Missouri artists team up for Chappell Roan mural in the heart of Kansas City
Since Saturday, Sept. 20, Jared Horman and Christine Riutzel have been hard at work on a large mural facing the parking lot of Hamburger Mary’s, 3700 Broadway Blvd.
The mural depicts and is dedicated to Chappell Roan, the Missouri-born pop star who’s set to perform in Kansas City Friday, Oct. 3 and Saturday, Oct. 4 at Museum & Memorial Park. And given Roan’s long-standing connection to drag — and Hamburger Mary’s in particular — the midtown location is a fitting choice.
Drivers and passerbys have sent their good wishes and compliments towards Horman and Riutzel as they complete the artwork. Random strangers have even come up to the mural and offered to help them paint parts of it after seeing posts about it on TikTok.
You may have seen Horman’s work on buildings around Kansas City without knowing who created it, like The World AIDS Day mural, found on the side of the KC Care Health Center, 3515 Broadway Blvd. Designs inside Q Kansas City, an LGBTQ bar in Westport, were made by him and so was the flag of Kansas City.
Large-scale designs are the specialty of the Horman, the city’s creative director, and when Roan announced her two shows in Kansas City, he knew he wanted to celebrate the moment. Creating it outside Hamburger Mary’s made perfect sense to him, since that’s where the pop singer saw her first drag show.
“I’ve always had my eye on this wall of being a place for an opportunity, and also Chappell, who’s obviously from Missouri,” Horman said. “Her first introduction to drag, according to her, was at Hamburger Mary’s in Kansas City. Tying that back to that location felt really important.”
He reached out to both the property managers of Hamburger Mary’s and Valentine Apartments, who both said yes immediately. He secured funding through art organization SprayKC, and now his and Riutzel’s sights are set to complete the project Sunday, Sept. 28, barring any weather disruptions.
The Subway
When determining what to design to honor the singer, Horman settled on a shot from her music video for “The Subway,” where the camera films her from above, with her hair bunched around her face. He thought the shot was dynamic and knew it had to be recreated in his style.
He bounced around using a comic book style, but went in the direction of the Art Nouveau, characterized by its use of flat lines in the artwork. It’s mixed in with some realism, which is where Riutzel’s talents shine.
She’s in charge of painting Roan’s face, which includes getting the singer’s eyeshadow and makeup similar to what she’s worn on stage. The mural features a smoky blue eyeshadow, contrasting with the three shades of red making up the hair.
Horman said it’s his first time working with the Springfield artist, and he said he’s excited to have this opportunity to pay tribute to an artist who’s a good example of bringing queer joy to the world.
“It’s a really important thing amidst a lot of difficult challenges of being a queer person growing up in the Midwest, in Missouri and in smaller towns,” Horman said. “She just brings so much life and joy and artistry and detail into her craft that is a really incredible example for other kids and other folks in Missouri that are unsure if they belong or if they have a place that is here.”
The goal is to try to replicate some of the joy Roan carries with her on stage and share it with visitors and onlookers driving on Broadway Boulevard and Valentine Road. They’re also hoping that Roan gets a chance to see it in person when she’s in Kansas City for her concerts.
Horman said he’ll be at Saturday’s show and is trying to convince Riutzel to join him and his friends. While the mural will stand for a good 10 years, the impact the concert and their mural they hope lasts a lifetime.
“I hope it continues to build hype for an incredible moment for Kansas City, but I think it feels like these two shows will be a thing that people talk about in Kansas City for a long time to come,” Horman said.
This story was originally published September 25, 2025 at 4:40 PM.
