NASHUA – Those creating a new downtown work of art hope to both remember loved ones lost to drug addiction and inspire those seeking recovery with the new “Take Courage Mural.”

Artists with Positive Street Art began their latest mural Thursday afternoon. The mural will honor those who have lost family members, friends and loved ones to substance use disorder, while inspiring others to seek help and remind them they are not alone.

Alison Bankowski, a volunteer with the organization, said many with whom she talks know someone very close to them who is dealing with some sort of substance abuse problem.

On Aug. 26, she unexpectedly lost her brother, Chris Bankowski, to his addiction. Chris was just 31 at the time, and this mural, in large part, stems from his passing. Bankowski said addiction is a struggle people face every day, so she wants to be her brother’s voice.

“It’s a huge problem right now and we don’t talk about it as much as we should,” Bankowski said. “I feel like, now, I have to be a voice given the circumstances. And I just don’t want to see any family go through the loss and the pain that we’re dealing with.”

However, she said this mural is not just about Chris, but all the loved ones lost in the community. Also, the mural will feature Domino Deas, who was a dance instructor at Positive Street Art who passed away in February. The mural will feature a sea of different faces on the side of R’evolution Sports Bar & Restaurant building, near the intersection of Temple and Main streets. It will stretch across the whole wall. There will also be a message stating, “Take Courage. When the road is long you must never forget you are never alone.”

Bankowski said if families are interested in having depictions or names of their loved ones as part of the mural, they should reach out to PSA at positivestreetart@gmail.com or 603-589-9003.

Chris and her other brother, Blake, once owned a bar and lounge in that same spot R’evolution now occupies.

“We thought it would be fitting enough to have it on the same wall,” Bankowski said.

Chris was a founding supporter of PSA. He allowed the artists to come in and promote themselves in the bar to do fundraisers and things like that. Now, after supporting the arts, he’s getting support from them in return.

Artist Manny Ramirez is the muralist for this project and aims to have it completed by August, just in time for the Downtown Arts Festival on Aug. 25. The completion of the mural will also occur around the time of the one-year anniversary of Chris’s passing.

On Thursday, Ramirez worked to prepare the wall, washing it down and patching cracks to get things ready to begin laying down paint early next week.

“We’re taking up the whole entire space,” Ramirez said. “Whenever we take a wall…we take a wall.”

“It just was a fitting space, and we really want to promote this message and build more awareness,” Bankowski said.

Those interested in making a donation for the mural, or volunteering their time to help pitch in can visit, http://www.positivestreetart.org/murals/takecourage/.

Adam Urquhart can be reached at 594-1206 or aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.