a great history to fuel the future

I Am Joplin Mural

The mural, planned and constructed by Art Feeds, featured more than 300 images of Joplin residents printed on aluminum panels. The panels were assembled on the side of the Orpheum Building on the northwest corner of Sixth and Main streets.

I Am Joplin mural

The "I am Joplin" mural is 12' tall x 39' wide.  It is made up of 52 3' x 3' aluminum panels.  It was first installed in September 2013 and was only meant to be up for about 6 months and then it was to be moved to a display area at the Northpark Mall.  It became so popular to the citizens of the four state area and visiting tourists that the now iconic mural has stayed up for the past 9 years.

I am Joplin mural installation
Sisters May Bourne (left) and Meg Bourne late preparing the framing for another section of the I Am Joplin Mural during the original installation

Over time, the images have faded and some of the aluminum panels have fallen into disrepair.  A decision was made to remove the mural panels and replace it with a new public art project. This was done on April 14, 2022.

Joplin Mural Gallery


The 52 panels will be donated to the Downtown Joplin Alliance (DJA). The metal panels (each featuring twelve photos) will be stored safely for the time being until a future plan for them is determined.