The past, present, and future of the performing arts in Joplin are celebrated in this three-part mural painted by New York artist Garin Baker. On the left panel, Baker depicts the energy just outside the Club Theater on a weekend evening in the early 1900s, a time when it was a big deal to come to the city to see a live theater show and to walk with each other in the bustling downtown streets. The center panel of the mural shows the Fox Theater. Built in the 1930s, this theater introduced a new form of entertainment to downtown Joplin: talking pictures.
The right panel of the mural embodies the success of Joplin’s performing arts today, and the hope for its future. Here, Baker paints a woman - a theatrical muse - pulling back a curtain to reveal ballerinas in training, offering both a glimpse of what is, and what is yet to come. The ballerinas, and others like them, will craft the future of performing arts in our city.