The Art of Bringing Kessler Park Back to Life

By: Savannah Jerman, Editorial Intern of The Northeast News

Established in 1895, Kessler Park has served Kansas City residents for 131 years, right in the backyard of the Northeast. Peggy Mulvihill, president of the Kessler Park Conservancy, envisions bringing beauty and community back into the park.

Mulvihill is no stranger to the community, she had grown up around the Northeast all her life and as well as living here for the past four years. She frequents Kessler Park out of pure enjoyment and asks people in the community what they would like to see the park become, what they already like about it, and why they would like to add to it.

"It [Kessler Park] is like the best kept secret in town. It's so crazy that people don't know about it," said Mulvihill.

The 25-year Kessler Park Plan was put together by Hoxie Collective and the Board Of Directors for the Kessler Park Conservancy was formed in the fall of 2025. With the help of Kansas City Parks and Recreation, this plan includes putting on events in the park, installing benches and picnic tables, gates, and the Mosaic Mural.

The Mosaic Mural is just the beginning but a step into the direction of community. The purpose of the mosaic mural is to bring the community together, beautify the park, and for community members to have a physical piece in the park, which will be located at Lookout Point by Gate Two.

"Essentially when you have a community contributing to their own art, and then you see crime and vandalism diminish a lot. That's because people take pride in their work, whether they contributed to it or not, they see it as something their neighbors did or their friends did or their kids did," said Samantha Ortiz, lead artist on the Mosaic Mural.

The mural design plan is intended to be a reflection of the park, surrounding areas, and the people. Featuring the Kansas City skyline, the waterfall in the park, native wildflowers and plants, and a weathervane, this 6 by 12 foot installation will also include a map and a QR code to scan to learn more about the park's history.

This community project will start Wednesday, August 12 and will wrap up on September 23. Those interested can sign up by emailing this address: Mosaicforkessler@gmail.com. A special mosaic session will happen September 13, hosted by Carmen Eppright, the new Director of LatinX Education, for the LatinX community. At this special session, an interpreter will be present and will be celebrated with homemade tamales.

"Participants are also encouraged to bring a small piece of family china or tile to add to the mosaic—a lasting reminder that every person has a place in this artwork and in our community," said Mulvihill.

The Kessler Park Conservancy encourages any other ideas community members may have as well. They have a monthly board meeting, encouraging anyone to come just to sit in, ask questions, or pitch ideas.

The Conservancy has a website where you can learn about upcoming events, sign up or can even email the Conservancy about any of the above items and more.

Mulvihill also stressed how it is important to get outside by yourself and as a community and how Kessler Park offers so many different outdoor activities, as well as more to come.

"Be less afraid of each other and less nervous about where the world is going and where the world is right now. It is hard to be mad at politics when you're throwing a frisbee, walking with your kids, or listening to the birds," said Mulvihill.