In 2012 I was approached about helping to create a memorial for Joe Mazurek, a valued member of the Helena community.

Joseph P. Mazurek (1948-2012)

This memorial area commemorates former Montana Attorney General Joe Mazurek, who inspired Department of Justice employees with his deeply held belief in the value of public service. Following 12 years in the Montana Senate, Joe served as attorney general from 1993 through 2000. He was widely recognized for his ability to work with others to find common ground on difficult issues, for his longtime support of public employees, and for his devotion to his family, community, and state. Joe routinely ended conversations with Department of Justice employees with the phrase memorialized here: “Be happy in your work.”

The memorial committee asked me to consider a mural that eternalized Joe Mazurek’s words and enhanced the outdoor garden space that was created to honor him. I had worked with Quarry Tile Company of Spokane, Washington previously on a number of successful tile projects and decided to sub-contract the tile work to them.

QTCo. is perhaps the only tile manufacturing company in the country that uses a water-jet saw to cut ceramic tile and then re-fires the tile to soften the cut glazed edges. This process produces a professional and refined complex cut tile surface.

The tiles are mounted to an aluminum backing, which in turn is attached to the brick wall behind it. The choice of colors, reflect the water feature present in the warmer months and bring a bright spot of color to the memorial during the winter months. It was an honor to be asked to contribute to the memorial.