Well what do you know? Five Graffiti Mural Artists have joined GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare and Nicorette(R) Nicotine Gum to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking. “Graffiti” or mural art has long been known for its presence on city streets, but recently the creative minds behind the graffiti have begun to look more towards the mainstream art world…

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare, marketers of Nicorette(R) nicotine gum, has enlisted professional commercial mural artists in five neighborhoods to help spread quit-smoking messages to African-American communities with a program called MyCityMyArt.

“The MyCityMyArt program delivers the kind of positive, pro-health activity and message we want to be spreading to African-American youth,” said Rev. Jesse W. Brown, Jr., executive director of the National Association of African Americans for Positive Imagery. “Unfortunately, the inner city is still an important marketplace for cigarette manufacturers, as they must constantly find new users for their products.”

Each artist created a quit-smoking themed mural to be entered into a nation-wide competition. The murals from the five cities: Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, are posted online at www.mycitymyart.com for the public to view and vote for their favorite mural.

Not only have these artists agreed to help GSK Consumer Healthcare and Nicorette(R) nicotine gum in spreading its quit-smoking message, but they have teamed up with children’s charities in each city to give lessons in mural art.

Each artist helped lead an art class with children from the charities to enlist them to create their own creative quit-smoking themed art. Mural designs created by the children are posted on the Web site, and GSK Consumer Healthcare has donated $7,500 to support each charity’s art education programs.

“Urban murals have previously been used by the tobacco industry to market their products, so we think it’s about time we used this vehicle to help the community;” said GSK Consumer Healthcare’s Vice-President, Smoking Control, Bill Slivka. “MyCityMyArt is part of our commitment to helping people tap into their inner strength to quit smoking. For many quitters, quitting is a process measured by the little things that help end their relationship with cigarettes. One of these murals or an email with a child’s design may inspire a smoker to think about quitting.”

Research has shown that African-Americans suffer disproportionately from chronic and preventable disease from smoking, with smoking being the leading cause of death among African-Americans. According to the 1998 U.S. Surgeon General Report, African Americans are 50 percent more likely to develop lung cancer than Caucasian men.

MyCityMyArt aims to help educate the community and smokers about being prepared for the challenges of quitting smoking. Many quitters are not aware that success is much more likely when the person quitting seeks support and uses clinically proven products such as Nicorette(R) nicotine gum. GlaxoSmithKline’s quit-smoking products and their related Web sites have a wealth of information about quitting smoking for adults. The art lessons also included information for the children about the risks of smoking and what they can do to keep from starting the deadly habit.

The five professional murals can be viewed online and judged by the public at www.mycitymyart.com, starting August 22. The same Web site features galleries of the children’s art and includes options to send your favorite mural designs to friends and family.

About GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world’s largest over- the-counter consumer healthcare products companies. Its more than 30 well- known brands include the leading smoking cessation products, Nicorette(R), NicoDerm(R) and Commit(R), as well as many medicine cabinet staples, Abreva(R), Aquafresh(R), Sensodyne(R) and Tums(R). GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare continues to develop innovative products to help all smokers find their best support system and achieve their goal of being cigarette free.

About GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare companies. GlaxoSmithKline is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. 

Web site: http://www.mycitymyart.com/

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