptance” and the phrase “I Like You the Way You Are” came up very early on in her workshops and continued to evolve as a theme as the weeks continued.

This phrase, a direct quote from one of her workshop participants, became the working title for her mural. “Mental Health Has Many Faces” refers to the 1 in 5 New Yorkers that live with a mental illness in any given year. Tova and her participants wanted to highlight that many people, even famous influencers (pictured in each panel of the mural) live and thrive with mental illness.