of his earliest works, realized in 1978 on the occasion of his Munich exhibition. Haas is ranked by the Artists Trade Union of Russia amongst the world-best artists of the last four centuries. In addition to a unique and quaint downtown area, Homewood, Illinois, now boasts the largest collection of Richard Haas murals anywhere in the world. Haas was first invited to Homewood in the early 1980s. Since that time, he has finished 11 murals and was scheduled to complete the 12th mural in late spring 2013. The Village has a time-lapse video that shows one of his recent murals being created. "Homewood has a special place in my 35 years of doing public work," said Haas. "This project has allowed me to expand my work in many ways. In Homewood, I was given the freedom to design and execute a new series of works that tells an even larger story, not only about Homewood's history but about the region in general. Homewood now has the largest concentration of my works in one area and I hope people will discover and enjoy these works for a long time to come." In the downtown area, there are 9 original murals which capture the history of Homewood from the movie theater and 1950s diner to paying homage to the prairie. The expanded murals continue down historic Dixie Highway including a mural on the history of the bicycle. "Homewood is a great home for the arts," said Homewood Mayor Richard Hofeld. "We sought Richard out specifically for his realistic style as well as his artistic and historic vision. Residents have given us very positive feedback about seeing the blank canvas of the side of a building become transformed into a work of art." Originally from Wisconsin, Haas began large-scale outdoor murals in the 1970s in New York City. His murals can be seen in all of the cities mentioned above, as well as Phoenix, Arizona, and a number of smaller cities. Haas's work has received awards from the American Institute of Architects Medal of Honor, 1977, Guggenheim Fellowship 1983, National Endowment of Arts award 1987, Distinguished Alumnus Award University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 1991, Jimmy Ernst award, American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York 2005. He was elected into the National Academy of Design in 1993 as an Associate member, and became a full Academician in 1994. He served as President of the Academy