With your help, we can bring a You Are Beautiful install to every state in the country!
Here, in Chicago, we love putting up installations all around the city, not just staying in one neighborhood.
In relation to the whole state though, it covers a small area.
Wouldn’t it be amazing to have much more of an impact across the country? To give a simple reminder to every person possible - to simply feel good.
That’s the goal of this Kickstarter - to have a large public piece in each state. We’ll work together with a host community in each area, to have the most positive impact possible.
And why stop there? In the future, (or as a stretch goal!) we want to bring this idea to the entire world. We can use our 100 translations to remind you, that no matter how you say it: you are beautiful.
Our Goal
$25,000 - Small install in each state!
$50,000 - Large install in each state!
$60,000 - one on every continent, (as well as a large install in each state)!
$62,000+ - For every additional 2k, we will send an installation to cities around the world!
Now, the Rewards!
Our Story.
In 2002, in Chicago, I started the You Are Beautiful project with 100 stickers that said exactly that - aiming to share a hopeful message that I believe is true to every single person in one way or another. I just wanted to add a quiet message amongst all the commotion of living in a big city, which can make you feel lost and alone, to say that everything is ok as it is.
Since then, I turned to we, and the project has actively combatted negativity, by distributing millions of stickers, and has grown into large-scale metal and wood installations, murals, as well as collaborations with many designers, students, and artists, worldwide.
Chicago is still our home base, and we’ve worked for the past 15 years here, lining our streets, fences, and walls with over 30 installations all over the city.
And while we've made our mark on Chicago, we realize that, compared to the whole state, that's a relatively small area. This message is for everyone, everywhere, and if we could reach every state, it would leave that much more impact to say, we're all in this together.
We’ve been featured on Oprah, on Good Morning America, as well as in many books, magazines, and online features. But the person to person interaction- the community, is what excites us the most. To grow that community, and grow that positivity around the country (and then the world) - is our next big step forward.
We want to bring You Are Beautiful to you, where you are.
While we’ve traveled to many major cities, and put up installations, they have mostly been temporary. We want everyone everywhere to have a permanent reminder.
First, one installation in every state, and then one on every continent, and then every country. That’s the idea. To grow, connect, and share positive moments with each other every day, no matter who you are, no matter where you are.
We'll also need your help to host these installations in your state!
For each state, there will be one host that will be responsible for securing a location, and installing the piece. Hosts can apply as individuals, or groups. If you are interested in hosting a You Are Beautiful installation in your state, please visit the "Help Wanted" section for more information!
Of course, none of this could be accomplished without the aid of any potential hosts. Big thanks in advance, and we look forward to working with you :)
Risks and challenges
We know we're asking a lot, but rest assured, we can back it up!
We've run 2 previous Kickstarter campaigns. Both successfully funded, as well as both completed and delivered on what we promised.
A Decade of You Are Beautiful, Book - Made & delivered.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/matthewhoffman/you-are-beautiful-book
We've also held a Kickstarter for the Andersonville neighborhood in Chicago, and surpassed our goal. With the additional funding, we were able to provide a free installation to another neighborhood in the city. We want to do this for every area!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/661138157/andersonvilleyou-are-beautiful
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Funding period
- (30 days)