SpraySeeMo Mural Festival Brings Sprawling Street Art to KCMO

Artist: Queen Andrea (Photo: KC Studio Mag)

Kansas City, Missouri, is known as the City of Fountains, but it’s also become a city of murals. You just have to know where to look. Throughout its downtown, particularly in the Crossroads Arts District, large-scale street art graces the sides of buildings, bringing vibrant colors, casts of characters, and graffiti-inspired designs to the urban landscape. Facilitating these pieces is SpraySeeMO (a play on KCMO, the nickname for Kansas City), a beloved mural festival that began in 2017 and has gained attention on a national scale.

SpraySeeMO was founded by Jason Harrington and Ami Ayars Harrington. After experiencing Wynwood and Art Basel in Miami, Jason knew he wanted to plan a festival in Kansas City. The two focused on the arts district, knocking on doors and talking to neighboring businesses to find walls for artists, both local and beyond.

“We had no idea at the time that this would turn into an annual event,” Ami tells My Modern Met, “but it was so well received by not just everyone involved but also the community and the rest of the public that we decided to plan another one for the fall of 2018—and that was pretty much how we got here today.”

The couple’s tenacity has paid off. Now, SpraySeeMO is a city-sponsored event, and the funding has helped Jason and Ami put on two additional festivals in 2025. This means more murals were painted, across eight different neighborhoods, to bring art to the everyday lives of the residents there.

“Art is transformative,” Ami says, “so one aim [of the festival] is to not just transform the physical space but also the inner space, the mental and spiritual spaces inside us all, and the communal spaces that bring us together.”

We spoke with Ami about the art scene in Kansas City, how SpraySeeMO has grown and changed, and the community response to the murals now in their neighborhood. Scroll down for our exclusive interview.

Artist: Alex Senna (Photo: Ami Ayars)

What was your artistic background before starting SpraySeeMO? Did you ever envision creating a mural festival?

We’ve been into the arts pretty much all of our lives, growing up doing all sorts of creative things that kids do; draw all the time, sculpt things out of mud, etc. We both spent all our extracurricular high school time in the art wings of our schools, and both Jason and I went to undergrad for fine art; he studied Painting, Film, and Art History at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I received my BFA in Ceramics from the University of Kansas with a minor in Art History.

While Jason was in Chicago, he started painting graffiti and street art, so after moving back to Kansas City he began painting in the Art Alley and on pretty much any other building that would let him! It was Jason who decided he wanted to put together a mural festival here after experiencing Wynwood and Art Basel in Miami for the first time in 2015. He saw what was possible for our arts district neighborhood back in KC, and started piecing together the various parts of a festival—the walls, the funding, the artists, etc. I certainly never thought I would ever be the other half of a national mural festival, that’s for sure!

Artist: Osiris Rain (Photo: James Lampone)

For those who have never been to Kansas City, Missouri, how would you describe the art scene? What about it makes it a great place to paint murals?

It’s really improved over the last 10–15 years!! Growing up here, we always felt we had to leave and go to the big cities to experience the larger art world; to be honest, I never would have thought I’d still be living here, but KC and its art scene have really grown up around us, and it’s been an absolute honor to be a part of it! One thing that has always made Kansas City a great place is how open everyone is to the arts of all kinds, and that all the art museums are free! The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is one of the top in the country, and there’s no ticket required to go. The First Friday Art Walk in the Crossroads Arts District has been going strong for over 20 years now and has gotten so large in past years that it even tipped off Homeland Security because it drew such large crowds. Overall, I would say KC is an art-friendly city and the art scene is still growing, has ongoing support from many angles, and while it sometimes might trail behind the big cities like NYC, LA, and Miami, it has a ton of heart and will still surprise you more often than not!

There has always been a very tangible, do-it-yourself grassroots vibe across the city when it comes to the arts, and the Crossroads specifically, so starting to plan a mural festival started like any other activity. We walked around and knocked on doors to find buildings and walls, and we talked to our neighboring businesses and the community association for their help in finding resources like meals, lodging, and funding.

KC’s like a big small town, so you can get connected with the right people relatively quickly, and we are also very lucky here to not have many regulations for painting on buildings—very different from somewhere like LA, which has a lengthy process and fees! I’d say those two factors have been the most instrumental in our ability to be successful over all these years. It’s also helpful that it’s smack-dab in the middle of the country—it’s accessible, so very helpful for bringing artists and visitors here from all over!

Artist: Matt Gondek

Artist: Gondek (Photo: Brandon Baker)

Can you tell us a bit about the history of SpraySeeMO? How much has it changed since its founding nearly a decade ago?

Of course! The very first mural festival in 2017 was actually called SolaNoir because it was held in conjunction with the Great American Solar Eclipse in August that year, which drew national attention and thousands of visitors to Kansas City since we were right in the eclipse path! The idea was to mark the three-minute eclipse occasion with something that would be longer-lasting. We had no idea at the time that this would turn into an annual event, but it was so well received by not just everyone involved but also the community and the rest of the public that we decided to plan another one for the fall of 2018—and that was pretty much how we got here today.

Every year, it feels like we’re asking ourselves, “Are we doing the festival again this year?” Somehow, the answer is always “Yes!” With the exception of 2022 and 2023, we’ve held the event every year since, and sometimes twice in a single year! The most substantial change has been being able to pay the artists’ stipends now in addition to covering all their expenses during the festival, such as travel, lodging, meals, and of course materials and such.

2019 was our largest singular event based on the number of participating artists and walls that year, with over 45 artists and over 40 total murals painted—in just one week! 2020 was, of course, different, and we decided to just re-invite past artists, because things were wild back then, and there was already a good trust developed between both the artists and us. 2021 marked the year we branched out and did SpraySeeLA, which was hosted at two different elementary schools in Mid-City Los Angeles and a handful of public walls in the Mid-City neighborhood, and had around 35 participating artists, almost exclusively all from the LA area—so many amazingly talented artists out there!

We also still planned SpraySeeMO back in KC that year, and it certainly took a toll on us for sure. We were quite burned out at that point, so after delays in funding and along with some health issues, we skipped 2022 and 2023. We thought that might have been the end of it all, but after a couple different organizations reached out in early 2024 about our plans for an event that year, we decided to pursue it—and that’s when we got connected with some folks inside City Hall who had the same vision as we did, world-class murals in as many places that made sense!

With the news of Kansas City being selected as a host city for the FIFA World Cup later this summer in 2026, we set a goal with the City to paint as many murals as we could from that moment until the games. So 2024 was our first city-sponsored event, and since then, they have helped fund two additional festivals here last year, one in May and the other in October of 2025, and altogether have created over 50 new murals throughout eight different KC neighborhoods! Originally, we were going to host one more festival together this May 2026 before the World Cup, but with some shifts in the City and all the needs of preparation for the World Cup, we are waiting to hear what the final plan is.

Artist: JEKS (Photo: Ami Ayars)

Artist: Kiptoe (Photo: Ami Ayars)

SpraySeeMO is invitation-only. How do you find artists to invite?

Outside of the local art scene, the majority of artists we’ve worked with for the festival we have met at some point in our travels, like going to other events and festivals, and of course, going to Miami every year for Art Week. We like to get to know people first, and it really helps add to the curation of the event as a whole, not just on a visual level.

I always tell the emerging artists who ask that the best way to get involved in anything or meet people you want to connect with is to actually go out and do the things that are happening. Go to the art openings, visit the galleries, make traveling somewhere a priority (even if it’s just the next town over, or you have to save a little bit all year to attend the conference, festival, etc.); get out there, put your face in the crowd, hang out. You don’t need to “networ formally, just go be yourself, put in the time, and make real connections.

Artist: Dirt Cobain (Photo: James Lampone)

Artist: Dirt Cobain (Photo: Diana Gonzalez)

Is there a year of SpraySeeMo that was particularly memorable? What was it, and why was it so memorable?

Oh man, that’s almost like trying to pick a favorite child! I’d say each festival is so memorable in its own way; they each take on a life of their own that separates them distinctly from year to year, in large part due to the different mix of artists each time. 2017, the first year, was the year of bangers (there were so many giant walls!). 2018 felt like a week-long party (starting with a birthday cake being thrown from the roof of a six-story building!), and 2019 boasts the highlight of having Secret Walls plus an absolute rager of a rooftop party. 2020 was of course, marked by COVID, but also fresh collaborations between participating artists. 2021 was a bit more rag-tag and memorable for making the best of what we had, and also #TenToes. 2024 was the year of epic last-minute additions to nearly everything—there’s nothing like getting a call from your City contact asking if we can fly in an artist that night who just happened to be in the country for another 48 hours! 2025 Vol.1 was another festival of bangers, but also of branching out into new neighborhoods like the West Bottoms. And last but not least, the last festival, 2025 Vol.2, was the year of Halloween Prom and epic dance parties!

Artist: Osiris Rain

Artist: Bed Fundy

What do you hope the community takes away from the murals?

One of our hopes for community takeaways is that they feel something they wouldn’t have without the mural being there. That might be a new or renewed sense of place and belonging, thinking more deeply about or questioning their understanding of whatever it is the mural represents, feeling more calm and grounded, feeling more energized and excited, uplifted and inspired, reassured, proud… the list could go on! Art is transformative, so one aim is to not just transform the physical space but also the inner space, the mental and spiritual spaces inside us all, and the communal spaces that bring us together.

Mr. BBaby (Photo: Diana Gonzalez)

Artist: Sheep Chen (Photo: Diana Gonzalez)

How has the response been so far?

So far, the responses have been overwhelming! We consistently hear from individuals throughout our city about how impactful the murals are that they interact with, whether that’s on their daily commute, a view from their window, or unexpectedly coming across one of their favorite artists’ murals, turning down a street they haven’t been down for a while. We’ve even heard from multiple people lately that they have moved to, or back to, Kansas City in large part because of the murals!

Artist: Gondek (Photo: Brandon Baker)

Photo: Ami Ayers

How does someone get involved with SpraySeeMO?

We have a whole page on our site titled “Get Involved” that goes more in-depth on how individuals can do just that! And our contact info is listed on the contact page. Folks are welcome to email us at [email protected]!

Artist: Elle Street Art

Artist: Kendall Rose (Photo: James Lampone)

What are you working on for 2026? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

We are currently in the initial planning phases for 2026 and can’t say too much about anything yet, but we have a podcast interview dropping soon with KC Bucket List, so folks can stay tuned and catch us on there for some great conversation that touches on some 2026 projects towards the end! And of course, Kansas City is one of the selected few to be a host city for this year’s FIFA World Cup games later this summer.