LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – One of the capital’s most popular places to play basketball has a whole new look and lots of colors to match.
On Wednesday, the city unveiled a new mural at the South Antelope Park basketball courts. A project that took years to prepare.
In early September, the city and a few other groups, including a California-based nonprofit, teamed up to breathe new life into the courts at the intersection near Normal Boulevard and South Street.
“It was an overhaul of the courts,” said Maggie Stuckey-Ross, director of Lincoln Parks and Recreation. “If you had been here we had a lot of weeds growing in the cracks, the concrete was uneven.”
The non-profit organization, Project Backboard, strives to bring art into communities.
“Their mission is to spread art in public spaces like basketball courts across the country,” Stuckey-Ross said. “So we actually had a team from California that went to Lincoln during the month of September, helped us set up the ground, put the artwork on the ground, and then helped us with the lines. .”
The mural on the courts is based on a painting titled “Red Sea” by an African-American artist named Felrath Hines, which is also on display at the Sheldon Museum of Art on the UNL campus.
“I think it’s an incredibly dynamic painting,” said Christian Wurst, curator of exhibits at the museum. “It’s bright, you can easily see it from a distance, there’s not a lot of detail. It’s just shapes and colors, and a kind of color planes.
They are sure to attract attention as they are among the busiest courts in the city.
A slam dunk for anyone who sees them and plays on them.
“This seems like a great opportunity to engage the arts community in parks and recreation and really make a difference,” Stuckey-Ross said.
The mural was supposed to be unveiled in September but was delayed due to supply chain issues.
It was funded by donations raised by Public Art Lincoln.
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