If you’re looking for immediate evidence of the benefits of New Hampshire’s Percent for Art Program, look no further than the new conference center at Hampton Beach State Park. The recently completed facility includes a large mural by Eliot, Maine-based artist Gordon Carlisle, titled “A Delicate Balance.”

The mural illustrates the ecological challenge presented by the recreational use of a precious natural resource. It represents the families who play and swim at the beach, the fishermen who make their living off the coast, the waterways that lead to the ocean, the wildlife species that live there, and the history of the park.

The painting was funded by the state’s Percent for Art Program, which allocates .5 percent of the budget appropriation for any new state building project to the commission of artwork. A Republican-sponsored bill currently before the N.H. House of Representatives would eliminate the program.

A hearing on HB 1285 will take place in Room 306 of the Legislative Office Building at the State House in Concord on Friday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m.