KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 215-foot mural paying homage to the history and cultural significance of the West Bottoms neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, will be unveiled on May 26.
The artwork depicts some key aspects of the West Bottoms neighborhood, including its key location along the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers.
"The completion of this remarkable mural is a testament to the West Bottoms' vibrant history and the ongoing revitalization efforts in the neighborhood," said Bruce Holloway of the Historic West Bottoms Association (HWBA). "We are immensely grateful for the support from the City of Kansas City through the RebuildKC program, which has allowed us to enhance the 9th Street Garden and create a visually captivating representation of our community's heritage."
The artists chose to include 14 Monarch butterflies, which will remind passerby of the Kansas City Monarchs' history of winning 14 League Titles and Negro World Series Championships, per HWBA. The mural is an expansion of the neighborhood's 9th Street Garden, which plans to help in the conservation of Monarch butterflies by providing a habitat for them.
Artists known as "Evolution 816" researched and planned the mural for months, according to the HWBA. Once their brushes hit the wall, it took the artists four weeks to complete the mural.
The mural was funded by a $36,000 grant from the City of Kansas City's RebuildKC program, a program that assists in the redevelopment of neighborhoods in Kansas City.
The mural's unveiling will take place at 1309 West 9th Street on May 26, 2023, at 4 p.m.
