Providence Journal: Providence basketball courts’ ‘murals’ a fast break from the norm
October 14, 2018
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October 14, 2018
PROVIDENCE — The basketball courts at Fargnoli Park look nothing like what you’d expect.
Instead of the drab expanse of green, blue or grey intersected by white lines that typifies the norm, these two courts are a crazy quilt of vibrant colors and interlocking shapes. A black-and-yellow checkerboard here, undulating waves of red, yellow and green there.
Somehow it all makes sense as a place for basketball.
“I love it,” said Elijah Woods, a neighborhood resident and regular player here, as he took a break from a pickup game. “It’s just great to see.”
Mayor Jorge Elorza led a ceremony Sunday to celebrate the refurbishment and reopening of the courts, complete with the new paint job designed by acclaimed artist Jim Drain.
The $80,000 project, which also included resurfacing the cracked and crumbling courts and installing new rims, backboards and fencing, was made possible with funding and labor provided by nearby Providence College, Friends of Friars Basketball, the Providence Parks Department and private donations.