SPOKANE, Wash. — The mural painting process on a new basketball court at Riverfront Park started Saturday.
Hooptown USA, Spokane Arts and MultiCare Regional Health System partnered to select the artist to paint the mural. Joshua Martel was selected to paint a mural that pictured a large colorful basketball with two hands holding the ball up. It was chosen because it was bold, inclusive, colorful and inspiring
Martel has already finished one mural on a court at Chief Garry Park. Here is a photo of the mural he finished.
In a press release from Visit Spokane, Martel said he sees the new court complex will give many community members the ability to play and grow.
“It will be the centerpiece for basketball in Spokane, it will be where the community comes together to grow, laugh, and have fun,” Martel said.
According to Spokane Arts, Martel will also work with two mural apprentices for this project, matched with him as part of a new program to help artists interested in mural painting gain experience through paid apprenticeships.
The five-hoop court complex is at the heart of Riverfront Park’s newly completed North Bank project, which officially opens to the public on Friday, May 21 at 12 p.m.
Hooptown USA has a goal to revitalize basketball courts in the area as a part of their community court project. In a press release, they said they believe that sports connect neighborhoods, street by street, into healthy, thriving communities. Hooptown USA strives to enhance and strengthen those connections while amplifying our collective identity, all rooted in the magic of hoops
