The Gordon Parks Museum announced last week that it received a $6,874 grant from the Kansas Arts Commission to help fund a new mural. It will be done by St. Louis artist Cbabi Bayoc, who completed the First Kansas Colored Infantry Mural in Fort Scott in 2023.
According to museum director Kirk Sharp, plans for the mural started when Bayoc was working on the First Kansas Colored Infantry Mural.
“He was great friends with some of Gordon Parks' family,” Sharp said. “Cbabi actually wanted to do a mural during that time. We told him we couldn't at this time, we're not prepared or don’t have the location, but he proposed the idea that that's what he wanted to do.”
Sharp is hoping to have the project completed by the beginning of October when the 22nd annual Gordon Parks Celebration starts.
“And then hopefully, if we can, we'll have a mural dedication and unveiling during that time,” he said.
Bayoc is painting the mural on a set of panels that will then be installed at the Wilder House building. It will feature two images of Parks, a prairie landscape and a quote from Parks’ poem “Homecoming.”
“It's meant to basically reference Gordon talking about how Fort Scott is the most important city in the universe to him, and he feels this is his home even though he's been in other places like New York, Paris or London,” Sharp said.
Once finished and installed, the mural will be another way the museum honors Parks’ legacy and promotes his work.
“That’s always our goal, to keep Gordon's legacy alive,” Sharp said. “This is a wonderful opportunity to do that. It helps provide a great opportunity to bring more tourists to Fort Scott. That's another featured attraction for folks to come and see and visit.”
The Gordon Parks Celebration will begin on October 2 and go through October 4. A full schedule of events can be found on the museum website.
