Mosaic a welcome addition to Henderson Events Plaza

Mona Shield Payne / Special to the Home News

Following the unveiling of his newest mural, artist Hal Carter poses for a photo in front of “Artistic Freedom” at the Henderson Events Plaza amphitheater Friday. Carter’s vision was to create a 32-foot by 8-foot mosaic mural representative of the theatrical, musical and the visual arts of Henderson.

By Dave Clark

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 | midnight

Mona Shield Payne / Special to the Home News

Mosaic artisan Hal Carter autographs a print of his mural "Artistic Freedom" for a fan during the unveiling reception in his honor Friday at the Henderson Events Plaza.

With the Friday unveiling of the mosaic mural "Artistic Freedom," the Henderson Events Plaza amphitheater is no longer just a concrete shell.

The mural's collage of music, visual arts and theater images "brings a vibrancy and color" to the amphitheater, said Bud Pico, Henderson's program manager for cultural arts and tourism. "It's a perfect reflection of what the amphitheater does."

St. George artist Hal Carter, 58, conceived the design, which was selected from 10 entries received by the city for a mosaic mural portraying the arts and performance. It joins nine other pieces of public art in the Water Street District, which has become a canvas for murals depicting the historic progression of Henderson.

The piece, which spans more than 250 square feet, adorns the southeast wall of the amphitheater. From conception to completion, it took a team of eight artists 500 hours over two months.

"We did it in the studio one piece at a time," Carter said.

Carter usually makes mosaic furniture and wall hangings, but sought the project as a challenge.

"I always wanted to get into more monumental work," he said. "I've never done anything on quite this scale."

He first started transferring the rendering to tile himself, but time constraints forced him to enlist the aid of seven students from Dixie State College in St. George.

"I wanted to give young artists the opportunity to work on a large project," said Carter, a former Las Vegas resident. "This was a group effort."

Morgan Clements was one contributing artist who worked on cutting tiles and color integration.

"I wanted to make sure everything flowed and had the right context," he said.

Foremost in Carter's mind was creating something joyful and a piece that embodied the ideals of artistic freedom.

"It's an honor to create something for a place where people come to enjoy art and life," he said.

The mural's instruments and symbols from the visual arts and theater blend into one another in a pop-art style.

"I didn't want it to look like it came out of a factory," Carter said. "I wanted it to have a personal touch. I wanted it to sing."

The work was unveiled before a singing performance by "Married With Children …" star Katey Sagal, giving Carter a wide reception.

Dave Clark can be reached at 990-2677 or dave.clark@hbcpub.com.