April 1, 2026

Whitney Kerr III’s murals transform Kansas City walls into shared moments of art and storytelling.

Words
Amy Thurston
@amytkc

ow does one become a muralist? It feels like such a specific—and wildly unlikely—path, especially if you grow up in the quiet Kansas City suburb of Prairie Village. When asked this question, Whitney Kerr III offers a simple answer: “I just loved looking at public art as a child.” You can easily imagine a young Whitney in the back seat of a car, scanning the city for big drawings and bold phrases.

As he grew older, his appreciation deepened. Public art, he realized, was something everyone could enjoy because it was free. Later still, as he matured into an artist, he recognized murals as a powerful form of self-expression—and, practically speaking, a form of advertising for his work.

Kerr was raised by a real estate broker father and a mother who ran the gift shop at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Supportive of his creative instincts, his parents stocked him with paints and tools, and by age thirteen, they gave him the walls of their garage as a canvas for large-scale work. Historically speaking, garages have been a kind of Petri dish for big ideas—and Kerr’s was no exception.

After graduating from Shawnee Mission East, Kerr attended the Memphis College of Art on a partial scholarship. While still a teenager, he landed his first mural commission: painting live during an auction event at St. Luke’s Hospital. He was just sixteen. His talent quickly caught the attention of the Memphis art community, and he was selected as one of a small group of seniors invited to exhibit at the David Lusk Gallery.

The Rooster is Kerr’s latest mural, which highlights the rebranded Hen House Market in Fairway, Kansas.

A sturgeon—common in the Missouri River—appears larger than life in the lobby of the 3Y building.

Bucolic America painted on a grain elevator is Kerr’s largest mural to date—7,000 square feet or 70’x 45.’ It was painted in 2021 in Clay Center, Kansas, alongside Mike Trujillo, Jeremy Bena, and Elliott McAnany.

Ian in Berlin is tucked away under the highway somewhere for unsuspecting cyclists and explorers to stumble upon.

Kerr depicts people sledding down Suicide Hill, a famous sledding spot in Brookside. It was featured at Le Lounge’s Après Ski Party in January.

Room 134 is part of a series on the abandoned 4 Acre Motel in south Kansas City. A figure looks into the dilapidated remains of the room and is painted on the actual door from that room—authentic shotgun blast intact!

A figure climbs through a window in Exploring in Cleveland, which is a self-portrait based on a photo Kerr’s friend Sean McLaughlin took of him.

“I think my favorite piece is always the next one to come,” he says. “It’s always such a blessing being able to work on something different each week.”

When Kerr returned to Kansas City, his mother told him about Scribe, a local muralist who served as the resident artist at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Kerr was drawn to the idea that murals could animate spaces—and that this medium was being used to create fun, playful, and sometimes delightfully wild art for children in a hospital setting. His mother introduced the two, and Scribe became an important mentor as Kerr built his portfolio.

And what a portfolio it is. Chances are, you’ve seen Kerr’s work around Kansas City. His mural at the QuikTrip on State Line Road offers a bold welcome to the city. A vintage rendering of Ranch Mart at Billie’s in Leawood serves as the backdrop for outdoor gathering.

Beyond murals, Kerr has shown his paintings locally from the former Late Show, curated by the late Tom Deatherage, to his most recent gallery showings at Beggars Table in the Crossroads and a pop-up show at Le Lounge, a bar and boutique hotel also in the Crossroads. His studio work often explores nocturnal scenes in the spirit of Edward Hopper. He also collaborates with designers on residential murals—custom pieces that tell a family’s story or pay homage to a beloved city, painted to scale on basement walls and living spaces.

What’s next for Whitney Kerr III remains to be seen. But we’ll keep our eyes peeled as we drive through the city, still searching for those big drawings and bold phrases.