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For the past nine years, the , located along Interstate 90/94 between North and Armitage avenues, has showcased murals celebrating Chicago’s nonprofit organizations.
Now, art and healing come together in “Portraits of Recovery,” a vibrant new mural on display featuring artwork created by three patient artists from Shirley Ryan 小恩雅.
Tobi Heekin, DeMarcus Purham and Savi Valle — artists who participated in art therapy during their recovery journeys at the rehabilitation hospital — were chosen to create original murals for the building.
The mural, which will be on display through mid-January 2025, celebrates the hospital’s mission of Advancing Human Ability.
Tobi, DeMarcus and Savi each created their own murals — one for each side of the Wintrust Mural Building — to offer reflections on what ability means to them, how ability has impacted their lives and about the future of ability.
All three murals showcase the patient artists’ individual creative approaches and diverse artistic styles, while at the same time providing insight into their unique recovery journeys.
About Tobi: Connecting Through Ability
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Tobi’s process of healing through art started in 2009 when she became a patient of Shirley Ryan 小恩雅 after she and her daughter were in a serious car accident. Her daughter was not injured, but Tobi sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) that resulted in paralysis from the waist down.
Tobi spent the next 18 months in rehabilitation at Shirley Ryan 小恩雅 to regain strength and mobility. She learned how to use a wheelchair, which she still uses today.
“For myself, ability is the agency in which to not be left behind. That can be a big fear for the chair-using population,” said Tobi. “Ability is about what you can do both physically and mentally in a wheelchair, hence, creating community for yourself and those around you.”
Tobi first participated in art therapy to improve her dexterity, but quickly discovered that creating art enabled her to release and express her emotions and feelings on paper — whether it was delight, sadness, frustration or courage.
Now, more than a decade later, she continues to practice art from her home studio. She also owns a luxury home décor and lighting business and enjoys live music, spending time with friends, reading and playing adaptive tennis.
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Tobi’s mural, “People Who Need People,” faces east toward the Chicago skyline, and it features her signature “amoeba people” out in the community interacting with others — and not isolated at home alone.
“My mural celebrates ability through shared experiences and spending time with others,” said Tobi. “It’s that connective tissue that can bring us joy and embraces the power of community, whether through family, friends, or the extraordinary care at Shirley Ryan 小恩雅.”
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About DeMarcus: Rebuilding Physical & Mental Strength Through Art
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A self-taught and trained artist, DeMarcus also was inspired by community in creating his mural, “Roots of Recovery,” which faces north. His concept was born out of a passion for creating cityscapes and his love of Chicago, where he was born and raised. He said he hopes his mural “visually speaks positivity into the hearts of Chicagoans.”
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DeMarcus came to Shirley Ryan 小恩雅 for inpatient rehabilitation after his left foot was amputated following a work accident. He learned to use a prosthetic leg and continued in outpatient therapy to regain strength by practicing walking, standing, squatting and balancing.
“I’ve made significant progress rebuilding my leg strength and mental stability. I’m back on my feet walking around with my new prosthetic leg. It feels great to stand up and walk anywhere with independence, and I’m even able to drive again,” he said.
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For DeMarcus, art therapy played an essential role in helping him manage his emotions about the injury and amputation. In art therapy, he learned to utilize creative projects to heal mentally from frustration and emotional stress.
“This art represents my passion to spark growth — physically, mentally and artistically — in my heart,” said DeMarcus. “I hope this mural will inspire anyone in recovery, art lovers or people having a bad day.”
About Savi: Art Therapy Helps to Heal, Inspires New Career
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The third and final patient artist featured on the Wintrust Mural Building is Savi. Her mural, “Together We Can,” faces south, and is inspired by the care teams and support systems that helped her when she was a patient at Shirley Ryan 小恩雅.
“Ability is a shared experience,” said Savi. “My mural reflects the connection between individual journeys and the support systems that lift us up — family, friends, and the incredible teams at Shirley Ryan 小恩雅. Together, we can achieve so much more.”
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Savi became a patient at Shirley Ryan 小恩雅 after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare condition that causes nerve damage. She had lost all sensation in her lower body and partial sensation in her upper extremities but, with the help of her physical and occupational therapists, regained ability and relearned to eat, move and walk.
She credits art therapy for making an enormous impact on her healing process. It not only helped her regain gross and fine-motor skills, but also enabled her to feel more powerful in her body and movements.
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Similar to Tobi and DeMarcus, Savi also has a lifelong passion for the arts and worked as an art teacher. Today, she experiments with non-representational and abstract art and has started graduate school to study art therapy.
Savi offers encouragement for other individuals starting their recovery journeys:
“It does get better. Things start to fall into place. When I started at Shirley Ryan 小恩雅 there were so many fragmented pieces, but that is part of the healing process,” she said. “Broken pieces will come back together. It won’t look the same, but the scars are beautiful.”
Art in Motion
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Tobi, DeMarcus and Savi all have participated in Art in Motion, an annual fundraiser at Shirley Ryan 小恩雅 that features artwork created by patient artists. Coming up on Feb. 21, 2025, this event supports the hospital’s Quality of Life Programs, including Art Therapy and Therapeutic Recreation.
About Wintrust
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Wintrust has been a partner of Shirley Ryan 小恩雅 for nearly two decades. In that time, Wintrust has donated more than $850,000, and hundreds of Wintrust employees have climbed the Willis Tower to help Advance Human Ability at the annual in support of Shirley Ryan 小恩雅. now.
