Mural Madness

In many cities, basketball courts are gathering places for recreation and friendly competition. In 2014, former college basketball player Daniel Peterson began noticing that many basketball courts in Memphis, Tennessee, where he lived at the time, were neglected and in poor condition. He started making small repairs, like filling in cracks and repainting lines on the courts. But he felt that the courts had potential to serve a larger purpose. 

So Peterson founded Project Backboard. The nonprofit organization has partnered with more than 25 artists across the country to renovate and revitalize basketball courts. Peterson connects with artists who transform the courts into colorful, large-scale murals. Artist Kevin Couliau painted a pattern of blue waves on the Los Angeles court, which is at the beach, above. For the Cincinnati court bottom image, the artist Adrienne Gaither painted bold geometric shapes. 

The courts are fully usable and intended to serve as spaces for community members to engage with one another. “When walking into our space, I believe people feel a physical vibration of the color,” Peterson says. “You feel the color in your body.”

Look out for a Project Backboard court in your community!