Lenexa is on track to commission its first-ever public mural project, which would feature a local artist.

Last week, the Lenexa City Council unanimously gave the green light to a plan to put a mural on the outside of the future combined Lenexa Community Center and Senior Center building.

The mural is listed as the top priority on the Lenexa Arts Council’s project list also approved last week.

Community Center and Senior Center upgrades to come

• The actual mural installation will follow the planned $11.5 million Community Center and Senior Center campus improvements currently in the design phase.
• When the improvements are completed, the campus will feature one combined activity center building.
• Construction is expected later this year.
• “The idea here was to add vibrancy to the building and civic pride,” Steven Boody, a managing member of Public Art & Practice, said of the project.

The Old Town mural will be on the south side of the building

• Based on what the city council approved, the mural will be roughly 900 square feet.
• It will be right by the planned south entrance to the building and wrap around the west side of the building some.
• Early projections indicate this proposal could cost anywhere from $13,000 to $31,500.

There isn’t a set design for the Lenexa mural

• Last Tuesday, the city council agreed to a list of three Kansas City artists who will be invited to submit formal proposals.
• Of the 14 artists who applied, Alexander Austin, JT Daniels and Evan Brown have been named the finalists. They have all done murals and art installations around the Kansas City metro area.
• The idea is that the mural would be abstract and colorful, but nothing has been approved yet.
• Mayor Mike Boehm said he’d prefer to see design proposals that feel like Lenexa without showing scenes from the city.
• “The scenes are out there to go see and experience in person,” he said.

Next steps:

• In the future, the council will need to accept one artist’s proposal for the mural and sign off on the expenditure.
• That would likely follow a period of public input tentatively planned for early 2024 with potential in-person and digital elements, said Parks and Recreation Director Logan Wagler.
• Mural installation is expected for late 2024.

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