Murals are among the most creative ways for neighborhoods to express their unique personality, and Lawrence has plenty.
As the weather gets warmer this spring, add these public art pieces to your route. (See a map below.)
They provide a sense of place, with representations of native plants, iconic events and movements in Lawrence, and even some residents who have become globally famous for achievements in the arts, civil rights and beyond.
9th Street Mural
Ninth & New Jersey Streets
Off Ninth and New Jersey Streets, this mural is like a time machine. Its vibrant depictions of East Lawrence take you through the rich history of this neighborhood, also known as the Arts District.
Diversity and creativity go hand-in-hand. East Lawrence has deep ties with Black and Hispanic American history. St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church — founded in 1862 after Kansas passed its anti-slavery constitution — has been a community cornerstone for the civil rights movement.
East Lawrence was also built by Mexican-American railroad workers and their families. Their neighborhood within East Lawrence — known as La Yarda — was washed away by river flooding in 1951, but the community’s impact on Lawrence culture will always be a part of the town’s history.
Return of the Pollinators
888 New Hampshire St.
Located by the Lawrence Farmers Market, this mural celebrates the insects and birds that pollinate native plants, but also the Black artists with Kansas roots who have planted seeds in American culture.
It features icons such as poet Langston Hughes and painter Aaron Douglas. Read more about its backstory at this link.
Wak’ó Mujeres Phụ nữ Women Mural
South wall of the Lawrence Public Library
The Wak’ó Mujeres Phụ nữ Women Mural celebrates women of color who have made notable contributions to local history and culture.
One is Tomiko Mehl, a Japanese war bride who came to Lawrence during the Korean War … and ended up staying for 30 years. Along with her own three sons that went to KU, she was known as a second grandma for many immigrant students. One of her favorite pastimes was preparing traditional Japanese dinners to help them feel more comfortable away from home.
Check out the library’s reading list to accompany the mural at this link.
Wazhazhe Mural
11th & Pennsylvania Streets
The Wazhazhe Mural was painted by Mona Cliff, a Lawrence-based multidisciplinary artist and Aaniiih/Nakota descendent. The piece was designed to bring more visibility to Lawrence’s Indigenous communities and foodways. The mural — centered on the word “people,” written in Osage — also depicts native plants like chokecherry, pawpaw, and wild prairie turnip.
“When I came to Kansas in 2004, I met my husband who’s from the Osage tribe, so my children are enrolled there as well. That’s influenced a lot of the designs you see in this piece: the ribbonwork and wording,” Cliff says. “I really wanted to honor that tribe and be inclusive because we’re on their original homelands.”
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Jordan Winter (she/her), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since August 2021, is a 2019 KU grad with degrees in journalism and political science.
Check out her work at jrdnwntr.com. See more of her work for the Times here.
