Prairie Village Public Art Series Vol. 6

"Connections at Corinth" mural by Phil "Sike Style" Shafer
by: Nancy Kalikow Maxwell

When you think of a construction site, images of cranes, debris and scaffolding usually come to mind. But the folks at First Washington Realty (FWR) had something else in mind when they began planning their Corinth Quarter shopping center redevelopment project at 83rd and Mission Rd. Why not create a mural that would both beautify the area and serve as a distraction from the forthcoming construction mess? 

To accomplish this goal, they began interviewing a number of artists, then selected Phil “Sike Style” Shafer, for the project. “His vision best aligned with our ethos and the neighborhood,” said Wright Sigmund, Senior Vice President and National Director of Leasing at FWR, whose company hired Shafer to transform the brick walls of the building near the construction project into colorful imagery for the Prairie Village neighborhood.  

“They wanted to create a colorful, eye-catching work,” says Shafer, “something that will distract from the renovated building and serve as a secret photo opportunity.”  What Shafer ended up creating did not disappoint.

When you think of a construction site, images of cranes, debris and scaffolding usually come to mind. But the folks at First Washington Realty (FWR) had something else in mind when they began planning their Corinth Quarter shopping center redevelopment project at 83rd and Mission Rd. Why not create a mural that would both beautify the area and serve as a distraction from the forthcoming construction mess? 

To accomplish this goal, they began interviewing a number of artists, then selected Phil “Sike Style” Shafer, for the project. “His vision best aligned with our ethos and the neighborhood,” said Wright Sigmund, Senior Vice President and National Director of Leasing at FWR, whose company hired Shafer to transform the brick walls of the building near the construction project into colorful imagery for the Prairie Village neighborhood.  

“They wanted to create a colorful, eye-catching work,” says Shafer, “something that will distract from the renovated building and serve as a secret photo opportunity.”  What Shafer ended up creating did not disappoint.

“I’ve been interested in public art all my life,” says Shafer, who has won art commissions from numerous schools, governments, and commercial establishments. His work has been featured in campaigns with The Royals, The Kansas City Chiefs, and he was showcased as the featured artist for an Oakley activation at Super Bowl LV in Tampa. Shafer looks forward to new projects planned across Kansas for 2021. 

But Shafer is not abandoning the completed Corinth Quarter project. Rather, he now wants to hear how his mural has become an interactive photo space. “I’m hoping it has become an Instagrammer’s playground, a backdrop for whatever fun families want to have taking pictures, getting creative with their outfits, or producing dance videos.”

FWR also hopes visitors will engage with the artwork and encourages the community to use the mural as a photo background and tag Corinth Quarter on Instagram and Facebook @corinthquarter. 

In this way, Prairie Village residents will be able to continue enjoying the mural, while hopefully ignoring the construction site mess.

For more information about the artist, visit www.sikestyle.com. Follow @sikestyle on Instagram.