MURAL PLAZA
Visit Mural Plaza for three great photo ops in one location at 110 W. First Ave.
Just steps from El Dorado's downtown restaurants and boutiques, the plaza features two murals
and a three-foot-tall statue inspired by community feedback and designed by Kansas artists.
Joe Buffalo Mural
Joe Buffalo is based on Kansas’s motto “Ad Astra Per Aspera,” Latin for to the stars through difficulties. The state’s animal represents determination in difficult times because these majestic creatures persisted despite near extinction. Artist Joe Worley with Wichita creative collective Brickmob designed the mural. Worley, Nicky Rocho, and Chris Garcia painted the mural.
ELDO Sculpture
Brickmob artist Richard Garcia created the three-foot tall, concrete ELDO letter sculpture. City of El Dorado staff installed the letters. This original sculpture offers another fun photo opportunity for
El Dorado residents and visitors.
![ELDO Concrete letters DSC_0220 web].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cf3cb5_5d4f7571173141feb453feee57542463~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_78,h_70,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/ELDO%20Concrete%20letters%20DSC_0220%20web%5D.jpg)
El Dorado is Home Mural
The plaza’s three art installations embody Kansas, El Dorado, and hometown pride. The second mural is a simple reminder that El Dorado is home. It was designed and painted by City of El Dorado staff.
Project Background
In 2021, the City of El Dorado and Experience El Dorado began a public beautification campaign to bolster civic pride, increase tourism, enhance walkability, and compliment the revitalization of El Dorado’s historic downtown.
The flagship project – a mural at El Dorado's busiest intersection – was completed in September 2021 with donations from Experience El Dorado and Martin Pringle Law Firm. “Greetings from El Dorado” was inspired by iconic El Dorado sights and installed by Wichita creative collective Brickmob.
Experience El Dorado then set its sights on a derelict space just west of Main Street on First Avenue. A small retail building was removed in 2019, leaving an eyesore in an area just steps away from El Dorado's busy downtown. The City of El Dorado provided a fresh coat of paint to the south- and west-facing walls, and river rock next to the fresh concrete pad.
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COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Experience El Dorado held a virtual townhall on Facebook to gather inspiration from the community. Followers shared what being a Kansan means to them and how artists could visually translate those sentiments.
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KANSAS ARTISTS
Experience El Dorado issued a public call for artists and shared inspiration from the virtual townhall. Four Kansas muralists submitted concepts. Staff narrowed the choices, and the Experience El Dorado Committee (made up of representatives of the community) selected Brickmob to design and paint the main mural on the south-facing wall.
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FUNDING
This project is supported in part by a matching grant from the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Experience El Dorado's portion is funded by transient guest sales tax. The wall spaces are provided by Dwight and David Wernli, El Dorado residents and businessmen.
The "Greetings from El Dorado" mural welcomes visitors at the intersection of Central Ave. and Main St.
