Photos: “You are Beautiful” art installation brings positive message to Denton

The 10-year project has spread across the world and will soon be the subject of a book.

"You are Beautiful" installation

Photos by Alexandra Olivia

DENTON — If you made it out to 35 Denton last weekend, you might have seen the 100-foot “You Are Beautiful” installment near the main gate or atop Dan’s Silverleaf. Chicago artist Matthew Hoffman thought up the encouraging slogan 10 years ago.

“I wanted to make a difference and do something positive, but I wasn't quite sure how. I ran through a million different projects and phrases and looked at what other people were doing,” he said. “I thought about how advertising wants you to think that buying their products will make you feel whole. I wanted everyone to feel that they are great how they are -- to not worry about it. It’s easy to get discouraged over things.”

Photo by Alexandra Olivia

Artist Matthew Hoffman created this 100-foot-long by 8-foot-tall installation reading "You Are Beautiful." It was part of the annual 35 Denton music festival on Hickory Street in Denton in March.

He started small by giving out silver stickers baring the simple truth. Anyone who wanted a sticker could request one online or send in a self-addressed envelope. The mission gained momentum over time, and at the end of this month Hoffman and his crew will have sent out 850,000 stickers. Not all of the stickers were produced in English; Hoffman says they have been translated into more than 31 languages, making it a truly global phenomenon. And, his campaign was featured on Oprah’s “Super Soul Sunday” show several weeks ago. He says the demand for stickers shot up after the episode aired, adding 300,000 requests in a one-month period.

An organization named Johalla Projects introduced the Denton festival to Hoffman and built the display. The Chicago-based group focuses on helping emerging and mid-career artists in Chicago by consulting and creating large-scale art installations across the country. The installation was his first visit to Denton.

During that visit, high winds caused the "You" in the installation to topple over, reports the Denton Record Chronicle. A vehicle was damaged.

"You are Beautiful" might get a permanent home in the future, but for now, the artist is unsure where it will land next.

Hoffman's next endeavor is to write a book about the 10-year initiative. He created a Kickstarter campaign to help with the funding and publishing of the book, which successfully ended February 11, raising more than $5,000 over the original goal of $25,000.

If you couldn’t already tell, this campaign is near and dear to Hoffman’s heart. Really: “When the phrase came out, I knew I was going to get some criticism, so I got it tattooed across my chest in big gothic letters as a way to not back down,” Hoffman said.