The newest mural added to the Mesquite Public Art Commission’s (MPAC) collection of public works of art in Mesquite has a personal history to go along with its illustration of local telephone and internet communications history. The dedication ceremony was held on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, with more than 80 people in attendance. 

The mural was painted on the back wall of a steel storage building behind the Reliance Connects office building, facing the Mesquite Arts Center campus. Local artist James Woods painted the mural on the challenging corrugated steel wall of the building.

According to MPAC President Steve Dudow, MPAC did not have the money to pay for the mural and was looking for resources. Paul Benedict, past president of the Mesquite Exchange Club, heard through Dudow that they were looking to apply for grant money.  

Benedict, who recently lost his wife of 51 years, heard what the mural would be about and realized it would be a perfect way to honor his wife, Barbara, a 1960s, computer-age programming pioneer and one of the very few women in the field. Benedict said, “She spent her life helping people connect, just like the mural depicts.” Benedict offered to pay half of the cost if MPAC could include a small honor to Barbara, which they did. “Woods added something very special to me in the painting; there is a small heart on the side of the operator plug-in board. That means so much to me,” said Benedict.

Benedict’s donation got things moving. Then Reliance Connects and the Nevada Arts Council came in with the rest of the money. MPAC and the Mesquite Arts Council’s involvement helped things move along in a hurry. 

Woods shared some facts about the mural. It is 60 feet wide by 14 feet tall. He used five gallons of Behr Metal Bonding Primer, 12 gallons of Behr Premium Plus exterior paint and four gallons of Mural Shield Clear Coat. He began the painting on June 12, 2026, and completed it on June 30. He said it took 89 hours, mostly done at night because of the heat. He used Measured Wav, Photoshop and an Ocular VR Headset and spray guns. There were some days and nights he could not work because of the high winds. Woods stated, “The hardest part was getting the dimensions right for the ribbed metal.”

Christi Neff from Reliance Connects also spoke, giving the 100-year history of communications in the Virgin Valley. It began with the forward-thinking, multi-generational family-owned business, the formerly named Rio Virgin Phone Company. The name changed to Reliance Connects in the 90s. Neff said, “We have come a long way from women hiding clothesline wire so it wouldn’t get changed into phone lines to one of the first phone companies to start laying the self-funded fiber optics infrastructure that is throughout Mesquite today.”  

The mural describes the journey of communications in the Virgin Valley and a cohesive community labor of love.