I-44 Welcome Center Mural dedication to kick off Tourism Week
May 6, 2010
The Missouri Department of Transportation, Joplin Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Newton County Tourism Council will host a Tourism Week Celebration with a dedication of the new I-44 Welcome Center Mural at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday May 11 at the Missouri I-44 Welcome Center, located on I-44 near the Missouri/Oklahoma state line.
MoDot’s Southwest District, working with the Missouri Arts Council, commissioned Matthew Dehaemers from Kansas City for the mural project in 2009. His mural entitled, Detours, is a multi-media piece that includes license plates from every state in the USA. According to a previous news release from MoDot, Dehaemers’ design was selected because of the nostalgic representation of road trips from years gone by and summers to come. The proverbial license plate game is super-sized in this mural's imagery. Additional inspiration came from vintage Joplin postcards and historical events and the natural offerings of the landscape.
He will participate in the dedication ceremony that is open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call Vince Lindstrom, Director of the Joplin CVB, at 417-291-2395.
Note: to reach the Welcome Center, please take EXIT 1 from West I-44.
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