The World Street Painting Festival Route 66 3D Artwork

In partnership with the World Street Painting Foundation of the Netherlands and international 3D street artists, Visit Joplin has created a series of 3D street paintings with Route 66 themes at locations on Route 66.

3D street painting is an art style that creates an optical illusion, resulting in a three-dimensional image that appears to pop right out of the ground. The art form challenges the perception of space and reality. By distorting an image across a surface, artists can make it appear correct only from a specific viewpoint. That is why the art is best viewed from standing atop the footprints painted below each painting.

An annual festival, during which the paintings are created, will continue to take place the first week of June 2026 and 2027, celebrating the 100th birthday of Route 66 in 2026.

The 2024 trio of paintings were painted by three diverse U.S. artists, each employing slightly different techniques.

The works can be viewed on the outer porch of the Harry M. Cornell Arts and Entertainment Complex at 212 S. 7th Street in Joplin. The paintings are not visible from the street; visitors may park in the Cornell Complex parking lot.

The single work on the west side of the building is by Nate Baranowski, a native of South Bend, Indiana. This highly detailed work features a seasoned rider on a vintage motorcycle fully enjoying a Route 66 experience. The vintage ride is complete with a sidecar upon which the participant sits to be immersed in the ride -- along with the goggle-wearing pup.

The other two pieces are located on the front porch of the building along 7th Street Route 66.

Orlando, Florida, artist Naomi Haverland created a flying VW Bug with Route 66 branding. With its bright orange look, this fun image offers interaction by standing atop the car as if surfing, seated for the ride of a lifetime, or even lying down as if holding on for dear life.

Chris Carlson of Denver, Colorado, provides a 3D take on life on the open road and driving the rolling hills. The viewer straddles the motorcycle, squats down as seated, grabs the handlebars, and enjoys a cruise along Route 66. The photograph is taken from behind the driver from the passenger's view.

In 2025, ten more works were added to the collection in Schifferdecker Park at the corner of 7th Street (Route 66) and Schifferdecker Avenue. Two US artists and 8 international artists created the works below:

Roberto Carlos Trevino Rodriguez, Mexico: Boomer Motorcycle Cruisin’
Jump on the back of Boomer’s bike for a wild ride with the groundhog miner mascot of Visit Joplin. Can you “dig” it?

Fabio Fedele, Italy: Red Rocker, Fanning, MO
Rock your way down Route 66 with a stop at Fanning, MO, to sit a spell on the giant, red, Route 66 Rocker.

Jan Riggins, USA: Aliens on Route 66
Intergalactic travelers need gas, too! An homage to Roswell, NM, and their alien visitors, this artwork lets you join the little green man on his journey back to his home planet after filling up at a classic Route 66 roadside gas station.

Kerim Musanovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Arches on Skateboard
Ride the skateboard on Route 66, across the American West to Arizona’s Monument Valley.

Leon Keer, The Netherlands: Crystal Cave
Dance the Charleston on the subterranean dance floor of one of the largest geodes in the world, Joplin’s historic Crystal Cave, an underground hotspot at the turn of the 19th century.

Jean-Marc Navello, France: 66 Motorcycle
Your Route 66 road trip will be memorable on this green motorcycle with very unique wheels, then stand atop the road shield sign to celebrate your arrival at your Mother Road destination.

Ruben Poncia, The Netherlands: ‘Get Your Kicks’ Sheet Music
Choose your instrument – piano, upright bass, electric guitar, or drums - to jam along to “(Get Your Kicks) on Route 66.”

Canaco Matsumoto, Japan: The First Travelers
Featuring a Native American mother and child against the backdrop of Joplin’s Grand Falls, this piece pays homage to the first peoples of the MO/KS/Ok Tri-state Corridor of Route 66.

Melina Berg, Germany: Slot Car Racetrack
Red races blue, zooming along a slot car track across the Mother Road from Joplin to the desert and back.

Tracy Lee Stum, USA: Jackalope
Do jackalopes exist? This mythic hare with antlers invites views to hop on its back for a Route 66 ride through the desert Southwest.