Between the slot machines, the flashy advertising signs and just the plain excitement of being in Las Vegas, there’s plenty to distract you when you arrive at McCarran International Airport.
But be sure to look down at the new mosaic artwork in the Terrazzo flooring in Terminal 1’s Baggage Claim.
Created by Nevadan Randy Heil, the artwork is laid-out as a 40-foot-diameter circle with a border reminiscent of a poker chip and contains images inspired by iconic landmarks in the Las Vegas skyline – past and present.
A mosaic mural depicting past and present Las Vegas landmarks is unveiled in the Teminal 1 Baggage Claim at McCarran International Airport on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016. CREDIT: Mark Damon/Las Vegas News Bureau
On one side of the ‘chip,’ look for The Dunes, Landmark, Plaza and Desert Inn hotels, and references to Evel Knievel, jumping the fountains at Caesars Palace, and a mushroom cloud representative of atomic testing that took near town.
A mosaic mural depicting past and present Las Vegas landmarks is unveiled in the Teminal 1 Baggage Claim at McCarran International Airport on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016. CREDIT: Mark Damon/Las Vegas News Bureau
Heil, who was paralyzed from his shoulders down in an auto accident, now creates his artwork using his mouth.
The modern skyline half of the poker chip art has references to structures and images you’ll see on the The Strip, including the Luxor Las Vegas pyramid, the Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower, the volcano at The Mirage, the Stratosphere Tower, the Wynn Las Vegas, the High Roller observation wheel and the Las Vegas Monorail.
The artwork is part of a $30 million renovation of Terminal 1.
