Marxhausen. He appeared on the show on March 25, 1986, and again on January 17, 1990. The Nebraska State Capitol Murals In the 1960s, the foyer of the Nebraska State Capitol was to receive six murals representing a theme or part of Nebraska history based on the design of Hartley Burr Alexander. In 1964, the Capitol Mural commission decided that mosaics would best fit the décor of the large hallway and started a competition to select the artists creating them. Marxhausen would not have gotten involved if not for a party at the Sheldon Art Museum. While getting coffee, he met and started a conversation with Fred Wells, who was the chairman of the commission at the time. Marxhausen asked if anyone could enter the contest and Fred told him that he could send in some drawings if he wanted. Out of the four artists ultimately chosen to create the foyer mosaics, Marxhausen was the only one from Nebraska. In the spring of 1965, the first three artists were chosen. Reinhold was picked to create “The Spirit of Nebraska” which he installed in early January 1966. Since “The Spirit of Nebraska” was such an abstract idea, a lot of symbolism was incorporated into the artwork as well. One of these interesting symbols is the box of human remains within the lower middle of the piece. Marx's explanation for the inclusion, “Those bones are dedicated to all the deadheads in Nebraska, the lazy people, the people satisfied with the status quo, the people who are stubbornly determined not to succeed, all who resist change.” He was chosen again in the spring of 1966 to create the mosaic “The Building of the Capitol” which was installed in October 1966. It included a representation of the second State Capitol of Nebraska as well as a quote from the Declaration of Independence, “All men are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights among these are life liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. Marxhausen's murals were unconventionally built and unique in the choice of materials. Besides using Venetian glass, he also incorporated brick and his characteristic burnt wood which he epoxied onto plywood panels that were later butted tightly to one another without the use of grout. Artistic philosophy During his years at Concordia, Marxhausen gained repute as a unique and inspiring educator. He constantly encouraged his students to see the beauty in everyday