The second annual Downtown Wichita Window Wonderland is underway. Dozens of businesses are taking part in the window decorating contest this holiday season. KMUW’s Carla Eckels spotted local artist Paris Jane Cunningham painting windows at Cargill Protein Headquarters.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Hello, what are you doing here?
I am painting. Me, my cousin Ratana Williams and another girl named Quiana Pattinson, who was here earlier, are painting for Cargill for their holiday window painting competition. And that's happening all throughout downtown Wichita.
So how did you get this particular job?
Actually, I was painting at The Blackprint shop, on Douglas and St. Francis, and someone from Cargill saw me painting, and was like, “Hey, do you do these?” And I was like, “Yes.” I got an email, and they were like, “Would you like to do a painting for us?” And I was like, “Sure.” So, I'm here.
I see all the paints here and all the various colors. Can you describe what it is that we're seeing?
This is essentially a depiction of farm-to-table, or from Cargill-to-table. So, one side of this window painting is a farm and a Cargill plant, and you can see it's a snowy landscape there, and then the other side is a family, or gathering of people at a table, and the words on the window say, “Nourishing the world, one table at a time.” So, they're incorporating holiday cheer with their process.
Well, can you describe it, because I see a cow?
There are two cows, two chickens and a Cargill plant with smoke coming out. There's eventually going to be a person walking up to that Cargill plant, and all of this has a road that leads from one side of this painting to the other side. On the other side is a table with six different people of different ethnicities, and a big tree in the middle that kind of ties it all together.
Well, take me to the other side. Let's take a look.
This side is still a work in progress, but we're going to get it done tonight. Essentially, it's just a group of people gathering together with food on the table, or there will be food on the table to share a meal.
It's interesting that you, in terms of the people that are at the table, as you mentioned, are all ethnicities. Why was that important?
That's super important initially. Whenever you start painting, you start with a completely white base, a flat white base, no color. And so, people have been passing by and they're like, “Are you going to add any color to that? Any people of color, any color at all?” I think it's important to show that people of different ethnicities can come together and share a meal, and that we're all looking for the same kind of nourishment, especially now. Also, that was a request of Cargill to make sure that it was a diverse table.
Now, how long does something like this take to put together, to paint?
That's a great question. So, for me, this is my fourth day painting, and it's just because you have to allow the paint time to dry so that you can paint another layer or color on there, so that there's depth. Also, these windows are 111” x 57”, so they're huge. Normally, I would be painting one or two that size, but this is eight windows.
Eight windows?
Yes, we’re painting eight full, huge, gargantuan windows.
What does this mean to you, Paris, to be able to do this kind of project?
For me, honestly, it's something that as a kid ... I never thought that art would be a profession, and for me, it just means that I get the chance to do something that I love for work and also to share a gift with the community, with Wichita. As people have been walking by, some of their favorite things have been the cows or the tree, and people have been excited about it. And I think it's just really cool to share that and to bring that to downtown.