The drive from the city into Maplewood and back is a little brighter thanks to husband-and-wife team Ben and Kim Hanvy, who are putting the finishing touches on a large new mural along Southwest Avenue. “Welcome to St. Louis City,” it reads in bubbly letters backgrounded by a medley of vibrant color.
The mural is funded by ARPA for the Arts money, which is supporting 28 such projects across the city, two in each ward.
Get a fresh take on the day’s top news
Subscribe to the St. Louis Daily newsletter for a smart, succinct guide to local news from award-winning journalists Sarah Fenske and Ryan Krull.
The background of the Hanvys’ mural includes 14 different colors, each representing a city ward, and the colors mix and intermingle together—the message being that we shouldn’t be so boxed in by imaginary boundaries. The Hanvys, who also make music as the rock band Turbo Widget, got a $30,000 grant in April and started painting in July, putting about 300 hours each into the project.
“Dollar for dollar, murals can really transform a community,” says Ben.
The couple, who live nearby, recently invited neighborhood residents to come help paint portions of the project. Dozens of people showed up, including kids. The Hanvys say they’re particularly excited about the idea of the mural still being here in decades, when the kids will be grownups and can tell their children how they made it happen.
Kim says she hopes the artwork gives people a glimmer, a small moment of unexpected joy. In the couple’s brief conversation with SLM, at least half a dozen motorists honked and gave thumbs up out their windows as they passed. Signs of glimmer if ever there were.
The wall they are painting on abuts a house made out of shipping containers, and the Hanvys have gotten to know the owner over the past few months. Ben says he hopes the property owner will allow the side of the shipping container facing Southwest Avenue to be used as a canvas. He’d like to paint the city’s skyline on it.
“It’ll be so cool to do the skyline right on top of where it says ‘St. Louis city,’” Ben says.
Check it out. This Sunday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the newly enlivened stretch of Southwest Avenue will play host to a “mural party” with pizza and an open mic.
