MINBURN, Iowa — The “small town with a big heart,” also known as Minburn, is unveiling a mosaic mural on Wednesday that will put the tiny town on the world map.

Located in the center of Dallas County, roughly 40 minutes northwest of Des Moines, Minburn has a population of just over 300 people, and its catchphrase is “small town with a big heart.”

Despite the small population, new artwork will now be displayed at the center of town that was created by 2,500 people worldwide.

The mural is part of the Grass Roots Mosaic Mural Project, where a Canadian artist, Lewis Lavoie, travels across the world to paint murals. But, he doesn’t do it alone. Hundreds of people from all over the world paint their own small canvas, and Lavoie puts them together to create one image.

The mural in Minburn will depict a rosebud tree scene from afar, but visitors can see 2,500 individual paintings when they’re closer to the mural.

50 Minburn residents participated in the project by creating their own tile, and the rest are made by people across the globe. Lavoie also created some tiles with Minburn and Iowa connections, like haystacks and the water tower.

Minburn is the first community in Iowa to take part in a Grass Root’s mosaic mural. The piece will be located next to the community stage and roller skating rink, so everyone can see it.

Megan Cline is part of the Minburn Community Betterment Group. She saw this project on social media and decided to add Minburn to the application.

She also got to participate in the project by creating her own tile.

“I painted a little bunny looking up a moon in the sky with four-leaf clovers around him, because my son, I don’t know how, he can always find four-leaf clovers. And I never have, I’ve never found a four-leaf clover. And so I just thought I would put a little touch of my own special life on there. And when you think about that, everyone has put a touch of their special life on this wall from all over the world,” she said.

Cline also said that while the people who participated in the project may not know each other, many tiles depict similar pieces. For example, there are several cats and frogs painted on tiles.

The unveiling of the mural will take place at 11 a.m., and Lavoie will also be at the event.

To learn more about Grass Roots Mosaic Murals or to contribute a tile to future murals across the globe, click here.