Photo: Courtesy of OZ Art NWA
The best public art has a way of finding you when you’re simply going about your day. In downtown Bentonville, Arkansas, a shimmering mural of two native smallmouth bass transforms the side of a parking garage into a celebration of the region’s waterways. Titled Lake and Rivers, the large-scale installation by renowned designer Stefan Sagmeister was inspired by the lakes and rivers surrounding the city, inviting both locals and visitors to reconnect with the outdoors. It was installed in 2023 and continues to delight visitors to the city.
Beyond depicting the area’s natural beauty, the mural also visualizes the growing popularity of kayaking in the United States. The smaller fish represents the roughly 6 million Americans who kayaked 15 years ago, while the larger fish symbolizes today’s 18 million participants—a number that has tripled over the past decade and a half.
What makes Lake and Rivers especially captivating is its movement. The installation is composed of 268,947 individual shimmer disks that, when they catch even the slightest breeze, cause the fish to sparkle and ripple as though they’re swimming through water. The smaller bass features 66,267 disks, while the larger one is covered with 202,671. Creating the artwork required 342 fabrication hours and 124 sheets of high-density overlay substrate.
Sagmeister, whose celebrated career includes work for The Rolling Stones and the Guggenheim Museum, is known for blending graphic design with thought-provoking public art. A two-time Grammy Award winner, he also created The Happy Show, which became the most-visited graphic design exhibition in history, attracting more than half a million visitors worldwide.
More than a mural, Lake and Rivers is an invitation to pause, appreciate Bentonville's surrounding landscape, and spend more time outdoors.
In downtown Bentonville, Arkansas, a shimmering mural of two native smallmouth bass transforms the side of a parking garage into a celebration of the region’s waterways.
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Titled Lake and Rivers by Stefan Sagmeister, the installation is composed of shimmering disks that, when they catch even the slightest breeze, cause the fish to sparkle and ripple as though they’re swimming through water.
View this post on Instagram
More than a mural, Lake and Rivers is an invitation to pause, appreciate Bentonville's surrounding landscape, and spend more time outdoors.
View this post on Instagram
Stefan Sagmeister: Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
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