By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board (MVTAB), at their meeting on Wednesday, March 15, will be hearing presentations regarding a public art mural proposed for the Overton Community Center. The mural is intended to decorate the west wall of the center behind the conference table. It was proposed in an effort to make the community center more welcoming while showcasing the rich heritage of Moapa Valley.
When Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick took office, she realized that the building was not being used to its potential as a community gathering place. She felt that the sterile atmosphere inside was part of the problem. So she obtained grant money to help decorate the building and make it more welcoming.
The mural contest was opened to anyone who wished to enter. A field of about thirty applicants was narrowed down to three by a panel of judges. Those three finalists were then each offered a sum of $1,000 to prepare a presentation to the community. Those presentations will be given at the Mar. 15 board meeting.
Each finalist will be given 20 minutes to present his/her ideas. The winner will be chosen later by the evaluation committee after the finalists have all been heard. The winning artist will receive $27,000 to cover time, materials, and other expenses used in the painting of the mural.
The three finalists will include two local artists: Heidi Leavitt and Joan Day; as well as one from the Philippines: Gig Depio.
“We have the utmost confidence in the artists,” said Janice Ridondo, Community Liaison for Commissioner Kirkpatrick. “They met with the Commissioner last week and spoke with her about their ideas. I know they will completely wow the community.”
The Commissioner’s staff wanted the community to have input on which mural idea would best represented them. But County Cultural Program Supervisor, Patrick Gaffey, who oversees the evaluation committee downplayed the idea of public input.
“There is no room for popular opinion on the [judging] form,” he said. “If I had planned this, I wouldn’t have scheduled it with the Town Board. Two of the finalists, of course, live in Moapa Valley, and there is a danger of the competition turning into a popularity contest. This will be a piece of art that the community will be looking at for decades, so we have to make sure that it is chosen on the basis of artistic merit.”
Despite this, the Commissioner’s staff decided to allow for some public input. Comment cards will be distributed to those in attendance at the meeting. These cards may be filled out with feedback and then will be returned to the selection committee.
The meeting will be held at the Overton Community Center on Wednesday, March 15 at 7 pm.
