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L.O.V.E. IS THE ANSWER MURALS

Love Mural Children Painting in Arnold MD with Artist Cell Spitfire

Create Lasting Beauty, Build Lasting Relationships

Murals are a great way to spice up a dull space, tell a story, show community pride and bring people together. 

Communities that support the creation of murals have experienced increased community pride, more interest in improvement in other areas of the community, and increases in tourism-related spending. People who live in communities that feature beautiful murals are inspired to create more art and uplifting spaces. Murals for the win!

Create a L.O.V.E. Is The Answer Mural and become part of a global movement to spread love and teach the practice of “L.O.V.E.” as a way of life.

The mural must include these three items to qualify as a L.O.V.E. Is The Answer Mural.

L.O.V.E. Is The Answer logo.
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The hashtag #trylovenow
The L.O.V.E. Is The Answer Pledge in either the short or long version. The wording must be exact with whatever version you choose.

Long Version
I pledge to LEARN about the people in my community, to unconditionally OPEN my heart to their needs as if they were all immediate family members, to VOLUNTEER to be part of the solution in their lives during both good and challenging times, and to EMPOWER everyone I meet to do the same as if our lives depended on each other. 

Short Version

LEARN about people, OPEN your heart to their needs, VOLUNTEER to be part of the solution in their lives, and EMPOWER others to do the same.

In addition to the three “must haves” above, Include the below:

Love Mural Senior Center Apex NC
Include elements that reflect your community/organization and the vision you have for spreading love in your own unique way. Do you want to feature notable people in your community? How about a field of giant butterflies and flowers with children playing in their midst? Perhaps show people doing good deeds for each other? Get creative and make it unique and reflective of your community.
Secure a location (Make sure it’s a high-visibility location. Do you want it indoors or outdoors?)
Obtain permission in writing for a permanent display of a mural. Obtain permits when necessary. If the mural is transportable, be sure to find a “home” for it AND a backup home where it can be displayed publicly.
Contact school boards/schools to get them on board with students participating in event if event takes place during school hours. Students could get credits for community service.
Get partner organizations onboard (law enforcement, youth groups, schools, companies, etc.) to help.
Create a committee with at least 10 people representing different backgrounds in the community, in line with our “all of community approach.” Be intentional. Be sure to include someone from the law enforcement community, someone who was formerly incarcerated, an elder, and a young person, people of different colors and a wide variety of professions.
Contract with an experienced mural artist (paid or volunteer) to help prep the site, pre-plan the design of your mural with local expressions of “L.O.V.E.” in action throughout the mural, guide the volunteers in the painting of the mural, and paint the more intricate or elaborate parts of the mural for a high-quality finish. The artist gets to sign the mural.
Get sponsors for paint and other supplies, food and anything else needed for the day.
Alert and invite local media.
Invite local dignitaries and ask them to provide proclamations recognizing the mural as beneficial to the community.
Day of event. Make it fun with food, beverages, snacks, food trucks, ice cream, family friendly/children’s activities, music, spoken word, etc.
Take plenty of photos and videos and share them widely on social media using #trylovenow and linking to the L.O.V.E. Is The Answer social media pages. We highly recommend having a professional photographer volunteer or be hired for the event to capture the moments in the best way. You agree to allow L.O.V.E. Is The Answer to use all images.
Be sure to have water and restrooms available for participants during prep, painting and the unveiling event.

CREATE

After the mural has been completed:

Write a press release and submit to local media along with photos and videos. Enlist the volunteer help of a PR firm or a person with expertise in PR (Many PR firms will do pro bono work for good causes).
Post a plaque or sign with the following information: Names of financial contributors, mural artist, volunteers, organizers, and local officials who helped make it possible.
Include QR codes leading to trylovenow.com and your local webpage about the mural. Include this statement in the plaque or sign: "The mural is part of a movement birthed by the 2017 film “WALKING WHILE BLACK: L.O.V.E. Is The Answer.”
The film was directed and produced by A.J. Ali in response to his experiencing multiple instances of racial profiling and harassment by police. He chose to make a film that would not only shine a light on the problem, but offer solutions! The L.O.V.E. Is The Answer movement has gone global. People in every state in the U.S. and on every continent are taking the pledge and doing the work of L.O.V.E. — murals, gardens, music, community cleanup projects, and a wide range of other activities to help people and communities thrive. Here is the L.O.V.E. Is The Answer pledge: I pledge to LEARN about the people in my community, to unconditionally OPEN my heart to their needs as if they were all immediate family members, to VOLUNTEER to be part of the solution in their lives during both good and challenging times, and to EMPOWER everyone I meet to do the same as if our lives depended on each other. Enjoy the mural. Take the pledge. Join the movement here in (enter town name). Visit (local website name) and to learn more (or better yet, QR codes for both websites, local and trylovenow.com).

Contact us at me****@tr********.com here to receive additional guidance or to speak with someone at L.O.V.E. Is The Answer about a mural in your community. We can help you plan, find sponsors, find artists, and more.

Download a PDF of the Mural Instructions