The Hello Kent mural is a public art mural in downtown Kent, Ohio designed to showcase native plants, pollinators, and support for local businesses.

Location: 195 E. Erie Street, Kent, Ohio (side of Laziza Restaurant)

The Hello Kent mural is complete, and I could not be more excited to share how this mural came about. As a professional Ohio muralist, I painted this public mural on the side of Laziza Restaurant in downtown Kent, across from the Kent parking garage. Each day, the bright and warm “Hello Kent” greets people as they come and go from the nearby bus station. But this mural does more than decorate a wall, it serves as an example of how public art can support downtown revitalization and local businesses. Hello Kent was designed to bring people to the east side of downtown to encourage visitors to explore Acorn Alley and support the small businesses that make our community thrive.

How did Hello Kent get started?

I initiated, designed, and led this mural project from concept to completion. I wanted this mural to be created as a placemaking effort to draw foot traffic to the east side of downtown Kent. When I began dreaming up the design, I knew I wanted it to reflect something I deeply care about: nature. The mural features native Ohio wildflowers and pollinators, inspired by the beauty I see all around me. Many of these plants—Jacob’s ladder, geraniums, fleabane, and coneflowers—grow naturally along the river in Kent.

Bringing this mural to life was truly a journey. Normally, when a city commissions a mural, it starts with an art call. Artists apply, submit portfolios, and wait to be selected. The city usually has a budget, a wall, and a clear plan already in place. This project, however, began differently. Hello Kent started with a simple idea: I want to paint a mural for my city. I created a quick sketch and posted it in local Facebook groups. That is when Cassandra, who owns Laziza Restaurant with her husband Ryan, saw the post. She reached out to say she had a wall and wanted to meet. From that moment, things started to move quickly and get a little more complicated.

Navigating The Kent Public Art Board and Fine Art Permit

We first had to get approval from the building manager and owner. Once we had their support, the project was shared with Main Street Kent and the Chamber of Commerce, who helped push it forward to the Kent Public Art Board. Several design rounds followed until every party agreed on the final version of Hello Kent that you see today.

Just when I thought the hardest part was over, we hit a snag. The city declined my fine art permit because of a technicality. Kent does not allow public art on the front facade of a building. Even though my mural is on the side, it sits on a corner—so technically, the city considered that a second front. That meant I had to file an appeal and present my case at the next Kent City Council meeting.

I sat through three hours of debate on an unrelated zoning issue before my turn finally came. When the council approved the mural at 9:55 p.m., I could hardly believe it. I went home that night filled with relief and gratitude, and two weeks later, the physical permit was finally in hand. After that, the Chamber of Commerce helped apply for a grant and set up a sponsorship system so that anyone who donated one hundred dollars or more could have their name on a plaque next to the mural.

The process of painting the Hello Kent Mural.

I began painting in the last week of September, blessed with perfect weather. There were sunny skies and an unseasonable eighty degrees. For most of the project in October, the temperatures stayed in the seventies and sixties, and I only lost one day to rain. God showed me mercy in a month that is normally fraught with cold weather and rain.

Metis Construction Company generously donated the lift I used to reach the tallest parts of the wall/ This allowed me to paint flowers that seem to bloom right out of the background, stretching up to seventeen feet high.

here for good—let alone paint a mural for my town. Over the years, Kent has truly become my home. The Hello Kent mural is my way of saying welcome to nature, to creativity, and to the community that makes this town so special.

Watch the painting progress……