Project Backboard: Red Sea Basketball Courts

About Project Backboard: Red Sea at Antelope Park South Basketball Courts

Lincoln Parks and Recreation and Public Art Lincoln announced on September 1, 2022 two South Antelope Park basketball courts will become giant murals. The courts, located near Normal Boulevard and South Street were closed briefly for resurfacing and mural painting by the nonprofit organization, Project Backboard, but were dedicated and re-opened for play October 5.

The mural design is based on a painting by African American artist Felrath Hines, entitled “Red Sea” created in 1985. The original painting is in the permanent collection of the Sheldon Art Museum. Hines (1913-1993) was a prolific expressionist and later geometric abstract painter based in New York and Washington, DC.

The mural project is funded by private donations raised by Public Art Lincoln, a fund of the Lincoln Community Foundation. Public Art Lincoln hosted an opening recognition event on October 5. The event featured speakers, and refreshments will be served. Athletes from the Lincoln Shooting Stars, Capital City Chameleons, and Lincoln Sharks Special Olympics teams will play an opening game.

About the Artwork

felrathhines.com

Artist: Felrath Hines

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1913 and died in Silver Springs, MD in 1993. Hines was a prolific expressionist and later geometric abstract painter based in New York and Washington, DC.

Title: Red Sea

Date: 1985

Medium: Oil on linen

Size: 62 x 48 inches

Collection location: Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Gift of Dorothy C. Fisher, wife of the artist)

Project Backboard is a 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 2015, whose mission is to renovate public basketball courts and install large scale works of site specific art on the surface in order to strengthen communities, improve park safety, encourage multi-generational play, and inspire people to think more critically and creatively about their environment.

Thank you to the donors: