Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha Mural
In 2014, Flint, MI, changed its water supply from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department to the Flint River to save on cost. Shortly after, in 2015, it was discovered that there were lethal amounts of lead in the water system. During this time a state of emergency was declared for Flint, and residents were instructed not to drink the water (Ray, 2026).
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician at Hurley Children’s Hospital in Flint, found that children had high levels of lead in their system and advised her patients to stop drinking the water. She was the first to document how levels of lead skyrocketed in children after the switch of water supply.
Her findings were not initially met with praise from officials; in fact, they were met with contest. Officials disagreed with her initial findings and labeled her findings as “hysterics”. However, in October of that same year her findings were deemed to be true. Many people and families regard her as a hero who put Flint and its residents first (Einhorn, 2016).
On June 2, 2022, mural artist Charles Boike created a mural in collaboration with The Flint Public Art Project in honor of Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha. The mural was located on an abandoned building off Flushing Road in Flint, MI. The mural was commissioned by the Hurley Medical center and was titled the “Larger than Life #HurleyHero.”
As of 2026, the building that held the mural is now destroyed, it is unclear when the building was destroyed and for what reason. It is also unclear if Charles Boike or the Flint Public Art Project plans to make another mural.
Visual Analysis
The image shown shows a large outdoor mural painting on the side of a building featuring Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who is the center of the piece, and she is cut from the shoulders up and is smiling. She is wearing a white lab coat, glasses, and a stethoscope around her neck. Her face is rendered in grayscale and drawn realistically.
There are geometric shapes such as stars layered on Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha's face, with bright colors such as pink, orange, green, purple, yellow, and blue. The bold colors intersect and overlap each other, drawing attention to the center, disrupting the realism aspect of the image. The background is minimal as there is a ladder on the left-hand side, and the black outlines indicate that the mural is not finished. Altogether, the contrast of realism and abstraction along with the use of gray scale and color creates a dynamic visual experience for the viewer.
