07 WEEKLY 2026
SEPTEMBER
A
B A L D W I N
C I T Y
VOL 4 NO. 32 FREE DIGITAL VERSION
N E W S P A P E R
SUMMER CAMPERS MAKE THEIR
MARK WITH NEW CITY POOL MURAL
A new piece of artwork at the Baldwin City pool is more than a colorful addition to the space. It is the result of a community partnership that gave local children the opportunity to help create something they can be proud of for years to come. The mural project grew from a conversation between the Baldwin City Recreation Commission and Lumberyard Arts Center and developed through the Baldwin City Community Mural Program. BCRC’s Shaunacee and the Lumberyard’s Jeannette shared an interest in bringing art to the pool, while BCRC summer camp directors Amber and Anessa were looking for a project campers could work on throughout the
summer at the local arts center. The two ideas came together to create the summer camp mural project. Rather than simply having campers paint a predetermined design, the project introduced them to the process behind creating public art. Throughout the summer, campers learned about collaborative and interactive art, toured murals around Baldwin City and developed ideas for what their own mural could become. Their ideas were eventually combined into a bright, summer-inspired design featuring a warm yellow sun and cool blue waves. Local artist Katee Smith led the project with help from art apprentices, volunteers, camp staff and the Lumberyard Arts Center.
“This is a fun mural project I was able to lead this summer with the BCRC day camp kiddos,” Smith said. “They did an awesome job, and now they get to see it every time they pass by the city pool and be proud of their hard work.” The campers were involved throughout the process, helping shape the design and painting individual blocks that became part of the finished mural. Each camper also signed the back, leaving a permanent mark on a project they helped create. The completed mural was revealed to campers and their families during the summer camp’s final-day talent show on July 31. For the organizations involved, the project brought together recreation, art
and community in a way that gave young people ownership in a public space. And when the pool opens again next summer, those campers will be able to walk by the mural and know that it is there, in part, because of them. The project is also an example of what can happen when Baldwin City organizations combine their resources and ideas. What began as separate conversations about bringing more art to the pool and creating a meaningful summer project for campers became something that accomplished both. The result is a colorful addition to the city pool, but perhaps more importantly, it is a piece of Baldwin City that local kids can proudly say they helped create.