Custom mural, 'Wonder and Wander,' graces Phoenix Children's Hospital's bare walls

PHOENIX - Patients and their families at Phoenix Children's Hospital will now travel through a whimsical journey all thanks to an artist.

The walls, once bare, are now filled with vibrant colors and imagination.

The 407-foot custom mural, "Wonder and Wander," was created by Brooklyn artist Shara Hughes. 

It was created for the thousands of children, their family members and staff who pass through it daily at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

"I made these small drawings back in 2021, and I was really thinking about how the children would be able to take this in on their way to probably doing something a little bit uncomfortable and unpleasant. I was trying to really find a way to connect with them in a way that can bring them out of their moment for a minute and think of something positive, something bright," she said.

Hughes spent two years creating the work of art. It's compiled of about 60 drawings using several different materials.

"The landscape changes throughout the whole mural, so it gives you something unexpected, but also feels sort of comforting in another way," Hughes said.

Her artwork was transferred to a hospital-safe and extremely durable material, and then installed on the bare walls.

"I used materials that kids could also understand as well. So, crayons, markers. Something they could also feel, tangible, so they could also make something like this," Hughes said.

David Lenhardt, chair of the board of Phoenix Children's, says it was known kids didn't like the hallway as is, so he's hoping this new instillation will help make their journey a little brighter.

"This project is also about the transformational power of art. To help kids heal," he said. "As you can see, this project, when kids are here, they're going to feel a little bit more peaceful, a little bit more hopeful. 70,000 kids go through this hallway each and every year. They're just going to feel a little more hopeful, a little bit calmer when they're here. That's really what we wanted to do," he said.

There are more white walls in the hospital that may soon get some color in the future.

"I've already had some requests from kids saying, ‘What about the otherside? When's the other side going up?' So I need to get back to work," Hughes said with a smile.