Art: Outside the Box
4th & Main
Andrew Batcheller
Kansas City native and professional oil painter who lives and operates a studio in Joplin, Missouri. Batcheller's distinct, ultra-surrealist and sometimes macabre artwork focuses heavily on “portraiture” that uses birds as proxies or analogies for the human condition, inviting deep contemplation regarding human drama, social consciousness, climate change, and the urge to persevere. Known for his incredible attention to detail, smooth gradients, and turbulent ocean backdrops, his work has been acquired by both national and international art collectors. “The World owes us nothing. We owe each other the World.”
4th & Main
Eric Beezley
Eric Beezley is an abstract painter whose works showcase a creative spirit and spontaneous style. He combines geometric shapes, fluid movement and mixed media components to create unique compositions.
2nd & Joplin
John Brand
John Brand is a nature and wildlife photographer based in the Lake of the Ozarks area of Missouri. His work spans landscapes, botanicals, and wildlife, drawn to subjects that reveal unexpected detail and color in the natural world. His image Dust to Dust was captured during a summer morning in his backyard, where a bumblebee covered in pollen works the center of a Gaillardia in full bloom.
3rd & Main
Robyn Brower
Minnesota artist Robyn Brower works in chalk pastel, creating detailed drawings inspired by close observation of the natural world. Her work explores landscapes, gardens, and the intricate relationships between plants and insects. Through close-up perspectives and unusual vantage points, she draws attention to the vibrant colors, varied textures, and fleeting details that might otherwise go unnoticed.
1st & Main
Alexia Buttles
Local artist Alexia Buttles brings a dreamlike quality to her work, blending nostalgia, mystery, and a touch of the unexpected. With a passion for exploring new artistic mediums, she creates pieces that spark curiosity and invite viewers to look a little closer, question what they see, and find their own meaning in the mystery.
4th & Joplin
Mike Byrne
Artist Mike Byrne takes a minimalist approach, using everyday objects in unexpected ways to celebrate the often-overlooked artistry of industrial design. While preserving each object's original purpose, he adds intellectually playful titles that invite viewers to make new connections. His goal is to spark an emotional response, especially that amusing “aha!” moment when a viewer sees something familiar in a whole new way.
2nd & Main
Rachel Cabral
Rachel Cabral is an award-winning watercolor artist who specializes in portraits, both realistic and cartoon. Rachel has been creating art her whole life, and finds no greater joy, especially when she creates artwork with her daughters. Rachel displays her artwork in several galleries in the Midwest and teaching art classes to all ages. Rachel also paints whimsical live caricatures at events and parties.
5th & Main
Amanda Calderon-Kidston
Amanda lives in Joplin with her husband, daughter, three dogs and cat. She has been embroidering since 2018, and has shown her work in various galleries across southwest Missouri. Amanda is a proud member of Spiva Center for the Arts, the Joplin Regional Artists Coalition, the Springfield Regional Arts Council, and ArtCentral; she has won several awards for her fiber work throughout the last few years. Her work focuses on themes of nature, symbolism, and texture and has a goal to give embroidery/fiber art a contemporary twist.
6th & Joplin
Emaline Cantrell
Emaline is a young artist who attends children's classes at Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin. She loves painting, beading, rock collecting and tumbling, and general messy art mediums.
6th & Main
Jack Carlton
Jack Carlton is a 19 year old freshman at the University of Missouri pursuing a career in sports media. Jack has multimedia experience doing graphic design for Carthage High School Athletics, as well as working with Mizzou Men's Basketball as a creative media intern.
2nd & Main
Chuck Catlett
Chuck Catlett is a self-taught Four States artist whose watercolor-and-ink work is inspired by local landmarks, forgotten places, Ozark heritage, nature, and the character of everyday surroundings. His loose, expressive style blends architectural detail with a sense of nostalgia and whimsy. He shares his creative journey alongside his wife, Julie through Green Hearts Studio and enjoys creating art that celebrates the places and stories that help give a community its identity, through projects such as “The Little Art Boxes.”
6th & Main
Julie Catlett
Julie Catlett is a Joplin-area artist and Carthage native whose colorful work is inspired by butterflies, bees, flowers, nature, and the beauty found in the world around her. Working in a variety of mediums, including her distinctive reverse-painted glass pieces, Julie creates vibrant, uplifting artwork filled with movement and personality. She shares her creative journey alongside her husband, Chuck through Green Hearts Studio and enjoys making art that brings a little more color and joy into the community, through projects such as “The Little Art Boxes.”
Blackthorne
Marta Churchwell
Marta Churchwell is an award-winning photographer whose work has been in group exhibits at Spiva Center for the Arts, Post Art Library, Carthage’s artCentral, the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, and Maple Uncommon Gallery at Columbus, Kan. She is also jewelry maker. She is a founding board member and past vice president and secretary of the Joplin Regional Artists Coalition, a member of The Tank Public Art, a former member of the Joplin Arts Fest Planning Committee, and a member of Best of Missouri Hands. A retired news reporter and former development coordinator for Spiva, she is now an arts columnist for The Joplin Globe.
3rd & Main
Daria Claiborne
Daria Claiborne is a local potter who also works with watercolors, and much of her current work is available at the Joplin Empire Market. She loves vivid colors and tends to gravitate toward whimsical ideas.
8th & Main
Bradshaw DeGraff
Bradshaw is 10 years old, and has been a lover of art since a very young age. His Grandmother, Margie Moss, is a well-known local artist. She has helped him over the years really explore his artistic and comedic personality.
8th & Main
Richard DeGraff
Richard is 8 years old, and has been a lover of art since a very young age. His Grandmother, Margie Moss, is a well-known local artist. She has helped him over the years really explore his artistic and fun personality. Richard loves to paint funny cats, and really loves when he sells one to someone; it makes him smile!
2nd & Main
Kaytee Fauskee
Colorado-based artist Kaytee Fauskee transforms the wonders of nature into imaginative, dreamlike worlds. Inspired by rugged mountains, wildlife, and star-filled skies, she weaves bold hues, intricate patterns, and playful geometry into her work. Whether creating in traditional or digital media, Kaytee brings a sense of curiosity, whimsy, and wonder to everyday spaces.
4th & Virginia
Stella Grove
Stella Grove is a Kansas City-based artist specializing in whimsical community art. When she's not creating watercolor paintings of pets and loved ones, she is working on public art in the community. Her focus is to bring joy and familiarity to the places we see everyday. Her mural works explore themes of nature, community, hope, and connection through vibrant imagery and storytelling.
4th & Virginia
Eric Haun
Joplin-based artist Eric Haun has created more than 65 public artworks for the community to enjoy. His work includes 34 Heart Joplin murals, two tornado memorial murals, and 23 pieces along the Jasper County Route 66 Barn Quilt Trail. Through his art, Eric celebrates local history, community pride, and the spirit of the region.
4th & Joplin
Jade Henning
Jade Henning is a mixed media artist and educator based in Joplin, Missouri. Her main focus in mediums are printmaking, painting, and drawing with a love for concept portraiture. As a pet project, she enjoys working with jewelry and metalsmithing mediums. Having been a lifelong student of visual arts, Jade has her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, and a Certification in Arts Administration Management and Leadership from Missouri Southern State University. She is a children's art educator at Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin. When she isn't drawing, Jade enjoys reading, traveling, watching bad sitcoms and spending time with her family.
5th & Main
Jean Howard
Jean Howard grew up in a small farming community in Central Missouri, where quilting was a familiar and treasured part of everyday life. Inspired by those roots and her lifelong connection to nature, she blends traditional quilting techniques with original, improvisational designs. Through vibrant fabrics, organic shapes, and unexpected colors, her work celebrates the beauty, wonder, and occasional whimsy of the natural world.
6th & Joplin and Blackthorne
Sara Lewis
Sara Lewis is a multidisciplinary artist whose work blends texture, color, and storytelling. Her pieces evoke tranquility, nostalgia, and the beauty of everyday life. Working with cardboard, canvas, wood, drywall, and resin, she transforms simple materials into immersive worlds that feel both familiar and dreamlike.
3rd & Joplin
Keren Lowenstein
Award-winning artist Dr. KLo creates intricate ink + gouache illustrations that bridge the mechanical + natural worlds. Primarily self-taught with refined training from the Kansas City Art Institute + Spiva Center for the Arts, she juxtaposes high-contrast imagery with complex technological motifs. Based in Joplin, Missouri, her work is featured in regional galleries + across social media. Dr. KLo’s “punk-inspired” aesthetic reflects a deep connection between her artist process + the viewer’s experience. She shares her vibrant life in Joplin with her spouse + a lively pack of 5 pets.
4th & Wall
Jacqueline Claudet Mitterer
Born in Lima, Peru in 1971, Jackie C. Mitterer pioneers a distinctive “Modern 3DMosaic” technique, infusing traditional methods with a painter's perspective. Intuitively layering sea glass, ceramics, and stone, her textured, three-dimensional works transcend flat compositions. This innovative approach redefines the medium, inviting dynamic viewer engagement and establishing her as a trailblazer in mosaic art.
6th & Joplin
Barrett Mooneyham
Barrett Mooneyham is a fourth grader at Hickory Hills Elementary. He enjoys creating artwork at home, school and especially with his mentor and grandma Pickles Jane Mooneyham. His favorite media to paint with is watercolor and recently added spray paint! The subjects he currently enjoys painting are outdoor landscapes and animals.
9th & Main
Mary Jane Mooneyham
Mary Jane Mooneyham is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist whose creative journey began with crayons and evolved through oils and acrylics, ultimately leading her to the expressive beauty of watercolor. Her work is inspired by the quiet poetry of everyday moments, fleeting experiences, and tender expressions that evoke a sense of shared emotion. Portraiture, landscapes, urbanscapes, flora, and fauna—along with her distinctive 3D watercolor paper sculptures—become subjects through which she explores light, color, atmosphere, and connection. Mooneyham’s work celebrates the beauty found in both the extraordinary and the seemingly ordinary world around us.
8th & Main
Margie Moss
Margie Moss loves God, country, family, painting, and tennis! She majored in art and started playing tennis at the University of Arkansas. She's an artist on and off the court, making strokes with a brush and a racquet! She enjoys plein air painting outdoors with friends and is often caught cloud-gazing while playing tennis. She is a co-founder of Local Color Art Gallery & Studio. She says, “I guess you could say Art is my Life!”
1st & Main
Parker Mudd
Parker Mudd is a 1st grade student in Carl Junction. He enjoys hanging out with his family, playing with friends, soccer, drawing, creating and using his imagination.
5th & Joplin
Linda Passeri
I am a career professional artist, specializing as both a painter and a sculptor, with a passion for producing public art. My studio is based in Springfield, close enough to Joplin to frequently enjoy being a part of JRAC and Spiva events and exhibitions.
4th & Pennsylvania
Rebecca Perry
Creativity knows no boundaries for Rebecca Perry, a self-taught artist who has carved her own artistic path without formal training. Often described as an “outsider” artist, Rebecca has developed a distinctive creative style that has earned international recognition and awards for her sculpture and jewelry. She is thrilled to share her creativity with the community through Spiva's Art: Outside the Box project.
9th & Main
Katie Rodick
Katie Rodick is a multidisciplinary artist and illustrator drawn to whimsical details, intricate patterns, and the little things that make the world feel magical. Through vivid colors, intricate designs, and layered compositions, she explores the beauty of florals and animal scenes, weaving together playful elements and delicate details. Her work celebrates the wonder found in nature and the charm of the unexpected. Through her art, Katie hopes to spark curiosity, invite a sense of wonder, and remind others of the magic hidden in everyday life.
3rd & Main
Connie Sherman
Connie Sherman spent many years as a professional photographer. In 2018 she evolved into a Paper Marbling artist. Living in Iowa City, IA, her works can be seen in various galleries and art markets around the Mid-West.
10th & Joplin
Linda Teeter
Linda Teeter is a big city girl who graduated from PSU, grew into a wife, mother, homeowner in Carl Junction with an art teaching degree and a camera, evolved into an insurance license that led to 50 years of servicing clients while all along creating art! Owner of Photoscapes LLC, Urban Art Gallery, creator of Third then First Thursday ArtWalk, co founder of Joplin Regional Artists Coalition, co founder of Joplin Arts Fest, founder of Joplin Arts District.
6th & Main
Cadence Wimsett
Ten-year-old Cadence Wimsett is a fifth grader who loves art, reading, and a little friendly competition! Participating in Art: Outside the Box has been an exciting experience for this young artist, who hopes her work brings joy to the community. Cadence can't wait for everyone to enjoy the colorful boxes brightening up her hometown!
2nd & Joplin
Herb Young
Herb Young is an award-winning artist inspired by the places, people, and memories that shape our lives. A Best of Show winner at the 2009 USSC National Design Competition, he was also awarded a scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design. Drawing inspiration from the landscapes and culture of his life in Florida, Missouri and Oklahoma, his paintings blend realism, warmth, and nostalgia to capture the beauty of ordinary moments.
2nd & Virginia
Vlad Zadneprianski
Vlad Zadneprianski was born and raised in Ukraine, moved to USA in the late 90s and is an architect living and working in New York City. For decades Vlad has experimented with what he calls “Compositionism” - semi-abstract art based on interaction and communication between simple geometric forms where composition plays a major role. Minimalist in nature and being closer to avant-garde side of art Vlad uses composition tools not only to illustrate, but rather to express. Vlad also has been drawing cartoons since he was a child illustrating life as he sees it, covering everything from everyday situations all the way to politics. Over the years Vlad published his work in newspapers worldwide, participated in exhibitions, art installations, and created numerous illustrations, greeting cards and murals.
In the spring of 2026, Downtown Joplin Alliance, in conjunction with the City of Joplin, Spiva Center for the Arts and Joplin Arts District, invited artists and creators to submit original designs for a public art initiative to transform more than two dozen electrical utility boxes throughout Downtown Joplin into vibrant works of art.
This call was open to artists and non-artists working in any medium, including painters, photographers, collage artists, mosaic artists, quilters, illustrators, designers, poets, and mixed media creatives. More than 90 submissions were received. A group of local artists and designers reviewed and selected 42 pieces of artwork from 36 artists, represented on 26 boxes, and awarded prizes for first, second and third along with honorable mention for adults and youth categories.
Selected designs were professionally reproduced as vinyl wraps and installed in the fall of 2026 on utility boxes throughout Downtown, adding color, creativity, and a stronger sense of place to everyday infrastructure. This project celebrates the power of art to energize public spaces, reflect the spirit of our community, and create unexpected moments of visual interest throughout the city.
The 2026 Art: Outside the Box is made possible by Liberty and Visit Joplin.
Made possible by
