#alexanderaustin

“No one holds a family together quite like a grandma, and through good times and bad, the matriarchs of the Manheim Park neighborhood in Kansas City have remained steady,” said local KCUR 89.3 reporting on the dedication of this mural on Troost near 39th Street. KCUR goes on to quote Doug Shafer of the local neighborhood association describing grandmothers as the “most important social glue.” On the side of the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store the faces of Lucielle Leapheart, Arissa Keli-Logan, Arvern Hughes, and Dorothy Hawkins surround St. Vincent and serve as a constant inspiration to the community. Artist Alexander Austin says the women remind him of his mother and her 35 grandchildren. Larry Thompson, another member of the neighborhood association credits Arvern Hughes, pictured at left, with also being the “neighborhood historian.”  @kcur893 @scenesfromthesidewalk

Alexander Austin wasn’t sure where his next paycheck would come from when, in 2008, he was commissioned to paint the 18,000-square-foot South wall of the Kansas City Power & Light entertainment district, serving as a gateway into downtown’s North side. Austin confesses that he’s not much of a businessman, often working for free, or a few hundred dollars just to keep him in groceries. When he agreed to a $44,000 fee for this mural the expectation was that it would take about 8 weeks—instead of the 8 months it actually required. This section of wall celebrates Kansas City baseball and Goose Tatum, a teammate of Satchel Paige with the Kansas City Monarchs, but who also gained later fame in basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters. In 2012 Major League Baseball honored this artistic effort by naming Austin as their Hometown Hero Artist of the Year.

Hey #kansascity some of the last few weeks we see this #alexanderaustin mural. It's disappearing for the new Two Light project. Love seeing it almost daily the past 8 years. Used it once for a backdrop for #golfdigest shoot talking about KC. (at Power and Light District)