Missouri Life September 2023

Top left, Chiefs Kingdom makes a triumphant statement on the Tom’s Town Distilling Co. building in Kansas City’s Crossroads District. Top right, late Kansas City artist Jeremy A. Bena is memorialized on this mural at the Bunker Center for the Arts. Jeremy was the first studio artist at the Kansas City Art Institute and a muralist himself. The Wonka Golden Ticket is a nod to Jeremy’s hope that his art would make everyone feel like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory character Charlie Bucket. Above, Artist Ray Harvey estimates he has created more than 600 murals since he began the pursuit in the 1990s, and he is the artist behind Hannibal’s Mark Twain Zephyr. Ray says, “My art brings art to the people where they are. They don’t have to go to an enclosed facility, pay a fee, and go in to see an exhibit.”

How do murals inspire visitors and locals? What does it take to paint a mural? Scan this code for our web-exclusive story and more photos of Missouri murals.

SUSAN ATTEBERRY SMITH, HANNIBAL CVB

39 / SEPTEMBER 2023