Updated September 2, 2021
Cedar Rapids, Iowa—Murals & More invites community members to a public unveiling on Friday, September 3, at noon, at 350 1st Ave NE, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The installation is called You Are Beautiful, and is part of a nation-wide series of installations by a Chicago-based art group that aims to spread a positive message with three simple words: you are beautiful.
The installation will be hung on the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cedar Rapids Convention Complex facing 1st Ave E, a prominent location for anyone visiting downtown.
The short program will feature Matthew Hoffman, the artist behind the global project, from Chicago, Illinois.
Also featured will be an original poetry reading from Diamond Roundtree, author of Words from My Heart, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Murals & More applied and was selected to receive the installation for the state of Iowa as part of a project that is sending one installation to each of the fifty states.
As a city-owned property, the installation was reviewed and approved by the City of Cedar Rapids Visual Arts Commission on August 12, 2021. The project is also supported by the Cedar Rapids Downtown District.
Community members planning to attend are encouraged to RSVP at www.crmurals.org/yab. Registration is not required. Light refreshments will be provided.
About Murals & More
Murals & More, The Cedar Rapids Mural Trail, is a nonprofit organization of volunteers dedicated to utilizing local architecture as the backdrop for public art in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, connecting artists with space for them to create and inspire. More at crmurals.org.
Recent art installations organized by Murals & More include Seed to Sky, by Ruben Aguirre, on the Rowell Hardware Building (Dash Coffee Roasters) in Kingston Village, and Mucha Meets Iowa, by Ali Hval, on the Novak Building as the gateway to Czech Village facing the Cedar River.
About You Are Beautiful
You Are Beautiful started as a passion project in 2002 with 100 stickers, with a goal to help people feel better every day, transmitting a simple idea: everyone deserves to feel good with who they are. YAB HQ was opened in Chicago in 2018, offering a retail store front open to the public and studio space. Today You Are Beautiful has reached every corner of the globe, with over 7 million stickers shared. Matthew Hoffman of Chicago, Illinois, is the custodian of You Are Beautiful. More at you-are-beautiful.com.