Public art is on the move in Moab and the latest installation has taken place at the Moab Arts & Recreation Center.
For the past two months an extensive art project has kept employees at the MARC busy cutting tile and mixing cement: a nearly twelve foot mosaic, finally completed on Tuesday, August 5th.
The artwork wraps around one of the planters in front of the MARC building, and its bright colors are visible from a block away.
MARC director Liz Holland came up with the project. “There aren’t any mosaics in town,” She said, “And that’s been something I’ve been wanting to do to those planters for a while.”
This past spring, Anna Weimholt—a college intern with experience in mosaic work—inquired about internship opportunities at the MARC. “When Anna contacted us, we knew it was a perfect fit,” said Holland.
A previous summer spent working at a mosaic studio had taught Weimholt how to plan, assemble, and install outdoor mosaics. As an intern at the MARC she was able to apply her mosaic knowledge by leading the public art project. The tiles were cut and arranged on mesh in the MARC studio before being cemented to the planter. Around fifteen MARC employees and volunteers helped in the process.
The mosaic depicts an imaginative combination of landscape and human figures created by Weimholt. Her design draws inspiration from Moab’s vibrant community and surrounding geology to make a desert skyline of rock friends and cacti.
Details include a person diving into the river and someone strumming a cactus guitar.
For Weimholt, the mosaic project at the MARC was a great opportunity to build her resume on her path to a career in visual arts. During her time off from studying at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, Anna hopes to return to Moab to teach a mosaic class at the MARC.
Many murals have been popping up around town this summer, thanks to the MARC’s support of local and visiting artists. The planter is the first public mosaic in Moab, but the MARC staff would like to bring more mosaics to Main Street. The mosaic has been received well by the community.
Local art enthusiast Miriam Graham says, “It is beautiful and eye catching and I wish we could have them all over town!”
Moab Arts & Recreation Website
The MARC encourages artists interested in making public art or students seeking an internship to call them at (435) 259-6272
