A few days ago, the Joplin (Mo.) Globe reported about a new mural at the Missouri Welcome Center on Interstate 44 in Joplin that contains a prominent Route 66 theme and uses old license plates as part of the artwork.
The interesting part is after Zane Livengood, a part-time worker at the welcome center, submitted four license plates for the artist Matthew Dehaemers’ use. The artist, without knowing about the background of approximately 500 license plates used, ended up putting Livengood’s license plate nearly side-by-side to a license plate once owned by Livengood’s wife, who died three years ago. So the coincidence made the mural even more meaningful.
As for the mural itself, here’s a description:
The mural depicts scenes from the Spook Light, Route 66, artist Thomas Hart Benton, astronaut Janet Kavandi, outlaw Clyde Barrow, the castle at Redings Mill, poet Langston Hughes, Red Oak II, the natural beauty of the Ozarks, naturalist Marlin Perkins, Grand Falls and the area’s history of mining.
“The idea is that we are passing through, but that we should be open to the idea of detours,” Dehaemers said. “I’m hoping that people will come in and see things in and around the area they might be interested in.
“It invites one to ask questions. What does all this stuff mean? Maybe they will take off from the beaten path, take a slight detour if you will, and get sidetracked in a positive way. I hope it encourages them to see a local area they might otherwise have skipped over.’’
License plates from all 50 states are represented in the artwork. A photo of the artist and his mural are here. Dehaemers’ Web site also has several other angles of the work.