A Second Chance on Every Wall: How One Man’s Journey Through Pain Led to a Life Transformed by Art

On any given day, you might spot Kyle Henry walking the streets of Philadelphia, head held high, paint on his clothes and hands, purpose in his stride. But if you had met him just a few years ago, you may not have recognized him—at least not as the man he is today.

Henry, born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in Philadelphia, has lived a life shaped by heartbreak and hope. A Lincoln University graduate with a deep passion for the arts, he once stood on the precipice of promise, rubbing shoulders with music industry giants, acting alongside legends like Jim Brown, and dreaming of a future in entertainment. But grief, untreated depression, and cycles of self-destruction pulled him into a spiral—one that would repeat itself nine times before he made a vow: there would not be a tenth.

That vow brought him to the doors of Color Me Back, a program of Mural Arts Philadelphia that combines participatory art-making with access to social services for Philadelphians experiencing economic insecurity. It was a step—a brushstroke—toward transformation.

“I never thought walking into Mural Arts would transform my life,” Henry says in a new video ad released in honor of Second Chance Month, observed every April across the United States since 2017. In the ad, which features Henry walking through Philadelphia’s vibrant mural-lined streets, his voice tells an abridged version of his journey—one of loss, survival, and rediscovery.

The video is more than a testimonial—it’s an intentional creative act of restoration. Not only does it showcase Henry’s evolution as an artist and a person, but it also gave him another acting gig, a credit that adds meaningfully to his portfolio and honors the spark first lit when, as a child, he appeared as an extra in Spike Lee’s He Got Game.

“That was my first acting job,” Henry recalls, “and I knew then this is what I want to do with my life.” But it wasn’t until joining Mural Arts that he realized his talents extended beyond the camera. He discovered a gift for painting, for storytelling, for helping others find their footing just as he had.

Mural Arts, the nation’s largest public art program, has long been at the forefront of arts-based restorative practices. Through programs like Color Me Back, the organization provides not just jobs, but purpose. Not just tools, but trust. Individuals who have been overlooked by systems find visibility in murals—and in themselves.

Henry now channels his energy into community uplift. He paints. He mentors. He advocates for those wrestling with depression, addiction, and unemployment—issues he knows intimately. “Instead of being depressed, partying too much with women, and sleeping all the time,” he says, “I deal with depression head on by staying busy, praying, reading, and remembering how much pain I caused others and myself.”

Second Chance Month is about more than redemption. It’s about opportunity. It’s about amplifying stories like Henry’s to remind us that transformation is possible when people are met with compassion instead of judgment, with creativity instead of condemnation.

“I’m not just painting murals,” Henry says. “I’m creating a new path, for myself, my daughter, and my community.”

The ad closes with Mural Arts’ powerful slogan: “Beautify. Inspire. Empower.” For Henry, those aren’t just words. They’re a mantra. A mission. And most of all, a second chance well earned.

Watch Kyle Henry’s powerful testimony in the short ad below and see how art helped him reclaim his future—and inspire others to do the same.  Check out our Fresh Start blog for this month, too.