8 murals to be added to downtown Springfield during MIDXMIDWST festival next month

Greta Cross, Springfield News-Leader
·9 min read

Eight murals will be added to downtown Springfield next month, from artists across the country with an array of different styles.

MIDXMIDWST is Springfield's first mural art and culture festival. It is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10-11, and will be full of visual and performance art, live music and local food.

A big part of the festival is the exhibition of live mural painting. Throughout the festival, 10 artists will be working on a collection of eight murals downtown.

Four murals will be displayed on the east side of the efactory, located at 405 N. Jefferson Ave., and four murals will be displayed on the the northeast corner wall of Missouri State University's Park Central Office Building, at the corner of Robberson Avenue and East McDaniel Street.

The News-Leader reached out to the 10 participating artists to learn more about their styles and what they plan on creating while in Springfield.

Meg Wagler

Meg Wagler is the founder of MIDXMIDWST. Upon graduating from Missouri State in 2011, Wagler felt like Springfield lacked a diverse art community. While she and her husband were researching other cities to move to, she began to think: why not create that environment here?

"What has always been a goal of mine, as an individual, is how can we, as a community, create platforms for all different types of artists and styles to feel like they have a space here?" Wagler posed. "I think the fabric of a community is really bound together by the arts. To me, this (festival) is a really impactful way of making people feel like (Springfield) is a good place to live, play and work."

Wagler described her style as bold, colorful and graphic. Her work can be seen throughout Springfield. She's painted for the Boys and Girls Club of Springfield, Oasis Hotel and Convention Center, St. George's Donuts and more.

For her MIDXMIDWST mural, Wagler is collaborating with local muralist Christine Ruitzel to channel the Missouri State Bears. The mural will feature a black bear and black bear skull, encompassed by a space backdrop.

See more of Wagler's work on Instagram at instagram.com/megwagler_illustration/.

Christine Riutzel

Based in Hollister, Riutzel is a muralist with work featured throughout the Ozarks. Her contemporary realism style features bold colors and designs.

Riutzel painted her first mural in 2018, a 300-foot piece at Branson Skateworld. She has also painted murals at Selfie Vibes in the Battlefield Mall, Bees Knees Roller Skate Shop on Commercial Street and along the Ozark Greenways near Jordan Valley Ice Park.

Christine Riutzel, a muralist based in Hollister, works on the details of a bright flower on an outdoor mural. Ruitzel's bright and bold murals can be described as surrealistic realism.
Christine Riutzel, a muralist based in Hollister, works on the details of a bright flower on an outdoor mural. Ruitzel's bright and bold murals can be described as surrealistic realism.

Frequently overwhelmed with touristy billboards near Branson, Riutzel said she feels a sense of responsibility to transition the city's art for the next generation.

"People spend $3,000 a month renting a billboard, but they're not thinking about how people want to actually take a picture in front of a mural," Riutzel said. "(Murals) could be a like a billboard for a business ... I'm trying to make (Branson) more cool and contemporary."

See more of Riutzel's work on Instagram at instagram.com/beautyfromlight/.

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Natalie Shugailo

Natalie Shugailo is a muralist based in Chicago. Her whimsical murals often feature scenes of the natural world.
Natalie Shugailo is a muralist based in Chicago. Her whimsical murals often feature scenes of the natural world.

Natalie Shugailo is a muralist based in Chicago. Her style is organic and whimsical, often featuring scenes of the natural world. She said she often pulls inspiration from the media she consumes, Japanese art and Pagan attire.

While in Springfield, Shugailo plans to paint a mural featuring a wolf-life character "crafting" a new spirit. Common in her work, Shugailo paints animals with multiple eyes, which she said represents connection to other worlds.

Shugailo added that she enjoys creating symbolic "Easter eggs" in her murals. For example, she said for her MIDXMIDWST mural, she plans to add daffodils, which represent rebirth.

See more of Shugailo's work on Instagram at instagram.com/sub_urban_warrior/.

IT-RA Icons

Isaac Tapia, left, and Rodrigo Alvarez complete the finishing touches on a mural together. Kansas City-based muralists Tapia and Alvarez make up IT-RA Icons.
Isaac Tapia, left, and Rodrigo Alvarez complete the finishing touches on a mural together. Kansas City-based muralists Tapia and Alvarez make up IT-RA Icons.

IT-RA Icons is a collaboration between Kansas City muralists Isaac Tapia and Rodrigo Alvarez. The two met in high school and began creating art together around five years ago. As of early August, the two have painted about 55 murals together.

Through their murals, Tapia and Alvarez explore cultural identity, often highlighting icons from the community they are creating in.

"The piece that is going to be going up (at MIDXMIDWST) is a mixture of Rico (Alvarez) and myself, Rico being from Uruguay and me being from Mexico," Tapia said. "Sometimes people don't know (Alvarez is) from Uruguay. They're like, "Hey, what part of Mexico are you from?' (The planned mural) is a lot of representation of us and who we are, where we come from."

For the duo, creating murals is important because it allows artists to create free, accessible art in communities that may lack it. In addition, murals allow artists to educate through imagery, bridging the gap between the different communities that may live among each other.

See more IT-RA Icons' work on Instagram at instagram.com/itraicons/.

Eric Karbeling

Eric Karbeling works on a large peacock mural. Karbeling, also known as Squiggle Papi, is a graphic designer and muralist based in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Eric Karbeling works on a large peacock mural. Karbeling, also known as Squiggle Papi, is a graphic designer and muralist based in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Eric Karbeling, also known as Squiggle Papi, is a graphic designer and muralist based in Honolulu, Hawaii, known for his "squiggle" designs.

The first mural he painted was in his apartment about seven years ago. Since then, he's participated in several mural festivals and even went on his own solo tour last year, painting in seven different cities across the country.

"The message, at least what I find really important, is there's no right way to go about creating anything," Karbeling said. "I do things in my own crazy way that works. To me, that's what I love the most about my process and path. I hope that's a thing that comes through to anybody."

For MIDXMIDWST, Karbeling said he plans to create a design featuring flowers.

Murals, for Karbeling, are like "magic" because folks typically don't get to watch the creation process, they just experience the final product. But festivals like MIDXMIDWST break this boundary.

See more of Karbeling's work on Instagram at instagram.com/erickarbeling/.

Ian Robertson-Salt

Based in Los Angeles, Ian Robertson-Salt is a painter, muralist and tattoo artist.

Robertson-Salt began painting murals about 10 years ago. His introduction to the public art form was through conservation, helping preserve and restore murals.

His work, whether murals or fine art paintings, often portrays imagery of how the working class interacts with natural environments.

Ian Robertson-Salt's bold, colorful mural showcases a man listening to music. Robertson-Salt is a muralist, tattoo artist and painter based in Los Angeles.
Ian Robertson-Salt's bold, colorful mural showcases a man listening to music. Robertson-Salt is a muralist, tattoo artist and painter based in Los Angeles.

Inspired by the ever-growing amount of people who call themselves artists but are unable to make a living from art solely, Robertson-Salt said he plans to depict the struggle of creativity and being an artist in his MIDXMIDWST mural.

See more of Robertson-Salt's work on Instagram at instagram.com/anthroe/.

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Evan Wright

Evan Wright is a multidisciplinary artist based in the Ozarks. He enjoys painting, murals and digital illustrations, when he's not busy at work as the art director at Bass Pro Shops.
Evan Wright is a multidisciplinary artist based in the Ozarks. He enjoys painting, murals and digital illustrations, when he's not busy at work as the art director at Bass Pro Shops.

Local to the Ozarks, Evan Wright is the art director at Bass Pro Shops. A multidisciplinary artist, he enjoys abstract painting, murals and digital illustrations.

Wright said he's inspired by suprematism, an early 20th century art movement focused on geometry painted in a limited range of colors.

And this will be the style of art he displays through his mural for MIDXMIDWST, an abstraction of strokes, line and colors.

Aside from public art, Wright also enjoys creating fish-based paintings. After all, he is a self-acclaimed "fish geek," according to his Instagram.

"This is such a good thing for (Springfield), just to inject some culture and something a little bit different in our community that we haven't really had before," Wright said about the festival. "There are murals, we have plenty of live music and somewhat of an appreciate for the arts, but not all of those things combined into one event."

See more of Wright's work on Instagram at instagram.com/fishboi_art/.

Alexandria Hall

Alexandria Hall is an illustrator, muralist and painter based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her surrealistic work often portrays people interacting with the natural world.

"I am interested in how small, unseen moments can carry unbridled emotion and intrigue," Hall said. "I aim to use vivid color and subtle expressions to create a dreamy world filled with mystery and warmth in my works."

Alexandria Hall's murals often depict figures within a surrealistic scene. Hall is a muralist, painter and illustrator based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Alexandria Hall's murals often depict figures within a surrealistic scene. Hall is a muralist, painter and illustrator based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Hall began painting murals professionally in 2017 and said she never imagined it to be a career. Some of her murals have been displayed at events like Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee.

Hall said she is excited to create a figurative piece with a surrealistic, fantasy element for the festival. She added that festivals like MIDXMIDWST are important because they allow artists the time and space to work on a project they might not have been able to otherwise.

See more of Hall's work on Instagram at instagram.com/alexandriaolivia/.

Steven Teller

Steven Teller is a street artist and muralist from Florida. Through abstract realism, Teller often features humans, animals and nature with geometric shapes in his work. His goal is to create healing moments for those viewing his art.

"Through experiences of painting large scale public art, I now realize that it comes with a responsibility," Teller's artist statement on his website reads. "Public artwork has the capacity to impact the everyday lives of many. So, with this responsibility, why not impact others with a positive perspective?"

The News-Leader was unable to get in contact with Teller by press deadline.

See more of Teller's work on Instagram at instagram.com/steventellerarts/.

More than 15 musical acts

Two music stages will be set up in downtown Springfield throughout the festival. A DJ stage will be set up near the old Bank of America at 311 E. McDaniel St., and the festival's main stage will be set up near the efactory.

The festival's headliners are STRFKR and NoMBe. Supporting acts include Dreamgirl, Post Sex Nachos, Fox Royale, I.V. King, Joe Saan, Kat King, Brian Bulger, Catalina, Honest Sleep, Carley Sunn, Window Units, Ethan O'Neal, DJ James River, Francis Rizzudo, Kolmega and DJ Smiff.

MIDXMIDWST tickets are available for purchase online and at the festival. Weekend passes are $60 and VIP weekend passes are $160.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MIDXMIDWST to feature murals, temporary installs, music in Springfield