Kansas City is looking for artists willing to take on 12 blank concrete columns beneath Interstate 70 at Brooklyn Avenue and turn them into a $30,000 mural meant to knit together neighborhoods long split apart by the highway. The city's One Percent for Art program is calling for professional artists and artist teams to reimagine the underpass, which sits along the border of the Independence Plaza and Forgotten Homes neighborhoods, as a safer and more welcoming pedestrian route into the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District.
City officials said the goal is to create a safer, more welcoming pedestrian link connecting the community with the historic district, according to KCTV5.
The mural is being funded through the city's One Percent for Art program, codified in 1986 under City Ordinance 60321, which requires that one percent of eligible municipal construction costs go toward acquiring and installing public artwork. The ordinance also gives the Municipal Art Commission approval authority over art displayed on city property, per the city's records.
Two Neighborhoods, One Highway Wall
The concrete columns under Interstate 70 sit along the border of the Independence Plaza and Forgotten Homes neighborhoods, according to the city.
Independence Plaza, established in 1876 east of Troost Avenue, is one of the first neighborhoods developed in Northeast Kansas City, bordered by The Paseo, Independence Boulevard, Benton Boulevard, and 12th Street, and features three municipal parks: Harmony Park, Prospect Plaza Park, and Independence Plaza Park, according to Northeast News. Kansas City also has the 18th & Vine Jazz District. Kansas City has directed over $100 million into district redevelopment since 1990, per KCUR.
How Artists Can Apply
Kansas City is seeking professional artists and artist teams for the mural project, with online applications closing at 11:59 p.m. CST on October 26 through the Café application platform, per the same KCTV5 report. A selection committee will choose two to five semifinalists to advance to the proposal phase, and each semifinalist will receive a $1,000 stipend to develop and present design concepts.
The mural is meant to celebrate neighborhood culture and history, the city says. Artists with questions must submit them in writing to Kansas City Public Art Administrator James Martin by 5 p.m. CST on October 6, and the city will host virtual public question-and-answer sessions at 5:30 p.m. CST on October 7 and October 8. Martin was appointed Kansas City's Public Art Administrator in October 2019 after an 18-month vacancy in the post, according to KCUR, which reported that the Kansas City International Airport terminal project budgeted $5.6 million for art. Project guidelines and application details are available on the Café website and kcmo.gov, the station reports.
Part of a Larger Push to Reconnect the Vine
The Brooklyn Avenue mural comes amid a broader push to reinvest in the 18th & Vine district, according to the Gunter Construction Company.
Kansas City has also used painted street art elsewhere in the city. The Brooklyn Avenue call suggests the city sees similar potential in art beneath its highways — not just to beautify a stretch of concrete, but to strengthen neighborhood ties and pedestrian access.
