Los Alamos invites public to help build Justice Center mosaic

Los Alamos County is asking residents and visitors to do more than admire a new piece of public art later. It is inviting them to help build it.

From June 5-7, community members can gather at Mesa Public Library to assemble the glass-tile mosaic that will be mounted on the south-facing wall of the Los Alamos Justice Center along Trinity Drive. The county says the free workshop is open to all ages and abilities, with artist J Muzacz and his team guiding participants through a simple template system that does not require prior art experience.

The schedule gives priority to groups on Friday, June 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 6, will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, June 7, will run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. County event listings describe the project as a community-powered art experience, and registration is now open for reserved time slots, with drop-in participation available when space allows.

The finished mosaic is designed to reflect native flora and fauna chosen through community input gathered over the past two years. County materials say that input was folded into the revised design, giving residents a direct hand in shaping what will become one of the county’s newest civic landmarks. The artwork is intended to make the Justice Center more colorful and welcoming while reflecting the spirit and identity of Los Alamos.

County records show the project has been evolving for months. In July 2025, the proposed budget was listed at $55,000, and later council paperwork put the not-to-exceed amount at $70,000 for the commission and installation. The project also appears to have started as a proposal for the Los Alamos Golf Course before community feedback shifted both the location and the concept to the Justice Center wall.

The county’s Art in Public Places program funds projects like this by setting aside 1% of capital improvement project budgets and one-half of 1% of road project budgets. In this case, that policy is turning a courthouse wall into a public-facing site for neighborhood identity and civic ownership.

After the panels are assembled at Mesa Public Library, they will be installed on the Justice Center wall. The county says a ribbon cutting is planned for June 13, making the mosaic part of a broader stretch of summer programming that includes ChamberFest and SummerFest weekend.