Students paint the above mural at Mumford High School, in Detroit, MI.
YOU ARE LOVED
YOU ARE NEEDED
YOU ARE IMPORTANT
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL
YOU CAN DO IT
The public conversation about worth, value, and well-being is often dark. We are surrounded by belittling messages of materialism, bullying, and violence. Instead, imagine the words "You Are Loved," - the letters, 12 feet tall, covering the side of a public school in your community. Imagine the internal conversations it will cause when people read "You Are Needed" emblazoned on a public wall, undercutting all the voices that fill our public spaces, the internet, and public thought testifying to the opposite.
Imagine the young woman, struggling with fears about her appearance, drinking in a confident, colorful mural declaring "You Are Beautiful" instead of the belittling message of sex-based advertising. Imagine a young man struggling to find work encountering an unequivocal public statement that "You Are Needed."
Youth perform in front of a recently completed bilingual YOU ARE LOVED/ERES AMADO mural in Elmhurst Park, Boston, MA
The YOU ARE LOVED mural project collaborates with schools, businesses, worship groups, and organizations of all types, creating murals using the 5 above messages. YOU ARE LOVED murals can be created in your own space or out in your community. Sponsor an event where community members, students, and families come together to paint a pre-designed mural. It's deeply engaging, creative, and a great way to bring people together. Since 1997 lead artist, Alex Cook has created over 240 murals all over the US and abroad and has worked with diverse communities of all ages and abilities. (see more at stonebalancer.com) Since 2014, 110 of those are YOU ARE LOVED murals. You can create a beautiful, loving, lasting artwork in (and with!) your community!
The first ever YOU ARE LOVED mural, Woodland West Elementary School, New Orleans, LA, 2013
YOU ARE LOVED murals:
Create a vibrant culture of support in your community
Provide an exciting, participatory event for your business, organization, or school.
Create opportunities for great publicity.
Offer an engaging way to collaborate with others.
Beautify and protect against graffiti
Are a powerful gift - a way to really make a difference in your community.
LET'S CHANGE THE CONVERSATION!
YOU ARE LOVED
YOU ARE NEEDED
YOU ARE IMPORTANT
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL
YOU CAN DO IT
“For our 60th anniversary Alex Cook led our congregation together in painting a mural with the bold and colorful message, “You are Loved.” Out in the open garden, neighbors, strangers and friends formed community in applying strokes of various colors and letters to make a bold statement for the thousands of cars passing the church daily. Simple and powerful!”