Jasmine Ali stands for a portrait near her mural “Growth” on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Riverfront Heritage Trail in Kansas City. Ali has worked as a professional artist for seven years and is a part of the first group of artists painting murals on the concrete wall.
Zachary Linhares
zlinhares@kcstar.com
The view along the Riverfront Heritage Trail that follows the Missouri River through Berkley Riverfront and continues past River Market to points west is getting a little brighter.
Port KC, the local government entity that maintains the trail, commissioned local and national muralists to paint the beige concrete wall that once served as a blank canvas for vandals after spending tens of thousands of dollars to remove crude spray paintings along the trail. The wall separates the trail from a nearby rail line.
“Not only will it be educational and inspirational, I think that even when it’s a gloomy winter day, there’s going to be something beautiful and colorful to brighten your day,” Meredith Hoenes, Director of Communications for Port KC, said.
The new mural series project will span multiple years with hopes to cover the entirety of the Riverfront Heritage Trail with vibrant art. The first phase of artists are all women who were hired to create pieces that reflect the environment surrounding them.
Felicia Koloc paints a star on her piece “Joy Ride” while Emily Ding redesigns her mural on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Riverfront Heritage Trail in Kansas City. “This seems pretty accessible to everybody and it’s a free space,” Koloc said. “ You don’t have to be of a certain background to appreciate this, it’s nice to be a part of a project like that.” Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
A train passes by a wall of murals being created along the Riverfront Heritage trail on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Kansas City. Port KC commissioned local and national artists to create murals along the concrete wall to beautify the area and to deter vandalism. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Emily Ding, left, designs her mural while Felicia Koloc puts the finishing touches on her piece “Joy Ride” on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Riverfront Heritage Trail in Kansas City. “Not only will it be educational and inspirational, I think that even when it’s a gloomy winter day, there’s going to be something beautiful and colorful to brighten your day,” Meredith Hoenes, Director of Communications for Port KC, said. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Murals completed for the first phase of the project are located near the base of the Town of Kansas Bridge which can be accessed near West Second Street and Main Street in the River Market area.
“This first phase is the message of women, empowerment, and feminism,” Hoenes said. “I think our artists have done a beautiful job at bringing that to light.”
For Kansas City based artist Felicia Koloc, her mural reflects the nature along the trail and the importance of free community spaces.
“It seems to be like the basic reason we exist is to be together as a community and have spaces where you can interact with people,” Koloc said. “Art, historically, always has done a good job of bringing people together.”
Emily Ding, left, designs her mural while Felicia Koloc steps back after putting the finishing touches on her mural “Joy Ride” on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Riverfront Heritage Trail in Kansas City. “It seems to be like the basic reason we exist is to be together as a community and have spaces where you can interact with people,” Koloc said. “Art, historically, always has done a good job of bringing people together.” Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Brushes and paint caps sit on a blanket on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Riverfront Heritage Trail in Kansas City. Murals are painted underneath the Town of Kansas Bridge and range from 14 feet to 42 feet in length. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
A detailed close up of Felicia Koloc’s mural “Joy Ride” is shown here on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Riverfront Heritage Trail in Kansas City. “Free spaces for the community are really hard to come by nowadays,” Koloc said. “I wanted to add something that was a little bit of a tribute to that.” Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
The first phase of the murals will finish this weekend and leave trail goers with a colorful wall of inspiration.
“We will be looking for artists very soon and get that planning underway so that this can happen next year,” Hoenes said. “I hope everyone finds it pleasant, we’re so excited to have it.”
Jasmine Ali, left, opens up paint cans to continue painting her mural while Emily Alvarez finishes her art piece on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Riverfront Heritage Trail in Kansas City. Ali has worked as a professional artist for seven years and is part of the first group of artists painting murals on the concrete wall. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Jasmine Ali finishes painting her mural “Growth” on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Riverfront Heritage Trial in Kansas City. Ali’s mural is featured along side of fellow Kansas City based artists Emily Alvarez and her untitled mural inspired by the Missouri River. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Emily Alvarez, left, laughs as Kira Wallace sits near by on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Riverfront Heritage Trial in Kansas City. Alvarez’s piece was inspired by fish in the Missouri River, her inclusion of a common bait fish found in the river is part of a larger commentary on harassment women face, she said. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Emily Ding spray paints the outline of a swallow bird on her mural on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Riverfront Heritage Trail in Kansas City. The Port KC project was initiated after they had spent tens of thousands of dollars preventing vandalism along the river front trail. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Muralists and event organizers take a lunch break on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Riverfront Heritage Trail in Kansas City. “This first phase is the message of women, empowerment, and feminism,” Director of Communications for Port KC Meredith Hoenes, said. “I think our artists have done a beautiful job at bringing that to light.” Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Jasmine Ali’s paint brush sits atop of her paint can on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Riverfront Heritage Trial in Kansas City. The murals were commissioned by Port KC and created by local and national artists. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Zachary Linhares is a visual intern for the Kansas City Star. Before joining The Star in 2023, he covered firearm violence and homelessness in Missouri as a freelance photojournalist. He was part of a team that won first place for Multi-Media Reporting in the 2022 Missouri Press Foundation Better Newspaper Contest. Linhares was also part of a team that was recognized as a finalist for the Insight Award for Visual Journalism - Medium Division for three stories on homelessness in Columbia, Mo. Linhares is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he studied journalism.
