YOU ARE AMAZING Mural Launches in Downtown
It’s no secret that 2020 was challenging for many businesses. In fact, early 100,000 establishments that temporarily shut down due to the pandemic are now out of business (forbes.com).
In 2020, our team aimed to promote local businesses by creating online guides for exploring Downtown and shopping local online. Team First Friday Havasu believes in the power of public art bringing energy into a space, and in 2021 we collaborated on our first public art grant and presented it to a DTLH business. The entire timeline from selecting a qualified business and a featured muralist aligned rather quickly and after three weeks, our city has another bright space to be proud of.
The gist
Happy Puppy Inc (2187 McCulloch Blvd N, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403) was the perfect location and was selected as the grant recipient. New owner Garrett had recently purchased the building and previous existing business, and was in the rebranding process when we crossed paths in search of a location for the mural. Being a new entrepreneur in Downtown, Garrett was eager to update his building using art. We connected Garrett to muralist Jayarr to bring the perfect blend of bright colors and shapes to reenergize the space.
We originally found Jayarr via his instagram and were instantly attracted to his approach to public art through positivity and uplifting messaging. His work spans all over the Phoenix area, including his impressive Artslink collab AND A HOUSE! B I G high fives to Jayarr and Beth for taking Garrett’s vision to reality and activating a new space for our community to interact with.
“This was my first travel mural ever. I vomited my SOUL on that wall. It’s the best mural I’ve done so far.
Havasu residents have been taking photos with the art and tagging me on social media. It’s food for my soul. The feedback is fuel.
That’s all an artist could ever want is to have their work shared and enjoyed.
Thank you Lake Havasu for your odd, wild energy and for being my first. 🎨 🚌”
More about Jayarr
“The "YOU ARE AMAZING" slogan and logo was developed to promote self love and positivity through vibrant artwork. Created by graphic artist Jayarr Steiner, it was first used in 2019. The use of his exotic shapes and vivid color palettes has been widely displayed in large community murals and since then.
I am an Artist currently studying the effect of bright colors, geometric shapes and positive messaging.”
follow @jayarr.art
“Happy Puppy Inc. is so excited to be a part of bringing more color and life to Main Street. Happy Puppy Inc’s goals are to provide our 4-legged customers with American made products from family owned companies that are tailored to their lifestyle as Lake town residents. It’s been so fun to rework the store into a place where you feel like your pet comes first, not your wallet. I can’t wait to see how Happy Puppy Inc. changes the image of pet store shopping in Lake Havasu City, and hope to see you in here with your furry friend soon!”
