For the past few years, officials from the City of Hattiesburg and the Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art have made steady strides toward the goal of becoming “The City of 100 Murals,” with local and national artists contributing to regular public art projects throughout the Hub City.
Now, that goal is almost halfway to completion with the recent unveiling of the city’s 47th mural, titled “Be You.” The mural, which is located on the side of United Apparel Liquidators (https://store.shopual.com/) at 1829 Hardy Street, was announced during an October 11 news conference at the site.
“We’re excited about this not only because it continues the beautification efforts throughout the (Hattiesburg) Avenues and throughout all of Hattiesburg, but we especially appreciate that (UAL) is a homegrown business,” Mayor Toby Barker said. “They started here over 40 years ago, and they have expanded to several successful stores in New Orleans, Metairie, Nashville, Houston, Austin.
“But the original was right here in Hattiesburg, and once again, this original store makes a statement with this mural right here on Hardy Street.”
The “Be You” mural, which was painted by Miami artist Ivan Roque, spans 13 feet high and 64 feet in width, making it the sixth-largest mural in the Hattiesburg Avenues. It features a man and two women in fashionable attire in front of a blue background, with red lipstick marks and the text “You Be You.”
Following a national call for artists seeking original design concepts for the project earlier this summer, Roque’s entry was selected by an independent review panel. This is his second mural in Hattiesburg, with the Longleaf Trace tunnel mural ‘Together as One’ being his first.
Roque also assisted with the ‘We are the Future’ mural located near Hawkins Elementary School.
“I wanted to take a different approach from what I usually create and feature individuals of various walks of life looking fabulous and capturing their inner essence through fashion,” Roque said. “Through fashion, we can truly be ourselves and explore all of our desires while allowing the world to see a glimpse into our beings.”
Since 2020, Hattiesburg’s public art has grown significantly throughout the city, both in murals and utility boxes. Hattiesburg has been listed as an emerging public arts destination by numerous publications and was featured in Travel and Leisure as a top public art city in 2022.
To learn more about HAPA or for a map of existing public art in Hattiesburg, visit HAPA’s Facebook and Instagram pages or hburgart.com.
"Collaborating with a local cornerstone like UAL amplifies the sense of community we cherish," said Marlo Dorsey, executive director of Visit Hattiesburg, which oversees HAPA. "The eclectic blend of shops, dining options, and vibrant art offerings adds to our local quality of place and enhances our city’s appeal as a must-visit destination in the Gulf South."
For a list of all the city’s murals and locations, visit https://hburgart.com/arttypes/murals.
