“If Life’s a Drag, Kansas City’s Been Living” celebrates more than a century of drag culture in Kansas City, with stories reaching back to the 1870s.

Created by Kansas City artist Jared Horman in partnership with Spray KC, the mural debuted during Pride Month in June 2026 at 208 Westport Road on the side of Passions KC. Its colorful, pop-art-inspired design features 18 historical drag performers who helped shape Kansas City’s culture and pave the way for generations of drag queens and kings.

“Drag is about picking and choosing different things and references from pop culture and giving them a new life, a new story, a new personality,” Horman said. “I thought it would be fun for the mural to kind of hold all of these different pieces.”

The project continued Spray KC’s collaboration with Horman following the 2025 Chappell Roan mural near the Uptown Theater and Hamburger Mary’s

For Horman, the mural is about preserving history while celebrating the joy, creativity and continuing evolution of drag.

“I want to celebrate this history amidst a challenging environment for queer people,” Horman said. “But for me, it’s about celebrating the joy.”

“If Life’s a Drag, Kansas City’s Been Living” honors the performers who came before while celebrating drag as one of Kansas City’s most vibrant living art forms.

This mural was made possible by James Roark-Gruender, owner of Passions KC and it was also supported by Midtown KC Now Facade Improvement Fund.  

Here are two news stories about the mural:

Aixiois: 
https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/07/30/kansas-city-drag-history-westport-mural

The Pitch:
https://www.thepitchkc.com/jared-hormans-new-westport-mural-honors-kansas-city-drag-artists/