photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

The Lawrence Community Nursery School, 645 Alabama St., is seen in the background on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, as painters work on a street-level mural designed by local artist Dave Loewenstein with inspiration from the students.

Volunteers gathered at the intersection of Alabama and Seventh streets over the weekend for a “Street Painting Party” that brought the vision of local artist Dave Loewenstein and neighbors and students of the Lawrence Community Nursery School to life in a street-level mural depicting box turtles — the state reptile of Kansas – and designs from the community.

“(The students) are so excited they got to be a part of it,” Shannon Carlson, the secretary for the Lawrence Community Nursery School, said in an earlier conversation with the Lawrence Journal-World. “(When they) walk by it every day, it will be so fun to see their excitement.”

The event was spread over two days and included a food truck and, on Sunday, music from Zydeco Tougeau. The mural was expected to be complete Sunday afternoon.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

Hot pink paint is reflected back at a woman during a Street Painting Party at Seventh and Alabama streets on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

Volunteers work on a yellow section of a street-level mural at Seventh and Alabama streets on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

Children work on their section of a street-level mural at the intersection of Seventh and Alabama streets on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

The outside edges of an intersection-wide street mural begin to take shape at the intersection of Seventh and Alabama streets on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

Local artist Dave Loewenstein chats with volunteer painters as they work on the street-level mural he designed with input from local nursery school students at the intersection of Seventh and Alabama streets on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.

Local artist Dave Loewenstein chalks out a portion of a mural being painted at the intersection of Seventh and Alabama streets on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

Sam Zipper rolls paint for a street mural designed by local artist Dave Loewenstein with input from local nursery school students on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

A painter chats with a photographer at the Street Painting Party at Seventh and Alabama streets on Sunday, September 7, 2025.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

Work continues on the street-level mural at Seventh and Alabama streets on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

Zydeco Tougeau performs Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, during the Street Painting Party outside the Lawrence Community Nursery School, 645 Alabama St.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

Painters are surrounded by a sea of color as they work on a box turtle for a street-level mural at the intersection of Alabama and Seventh streets on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

Work is almost complete Sunday evening on a mural at the intersection of Seventh and Alabama streets on Sept. 7, 2025.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

The street-level mural at the intersection of Alabama and Seventh streets is seen completed on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, after a weekend of work by volunteers and local artist Dave Loewenstein. Loewenstein designed the mural with input from children at the Lawrence Community Nursery School, 645 Alabama St., and neighbors.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

Details around the edge of the mural at the intersection of Alabama and Seventh streets are seen Monday, Sept. 9, 2025.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

Details of the large box turtle in the mural at the intersection of Alabama and Seventh streets are seen Monday, Sept. 9, 2025.

photo by: Cynthia Hernandez/Journal-World

Details of the small box turtle in the mural at the intersection of Alabama and Seventh streets are seen Monday, Sept. 9, 2025.