The mural on the back of the Westloop Dillon's in Manhattan, KS is named "Where You At" and was painted by artist, Jeff Zimmermann.
See the update on this mural below!
When I first noticed the mural being painted on the back of the Dillon's in Westloop Shopping Center I was driving on Seth Childs and it definitely caught my eye. The stark white background definitely, "pops" on the back of the tan building. Driving by, I like most people were watching as the artist create his vision. Once the mural was completed I was not totally sure what it meant.
I looked online, but could not find much information about the mural. Then, Brixmor Property Group which manages Westloop Shopping Center reached out to me about adding the mural to the blog, I was thrilled. Brixmor provided me with an explanation and information about the artist, Jeff Zimmerman, and now I am so happy to share it with you! As mentioned above, the mural is named, "Where You At," and the knot of rope is something the artist has become known for.
The one thing you instantly notice when you first look at the mural is the knotted ball of rope. Then you realize there are two colors of the ropes that make the ball. This is to remind us that two different ropes can be brought together to become one and conveys the underlying message of unity in the piece! As you get further away from the mural you will also notice the ball of rope forms a heart! Some might have also noticed that it seems like this ball of rope is suspended in the sky right in front of the mural.
The "Where You At" mural doesn't stop there, next the artists added a splash of fun to the design. Notice the bullseye and cartoon hands? The bullseye hitting its target and the cartoon hands pointing every which way remind us in a whimsical way that we have choices, many choices and you never know what is in your future. The hands point us up, down, left, and right and we never know when we will have to make decisions. The last part and this is my interpretation, is that we hope to choose the right thing and "hit the target."
After I read the explanation, every time I drive by, I enjoy this mural more and more. The mural's message and title are definitely something we all need to remember right now, Unity. And, I think most of us feel like we are being pulled in every direction, much like the cartoon hands are pointing. We are all just trying to make the best decisions and hit that bullseye.
As some might have noticed, this mural has been painted over. There has been so much speculation as to why, so I reached out to the management company of the Westloop Shopping Center to find out more. They said that Dillons felt there was a potential safety concern since people were driving behind the store to view and take pictures of the mural so they chose to have it painted over which was within their rights per their lease. The management company added they are working towards a new mural in Westloop Shopping Center with the same artist, Jeff Zimmerman, and they are hoping to have a new mural up hopefully in the fall.
If you want to follow more of Jeff Zimmerman's work you can follow his website here and his Instagram here
