Silent messages scream through street art
Published: Monday, January 11, 2010
Updated: Sunday, February 14, 2010
Nathan Lang
Wood pallets, bricks and pieces of signs come together to make quite the political statement at 34th Street and Troost Avenue. In the side yard of a house along the avenue, the homeowners used metal to tether their artistic mediums together to create a colorful piece of art in support of Obama.
Nathan Lang
Sometimes the best things in life can be overlooked if you don't take a minute to look around. A piece of street art that frequents the corner of 43rd and Main streets encourages onlookers to do just that. A bicycle converted into a sign that says "look" give those passing by a reason to do a double take of their surroundings.
Nathan Lang
Just up the street from the Jazz District is a piece of street art dedicated to the legends of jazz. The mural at 18th and Euclid streets is painted in black and white. Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and many others can be found in the painting. While the paint is chipping away in places, the artist's love of music still comes through loud and clear.
Nathan Lang
Robust colors cover the walls of a building at 18th Street and Troost Avenue, melding many cultures into one artistic creation. The mural hints at a harmony between humans and nature. The sun has a face and a little girl appears to have wings all while birds fly by. Piano keys appear above all of the activity.
Nathan Lang
Nathan Lang
The King of Pop is alive and well at corner of 18th Street and Troost Avenue. An entire wall of a building is dedicated to Michael Jackson. On one side of the mural, Jackson is depicted leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets. On the other side, he is dancing under a pair of broken sunglasses. Hundreds of names have been written all over the wall by visiting fans.
Nathan Lang
Right around 16th and McGee streets, art is not hard to find. The alley behind local music spots Crosstown Station and the Czar Bar is covered in murals. One fun area called the Mercy Seat Alley, which is located behind Czar Bar and hosts bands during warmer weather, is home to some strange green aliens who are walking away from a mushroom cloud.
Nathan Lang
Likely anyone who has visited the Power & Light District has seen what is known by many as the 12th Street Rag.
A Grant Snider Illustration
Kansas City is home to many night designers who create street art.
Street art is a form of expression. It allows those with virtually no voice in society to share their messages in the forms of sculptures and murals.
Some street art asks viewers to think and take notice of the world around, some present frustrations and other pieces portray heroes as larger than life.
By necessity, these street artists will remain in anonymity. Aside from rare cases where artists actually apply for and receive permits from the city, most street art is created illegally.
Although we will never see them and we can only identify them by their signature tags, the messages presented by street artists are not to be overlooked.
alang@unews.com
 "Photo: Nathan Lang")
 "Photo: Nathan Lang")
 "Photo: Nathan Lang")
 "Photo: Nathan Lang")
 "Photo: Nathan Lang")
 "Photo: Nathan Lang")
 "Photo: Nathan Lang")
 "Photo: Nathan Lang")
 "Photo: A Grant Snider Illustration")
