A dazzling blend of color and light will envelop campus visitors in the rich tones of a Las Vegas sunset, as student designers and officials introduce the "Big V" splashed across the panoramic front windows of UNLV's Flora Dungan Humanities building. This unique artwork, created as part of the Las Vegas Centennial's City of 100 Murals public art project, will be unveiled by UNLV President Carol C. Harter and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman at a special ceremony on Monday, February 7 at 10:30 AM.

"We are thrilled to be a part of this wonderful public art initiative of the Centennial celebration, and so pleased to showcase the innovative work of our students," said Harter. "This beautiful artwork - illustrating the indelible link between university and community - will be a wonderful greeting for our students and visitors to campus."

A major art and education initiative of the Las Vegas Centennial Committee, the City of 100 Murals will see the creation of more than 100 permanent and temporary murals throughout the community, reflecting the history and culture of Las Vegas in celebration of its 100 th birthday. UNLV's "Big V" is the third mural introduced as part of the series. A guide to mural locations throughout the valley will be published as part of the City of 100 Murals program.

"We are so excited that UNLV is helping to commemorate Las Vegas' special milestone with this lasting art legacy," said Goodman, chairman of the Centennial committee. "This project is a wonderful example of the Centennial's dedication to keeping art alive in the Las Vegas Valley for many years to come."

Designed to represent a number of elements unique to the Las Vegas landscape and its centennial, the "Big V" consists of a series of diagonal blended stripes converging at the bottom center of the Humanities building's vestibule windows. The stripes' colors reflect the vistas available in each Las Vegas sunset, and create a series of colored shadows across the interior floor of the building, enveloping students in a lively spectrum of reds, oranges and purples. The "V" shape can be seen as the Roman numeral V, recalling the temporal implications of the centennial with repetitions of the number 5 (1905-2005).

Both formally and emotionally arresting, the diagonal stripes of the "V" rise from a single point and venture outward, representing the various continua of truth to be found in the academic environment. They can also be seen as beams of infinite potential converging into a single locus of activity - the University - and uniting the energy of the city with the drive of academia.

The "Big V" design was developed by students participating in a special College of Fine Arts course examining all aspects of "Art in Public Places." This multidisciplinary course, featuring guest lectures by several noted artists, architects and planners, was sponsored by the City of Las Vegas Arts Commission.

The Flora Dungan Humanities building is the seven-story structure located at the Maryland/Harmon entrance to the UNLV campus.