When girls and young women walk through the halls of the new Barbara Lee Noble Campus — which began serving Ellipsis clients in early August 2025 — they’ll be welcomed by more than just a safe, supportive place to live. They will be greeted by art: vibrant, emotional, deeply human pieces created by someone who’s walked a similar path.
Mae D., a longtime Ellipsis client and talented young artist, contributed two mural pieces for the new campus. The artwork reflects a journey from pain and isolation to healing and self-love.
“I’ve been an artist for more than 13 years. It started with doodles in kindergarten, but over time, I began to take it more seriously and really consider this as something I wanted to do. Art became how I coped. Drawing, music and writing are things that helped me survive what I was going through.”
Mae D.
The first piece is dark, with sharp lines and shadows. It’s something Mae created while in a residential mental health facility out of state before coming to Ellipsis. “That piece shows where I started,” they said. “It represents the trauma, the sadness, the rebuilding that begins when you first enter a place like [Noble Campus]. So many girls who walk through these doors will be in that space — hurting, trying to figure out how to move forward. I wanted them to see that they’re not alone.”
In contrast, Mae’s second piece bursts with warmth through brighter, softer tones and a larger central figure. It represents growth, possibility and hope.
“The little girl from the first drawing is small. The girl in the second piece is front and center. She’s not small. She’s focusing on herself, loving herself, knowing she’s enough,” Mae said. “It’s what happens when you take the support around you seriously. You change. You grow. I think that’s so cool.”
For Mae, creating these pieces was both personal and intentional. “I want people to see themselves in my work,” they explained. “My art is always about something I’ve experienced, but it’s not just about me. It’s about all of us. All the girls at Ellipsis have all gone through different things, but we ended up in the same place, and that means we’re not alone.”
Their art reflects years of emotional resilience, hard-won insight, and an evolving understanding of identity and expression. Mae speaks openly about their time in shelters, hospitals and foster care. Those years were marked by limited connection and deep introspection — but it was in those quiet, lonely spaces that Mae’s creativity began to blossom.
“I didn’t have internet or a phone for a long time,” they recalled. “It was just me and my brain. After therapy sessions, I’d go back to my room. I’d cry, then look around and ask myself, ‘What can I do to make this space feel safe?’ That’s what art gave me, a way to build something beautiful out of what I was feeling.”
That spirit of transformation shows up again and again in Mae’s story and in the pieces they submitted for the Noble Campus. From late nights sketching alone to a newfound confidence in sharing their art publicly, they’re discovering that healing may not be linear, but it is possible.
“I’ve never had my art in a public place before. Sure, it’s been up on a wall at school, but nothing like this,” they said. “To know that girls will walk past it and feel seen, feel safe — that’s the coolest part.”
Mae’s inspiration spans literature, music and personal experience. Their favorite book, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” and movies like “Girl, Interrupted” remind them that storytelling — whether through words, sounds or images — can make people feel understood.
“I want girls to feel at home when they look at these pieces. To feel like someone gets it. That’s the kind of art I want to make.”
Mae D.
Thanks to Mae’s voice, the Barbara Lee Noble Campus offers Ellipsis clients connection, space for creativity and a reminder that healing is an art form in itself.
Help Ellipsis foster the dreams of all the youth who come through our doors. Please consider supporting our mission and helping us reach the finish line for our Hopeful Spaces campaign. Your generosity makes it possible for young people like Mae to grow and create their own success.
