the i love you kiosk
A community-built public artwork rooted in shared human expression.
Inspired by the works of Pamela Heller and her I Love You Project, the I Love You Kiosk is a freestanding, community-built sculptural installation developed through public participation, collaborative making, and shared vision. The I Love You Kiosk brings together visual form, handcraft, and recorded human voice to create an artwork that is both intimate and communal.
A covered mosaic exterior of loving expressions surrounding recorded audio/visual messages, the kiosk holds a lively collective presence. It carries the imprint of many hands and reflects the possibility that public art can be both aesthetically compelling and socially connective.
At its center is a simple phrase--I love you—offered as an act of recognition, relation, and belonging.
A covered mosaic exterior of loving expressions surrounding recorded audio/visual messages, the kiosk holds a lively collective presence. It carries the imprint of many hands and reflects the possibility that public art can be both aesthetically compelling and socially connective.
At its center is a simple phrase--I love you—offered as an act of recognition, relation, and belonging.
A POWER IN ThE ProjectThe Kiosk exists at the intersection of art, emotion, and universal connection. In a time marked by fragmentation, speed, and emotional distance, the project offers something slower and more human: an invitation to pause, to feel, to remember, and to connect.
Both decorative and inherently relational, the Kiosk creates space for encounter and reflection, demonstrating how collaborative art-making can strengthen community bonds and expand access to meaningful experiences. The project also models a different approach to public art—one in which beauty, craftsmanship, and community participation are not separate aims, but one gesture. |
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public presence
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Since its completion, the I Love You Kiosk has continued to appear in public and in shared experiences. The work premiered at the Albany Tulip Festival, where it was met with strong public response, and has since appeared in additional community and exhibition settings.
Each presentation expands the life of the project, allowing new audiences to encounter the work and participate in the conversation it opens. As the kiosk continues to travel, it carries with it the story of its making and the collective spirit from which it emerged. Presentations
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A community build
The project was shaped through community-based conversations, workshops, hands-on fabrication, and shared contributions. People of different ages and backgrounds participated in the making of the kiosk, helping to form not only the structure and mosaic tiles themselves, but the spirit behind and within the sculpture.
More than one hundred individuals contributed to the development of the project through building, tile-making, mosaic work, creative participation, and public engagement. What emerged is a work that holds great power from collective authorship.
More than one hundred individuals contributed to the development of the project through building, tile-making, mosaic work, creative participation, and public engagement. What emerged is a work that holds great power from collective authorship.
meet the artists
pamela heller
Pamela Heller is a multidisciplinary artist who transforms civic spaces through site-specific installations that encourage connection, curiosity, and community. Her participatory practice invites audiences to engage with physical space and one another, fostering dialogue and illuminating shared humanity.
A National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, Heller’s career is distinguished by honors from the Ohio Arts Council, Artists Space (NYC), and the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture. Her work is held in prestigious collections, including the Progressive Corporation, Peter B. Lewis Aquatic Center, and Hospice of the Western Reserve. Her collaborative portfolio features high-visibility projects with the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, American Movie Classics, and The Children’s Museum (NYC). As an educator, Heller founded the International Studio in Budapest, mentoring students from four continents through kinesthetic and sensory innovation. She has also held faculty and residency positions at John Carroll University and the Cleveland Institute of Art. Through projects like the I Love You Kiosk, she collaborates with communities and institutions to create art that acts as a catalyst for connection and lasting engagement in shared spaces. |
steven lawrence
A native of Upstate N.Y., Steven Lawrence is a craftsman, educator, and doctoral researcher whose work sits at the intersection of art, attention, and human development. With a background spanning the trades, international education, and psychology, his work explores how shared creative processes can foster connection, presence, and meaningful engagement in both individuals and communities.
He is the founder of One-Pointed Inc., an organization dedicated to cultivating human capacity through attention-based practices and experiential learning. Drawing from both academic research and lived experience, his work integrates contemplative practice, psychology, and hands-on learning to support well-being, performance, and relational awareness across educational, community, and professional environments. His educational programs and workshops have been presented in 8 countries internationally, as well as the Capital Region, engaging educators, organizations, and individuals in practical approaches to human development. Lawrence brings together craftsmanship and collective participation, creating spaces where art becomes a shared act rather than a solitary object. His work reflects a commitment to building environments where people can find a deeper sense of presence within the spaces they inhabit and purpose in their works. |
