The small town of Sumrall, Mississippi, has a new attraction that’s sure to make everyone smile. A sign reminding everyone, “You are Beautiful.”
“You are Beautiful” began in 2002 as a sticker spreading a hopeful message through public art in Chicago, IL. The goal was to be a positive force and transmit a simple idea—that everyone deserves to feel good about themselves.
Since then, it has grown into a much larger project shipping millions of stickers worldwide in over a hundred languages. The campaign has actively combatted negativity and evolved into large-scale art installations and murals, collaborating with many designers, students, and artists worldwide.
Director of the Sumrall Main Street Association, Sabreya Delancey, saw the opportunity for Sumrall to be involved in this movement and filled out an application with the hopes that the “You are Beautiful” sign would find a home in Sumrall.
“You Are Beautiful Where You Are” is an initiative to bring an installation to every state in the United States of America. Sumrall is home to the Mississippi installation, one of the sites across the USA. You can check out the others here: You Are Beautiful Art Map.
The sign is conveniently located by The Longleaf Trace on Highway 589, between Railroad Avenue and Mack Graham Road — directly across the street from the Post Office. Delancey said, “If you stop by, take a photo and tag #yabsticker and #seesumrall so we can all see and share the positive vibes together!”
Public art certainly makes the world a better place, and art is a passion of Delancey’s. “Life can be difficult, and negative thoughts can be consuming. Seeing public art, like the new art installation in Sumrall, helps us not feel so alone or lost in the world. It’s a reminder to stop, breathe, and put things into perspective. You’re here; it’s a beautiful day; you are beautiful.”
“We have a lot of things happening here in Sumrall,” Delancey shared. One of those projects is a community mural to be painted in the local library. “This is our fifth mural for Sumrall, and we are so excited about it! It’s a paint-by-numbers art installation, so everyone in the community can come out and contribute to the mural.”
With the addition of the “You are Beautiful” sign, Delancey said they’ve had several locals and visitors alike stop by to take photos. “This is what we want. We want everyone to come to Sumrall and smile.”
