Vaseline and VML Mend Fading Murals to Spotlight Black and Brown Skin Health

Without proper care, vibrant street art cracks and withers, loses its luster and prematurely fades away.

The same can be said for skin. In fact, without health equality—particularly among people of color—skin-cancer and even mortality rates can surge.

To shine a light on the problem, Vaseline and VML launched “Mended Murals,” a project to restore paintings that decorate walls and buildings in underserved communities.

VML office in Sydney spearheaded the effort.

“The team here is passionate about street art, it was also summer, and we noticed even the art was being affected by the Australian sun,” CD João Braga tells Muse. “That’s when we landed on the insight around murals, and how some of these iconic portraits exposed to the weather also get damaged over time.”

“They peel and flake just like the skin of the people living around those murals, who are represented by them. When we got to that, we knew we had something powerful.”

So far, Vaseline has tapped artists in NYC, Baltimore and Hartford, Conn., for restorations. Next up: Austin, Texas.

“I’ve always wanted to create art where people of color can find their humanity in the imagery,” says Baltimore muralist Ernest Shaw Jr. “The impact of these murals goes far beyond just their aesthetic value.”

Indeed, his artwork and others in the program sport QR codes leading to skin-care resources, and the client is donating $250,000 to local charitable clinics.