Levelland is known as "The City of Mosaics," and for those who take time to tour the town, the reason for this name is soon apparent. Contained in the city are 10 mosaics that were built over a span of 33 years.

The story of the mosaics begins in the 1960s when South Plains College art professor Don Stroud expressed his wish for art to be more visible in Levelland and for the city to be recognized for its art.

Stroud's vision first manifested itself as a mosaic titled "Wild Mustangs." It is composed of glass tiles from Mexico and adorns the front of the Fine Arts Building at SPC. Stroud, along with his wife Patrice and his sons Warren and Graydon constructed the piece, which depicts a herd of wild mustangs running across the plains.

For the town's next three mosaics, Stroud teamed up with assistant professor Burl Cole to create works titled "Tree of Life," a two-part mosaic at the entrance of the Levelland Clinic on 1804 S. College Ave. and "Arms of Care," located on the east side of Covenant Hospital at 1900 College Ave. The "Arms of Care" mosaic was completed in 1971 and the two-piece mosaic "Tree of Life" followed in 1972.

The mayor of Levelland at the time, Dr. Joe Harrison, was an art enthusiast who contributed to the progress of the mosaics.

In 1972 Harrison commissioned New Mexico artist John Meigs to design what would become the "Land of Soil, Oil and Education" mosaic on the Chamber of Commerce building at 1101 Ave H. The mosaic was created by John Gonzales and other local artists and represents Levelland's farming, oil production and learning centers.

Harrison commissioned Dr. Ford Ruthling, a Santa Fe artist, to do a painting to be turned into the city's next mosaic: "New Beginning, New Life" on the Biological Sciences building at SPC.

The mosaic, which was created by Burl Cole and a group of students in 1974, depicts an egg and represents various stages of life. The egg is surrounded by a field of blue with gold stars, which represents the heavens. The original painting by Ruthling is currently hanging in the president's office at SPC.

Not long after Ruthling's painting was transformed into glass and mortar, Gonzales and Rev. Ellis Langston designed and constructed a mosaic called "Chain of Life." The mosaic, which is located at the Community Center on the corner of Lucille Drive and Jackson Ave. behind Carver school, uses 61 colors of tile to symbolize the unity of all races.

In 1984, Hope, his wife Bette, Cole and Levelland resident Sycily Lattimore got together with area residents to construct two mosaics on the corner of Avenue H and Austin on the south and west sides of the Hockley County Library. The mosaics depict the history of Hockley County schools.

Lattimore, who was on the Early Settlers committee the year of the construction, found a person to resurface the two walls for the mosaics. The committee researched Hockley County schools from the 1930s and asked Cole to design the mosaic.

Local volunteers helped construct the mosaics. The pieces of art were completed before Levelland's Early Settlers Day celebration. Lattimore commented on the community's participation in the construction of the mosaic.

In 1994, Levelland's next work of art appeared for public viewing. With help from a Texas Commission on the Arts grant organized by John Hope, artist Ruth McNay and students from the high school and junior high constructed a mosaic titled "Through the Ages."

The piece depicts the history of Levelland. It is on the south wall of the Chamber of Commerce building.

Levelland students made and glazed the clay tiles. Though not a true mosaic, the piece still contributes to the city's beauty and appeal.

The most recent mosaic was built on the Student Services building at SPC by John and Bette Hope in 2001. Called "New Morning," the mosaic represents college life.

The Hopes began construction of the mosaic in the student center game room, using what is called an indirect process in which the tiles are glued down in reverse on paper, the adhered to the wall with mortar.

The Hopes put up the mosaics in June with painstaking care.

The Hopes have also restored several of the city's mosaics and are currently working on a new restoration process for the "Tree of Life" mosaic.

The process will involve gradually flattening the concrete sheets on which the mosaic is attached. The Hopes are also using some methods that they learned in Italy.

The Hopes recently learned about some new mosaic methods and processes in a recent trip to Ravenna, Italy, a city that is known as the "Capital of Mosaics." According to the Hopes, plans are underway to make Levelland and Ravenna sister cities.

The Levelland mosaics have gained fame across the state with articles in "The Dallas Morning News," "Texas Highways" and "Texas Co-op Power." The mosaics have also recently appeared on "The Texas Country Reporter." For more information and pictures, visit http://www.ci.levelland.tx.us/index.asp?NID=21