North Kansas City, MO
Home Menu"This is Us" Public Art Mural
“This is Us” by Spaceship Zulu, Artist
North wall of The Brewkery, 1443 Swift St, North Kansas City, MO 64116
Artist Statement: The mural “This Is Us” hopes to represent the past, present, and future of the area known today as North Kansas City.
Imagine it’s 1849 and just north of what today is Kansas City resides a little unincorporated town called Harlem. Most do not know that this town even existed nor it’s cultural significance as one of the starting points for many of cowboy, trapper, and frontiersmen headed west. It sits right at the point where the Kaw River meets The Mighty Missouri. Without a bridge to connect the two cities in those days, Harlem was one of the main riverboat ferry drop off location for many of the 5,000 to 9,000 African American cowboys that headed west during that time. This little known town once matched Westport in size and prominence. This portion of the city's history is represented in the mural as the cowboy peering west.
Fast-forwarding our timeline to the early 1900s and the area known as Harlem had dramatically changed from the rough and tumble saloons and horse stall rentals of the late 1800s. With new and exciting industrialization and urban development coming to the area. Due to the likes of city developers like William E. Macken. This you will see represented in the mural by the young woman from this era (Urbanization).
Today we stand here in the present and we see this represented in the mural by the design elements of the brushstroke, benday dots and the fade of color to show that North Kansas City has a wonderful and thriving arts community.
Now we look toward the future which we have represented in the mural as the words “North Kansas City” which is displayed big and bold and directly in the center of the piece to provide a glimpse at what lies just ahead on the horizon for our wonderful city.
North wall of The Brewkery, 1443 Swift St, North Kansas City, MO 64116
Artist Statement: The mural “This Is Us” hopes to represent the past, present, and future of the area known today as North Kansas City.
Imagine it’s 1849 and just north of what today is Kansas City resides a little unincorporated town called Harlem. Most do not know that this town even existed nor it’s cultural significance as one of the starting points for many of cowboy, trapper, and frontiersmen headed west. It sits right at the point where the Kaw River meets The Mighty Missouri. Without a bridge to connect the two cities in those days, Harlem was one of the main riverboat ferry drop off location for many of the 5,000 to 9,000 African American cowboys that headed west during that time. This little known town once matched Westport in size and prominence. This portion of the city's history is represented in the mural as the cowboy peering west.
Fast-forwarding our timeline to the early 1900s and the area known as Harlem had dramatically changed from the rough and tumble saloons and horse stall rentals of the late 1800s. With new and exciting industrialization and urban development coming to the area. Due to the likes of city developers like William E. Macken. This you will see represented in the mural by the young woman from this era (Urbanization).
Today we stand here in the present and we see this represented in the mural by the design elements of the brushstroke, benday dots and the fade of color to show that North Kansas City has a wonderful and thriving arts community.
Now we look toward the future which we have represented in the mural as the words “North Kansas City” which is displayed big and bold and directly in the center of the piece to provide a glimpse at what lies just ahead on the horizon for our wonderful city.