LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A new community mural pays tribute to a man who dedicated his life to serving Nevada and his country. It's on display now in the Historic Westside.
A pair of local artists are the masterminds behind the new mural they're calling "I Can, I Will."
It's painted on the A.D. Guy Knowledge Center near North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Washington Avenue.
Artists Dyron Boyd and Malachi Williams say the motto of Judge Addeliar Dell Guy inspired their work.
Guy was the first African American district court judge in Nevada, the first African American deputy district attorney in Clark County, and the county's first African American chief deputy district attorney.
The mural painted in his honor stretches more than 118 feet. It's 9 feet tall and made up of five different panels with a different sentiment behind each one.
"The kids would come over and be watching us as we're painting. They got their handprints on, put their names," Boyd said of the second panel, which celebrates art and community.
"While we were painting this, people would always be walking by just commenting how much it changes the neighborhood," Boyd added.
More panels pay tribute to Guy's military service, his athleticism and his lasting judicial legacy.
Williams says while the mural helps to beautify the neighborhood, more than anything he wants it to inspire hope.
"'I can, I will.' No matter where you're at in your life, you can and you will," Williams said. "As a kid, I said 'I can.' As an adult, I said 'I will.' And now I'm talking to you saying, 'I did.' So, it doesn't matter who you are. Hope is hope, and that's what I want to give."
The mural was commissioned by Las Vegas Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. It was paid for by the Mayor's Fund for Las Vegas LIFE, a nonprofit organization helping support enriching programs in Las Vegas, especially in underserved areas.
