Complete List of Winners in Show Me Neighborhood Art Month

 

Public art has a way of doing something special in a neighborhood. It can turn an ordinary wall into a conversation starter, transform a forgotten corner into a point of pride, and give neighbors a reason to stop, look and talk with one another.

That idea has been at the heart of Show-Me Neighborhood Art since the program began in 2024. What started as Show-Me Neighborhood Art Week has grown into Show-Me Neighborhood Art Month, a statewide celebration of art that builds connection, belonging and community pride.

Over three years, hundreds of Missouri artists, neighbors, organizations and communities have participated. Along the way, 32 awards have recognized outstanding projects and the people behind them.

Here is our growing honor roll.

2024: Where It All Began

The inaugural Show-Me Neighborhood Art Week featured 73 registered art sites and generated 1,182 online votes. Ten projects received statewide or special Greene County recognition.

Statewide and Regional Winners

• Best in Show: Donna Huellinghoff and Eileen Wade — Chamber of Commerce mural, Union
• People's Choice: Robin Kastner — Driveway Flowers, Springfield
• Northern Region: Marj Locker — Susie the Snake, Ludlow
• Southern Region: Donovan Maldonado — woman's face mural, Springfield
• Central Region: Morgan County R-II School District students, coordinated by Jennifer Avey — Versailles City Park playground murals, Versailles
• Urban Region: Dale Naas — Sweet Gum Gardener, St. Louis

The Greene County MU Extension Council also recognized four projects as Top Neighborhood Artists for Greene County:

• James Place Apartments residents and Lakin Allen — Yarn Bomb, Springfield
• Jennifer Kusak — Stained Glass, Springfield
• Stoney Creek Estates neighbors — Barn Quilt Collection, Republic
• Luis Cortes — Spilling Coffee, Springfield

The first year demonstrated something important: neighborhood art didn't need to be monumental or expensive to matter. Creativity placed where people live could generate conversation and connection.

2025: The Celebration Grows

The second annual Show-Me Neighborhood Art Week featured 68 registered sites and 434 public votes. Ten awards were presented, with regional recognition expanding across Missouri.

2025 Winners

• Best of Show: City of Marble Hill
• People's Choice: Tenants of Springfield Botanical Center, Springfield
• Judges' Choice: Amanda Lovell — Kindness Rocks, Wentzville
• Northeast Region: Jane Lovstuen, Kirksville
• Northwest Region: 3C Power In Partnership mural, Gallatin
• Urban East Region: Crossroads Arts Council, Wentzville
• Urban West Region: Barb Byrne, Lee's Summit
• Southeast Region: Yellow She Shack Mercantile, Marquand
• Southwest Region: Janelle Patterson, Springfield
• West Central Region: Faith Over Fear mural, Hume

By the second year, it was becoming clear that the program was about more than displaying artwork. Communities were using art as a tool for placemaking—creating spaces that reflected local identity and encouraged people to take greater ownership of where they live.

2026: From Art Week to Art Month

In 2026, the celebration took a major step forward. Show-Me Neighborhood Art Week became Show-Me Neighborhood Art Month, giving communities the entire month of June to participate.

The response set new records: 118 registered art sites and 1,324 public votes.

Even more significant was what participants said about the experience. Eighty-two percent reported that participating increased their sense of belonging and love for their community.

That is ultimately what this program is about.

2026 Winners

• Best of Show: Heidi Herrman-Bacon and collaborating artists — Route 66 Sculptures, Springfield area
• Judges' Choice: Mark Walter — Please Remove Your Shoes, Excelsior Springs
• Judges' Choice: Kristina Tilley — Wind Horse, Goodman
• Youth Art Award: Hector Garcia — community mural collection, Princeton
• Northeast Region: Amy Parris — 50th Anniversary Commemorative Art Collage, Columbia
• Northwest Region: Ray Harvey — Rosie the Riveter, Concordia
• Southeast Region: Becky Trehy — Patriotic Dinosaurs, Marble Hill
• Southwest Region: Janelle Patterson — Love Your Neighbor, Springfield
• Urban East Region: Amanda Lovell — Rock Flower Garden, Wentzville
• Urban West Region: Jenni Edwards — Fairy Garden, Lee's Summit
• West Central Region: Jim Cox — Barrel of Monkeys, Sedalia
• East Central Region: Deaneal Mcafoos — Artsy Alley, Washington

The 2026 Best of Show was especially ambitious. The Route 66 project included 16 large-scale shield sculptures created by numerous artists and organized by Heidi Herrman-Bacon.

Art Is Really About Connection

The numbers tell part of the story. Across three years, Show-Me Neighborhood Art has generated hundreds of art sites, thousands of public votes and 32 award recognitions.

But counting murals, sculptures, gardens and votes isn't the most important measurement.

The real impact occurs when someone stops to admire a piece of art and begins talking with another person. It happens when neighbors work together on something they can point to with pride. It happens when children see something they helped create displayed publicly. It happens when an overlooked space becomes a place people care about.

Neighborhood art gives people something to create together, something to talk about together and something to be proud of together.

That is why Show-Me Neighborhood Art has never simply been an art contest.

It is a community-building effort disguised as an art project.

And after three years, Missouri's neighborhoods are becoming a pretty impressive gallery.

WRITTEN BY

David L. Burton

For more information, visit the Engaged Neighbor website. Take our pledge and become part of a movement! Or subscribe to our newsletter. Access some of the research documents written by David Burton, the author of this blog. Or better yet, purchase one of his books off Amazon. Contact David L. Burton via email at dburton541@yahoo.