In 1991, a handful of young Kansas City artists painted a mural on the long, brick wall of a self-storage company on busy Southwest Boulevard. Their artwork paid homage to the history, culture and pride of the Mexican-American community of Kansas City’s Westside.
The public art project made news. It was led by a 23-year-old Kansas City Art Institute student who grew up in the neighborhood, the same woman who now, 35 years later, is spearheading the transformation of the wall — all 683 feet of it.
For Jenny Mendez and a new group of artists, the Celebration of Youth Mural Project is about more than just putting paint on a wall…