A large-scale collage honoring U.S. men's national team soccer player Weston McKennie is set to be installed in his hometown of Little Elm. The artwork, created by artist Michael Mapes in collaboration with Chobani, will be displayed at Tinman Social, located at 199 Main St. Little Elm is situated approximately 6 miles northwest of The Colony.
The installation coincides with the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mapes developed the piece as part of Chobani's "Feed the Dream" campaign, which involved creating portraits for three U.S. national team players: McKennie, Christian Pulisic, and Antonee Robinson. Mapes stated that Chobani identified a creative alignment between his artistic approach and the campaign's theme.
Mapes described the technique used for the McKennie portrait as "biographical DNA." This method incorporates personal photographs, documents, and found objects to represent the subject's unique path. The collage includes deconstructed football jerseys, a soccer ball, video stills, goal netting, cleats, and autographs. Mapes explained that these elements serve as evidence of McKennie's journey to his current status.
The artist aimed to depict McKennie as a collection of experiences rather than just an athlete. Mapes noted that the process of connecting individual elements to form a singular portrait serves as a metaphor for the relationship between players and a team, as well as individuals and their community. He expressed a desire to suggest a sense of place, connection to family and friends, and ties to his hometown.
Before starting the project, Mapes admitted he knew little about the three players despite his familiarity with soccer culture. He described learning about them through hundreds of photographs, interviews, videos, and conversations with friends and family as a moving experience. Mapes highlighted that while McKennie's family moved during his early years, he put down roots in Little Elm and developed a deep passion for the game there.
