A Johnson County artist has been picked to paint the mural that will adorn an exterior wall of the new Lenexa Old Town Activity Center.
Winning a public vote sanctioned by the City of Lenexa, the piece “Meet Me in Lenexa” was approved by the city council earlier this month.
It’s the brainchild of Johnson County native Evan Brown, who goes by the name Doodle Dood. He’s now tasked with executing his vision on a 900-square-foot space that will wrap around the southwest corner of the new building.
The mural will welcome people at the new activity center — which will merge the old Lenexa Community center and Senior Center and is currently under construction — with a mixture of child-like doodles, street art and references to Lenexa’s history.
“It’s also something that kids can enjoy and parents can actually use to help educate kids on the history of the city,” Brown said.
Brown did his homework on Lenexa
Known for his artwork and murals around the Kansas City area, Brown said after he accepted the city’s offer to enter the competition, he immediately hit the books on Lenexa’s history.
“I kind of had to walk myself through the history of that space and the history of Lenexa,” he said.
Through his proposed piece, Brown said he wants to transport people through Lenexa’s evolution, following a train track that touches on its Native American roots to structures like its post office and historic downtown area around Old Town.
Brown is an Overland Park native
Brown has never lived in Lenexa, but hew grew up in Overland Park and now lives in Spring Hill.
He said growing up in different areas of Johnson County and living here much of his life has made him familiar with the growing city.
He remembers when now-bustling areas of Lenexa were once open fields. Being selected to be a part of the city’s growth, he said, means a lot to him.
“I remember going and visiting friends over there in high school and college, (the city) didn’t have that Vision 2020-like, City Center environment yet. So there was a lot to be developed,” he said. “It’s just really cool to be part of that developing community.”
Brown wants the mural to spread positivity
The mural is meant to add vibrancy, express civic pride and create community identity around the Lenexa Old Town Activity Center, according to the city.
Having done other public art pieces for the Kansas City Parade of Hearts, the Kansas City Current professional women’s soccer team, the National League of Cities and Facebook, among others, Brown said he thinks his work will further that goal.
“I’m kind of trying to create with my murals, almost, like, a gridwork of positivity,” he said. “You can go to one location, and there’s a little spurt of positivity there with my mural, and then you go to another location, and there’s another little spurt of positivity. So, I’m kind of trying to just spread that around as much as possible.”
The mural is expected to be finished by the end of 2024
With the activity center itself expected to open later this year, Brown, with the help of his wife, Katie, who is also an artist, said he hopes to get started on the mural late this summer or in the early fall.
“I’m not sure (on the timeline),” he said. “Sometimes construction projects can push things back or be finished earlier. I work on a lot of construction sites and I have to be very flexible.”
The city will work with Brown on a contract, timeline for the project and additional opportunities for the public to get involved.
Find out more about “Doodle Dood”: Meet ‘Doodle Dood,’ the artist behind these colorful Adirondack chairs in Prairie Village that you can bid on
