People gathered in the Vermont Street parking garage Wednesday evening for the chance to participate directly in the creation of artist Tokeya Waci U Richardson’s mural.
Richardson, Oglala Lakota and Haliwa-Saponi, was selected by the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission and designed the mural to reflect the city’s cultural diversity. The mural shows the library exterior, Native people, the Haskell Indian Nations Memorial Arch, constellations, buffalo imagery and sunflowers.
The event started with a brief introduction to his work and an explanation of the art being centered on community participation and ownership.
Richardson painted participants’ hands yellow and guided them to put their handprints in marked spots on the 18-by-10-foot mural.
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Jacob Rice (he/him), photo correspondent, has worked with The Lawrence Times since March 2026. He studied journalism and mass communications at Iowa State University, where he spent four years as the visuals editor for the Iowa State Daily.
Check out his photography for the Times here. Read his articles for the Times at this link.
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer/Lawrence Times
