Kaiya Santos, a sophomore at Northeastern University, is fascinated by artwork, basketball and giving again to the group.
The Worcester native is combining these passions in a challenge that may redesign and refurbish Fenelon Street Playground in partnership with Celtics participant Jaylen Brown, the town Parks and Recreation Department and Red Bull.
Brown and the town just lately introduced Santos because the winner of Red Bull’s “Get In The Paint” contest that had artists submit graphic designs of how they envisioned the way forward for the Dorchester basketball courtroom.
“It really does feel awesome knowing that my art is going to be helping people because I feel like there’s a big stigma around art and people think that it’s a little silly or useless,” Santos advised the Herald. “I like when I am able to make an impact with it, which hasn’t happened much.”
Santos beat out 10 different finalists. She mentioned she had submitted three designs, along with her second being the successful choice.
Brown and Red Bull approached the town in regards to the courtroom challenge final summer time, with the design competitors beginning within the fall, mentioned Nate Frazee, challenge supervisor for the Parks and Recreation Department.
Frazee referred to as Santos’ design “balanced” and “very vibrant” with multitone blues, lightning bolts and funky zigzags. It will translate properly onto the taking part in floor, he mentioned.
Frazee sat on a assessment panel with Brown, group members and the painters behind the challenge. Brown advised the panel the blues reminded him of Terrence Clarke, Frazee mentioned.
Clarke was a standout basketball participant at Rivers School in Weston earlier than occurring to play for the University of Kentucky. He died at age 19 in a automobile crash in April 2021, simply months earlier than the NBA Draft.
City basketball courts have a life expectancy of about 15 years, Frazee mentioned.
“This really cool, compelling court is going to have an impact on a full generation,” he mentioned. “People are going to be able to talk and really get to know the process and feel engaged in it. That’s the power of it.”
Those concerned with the challenge are engaged on a timeline, however it’s trying just like the groundbreaking shall be this spring earlier than the courtroom is unveiled in July, mentioned Becky Kaleo, senior communications supervisor for Red Bull Media House.
The challenge, Santos mentioned, is offering useful classes that she is going to carry along with her sooner or later. Santos mentioned she is scheduling conferences with Elevated Thought, a Lawrence-based arts and social justice nonprofit, to find out how her successful design shall be utilized to the courtroom. This is her first time engaged on a basketball courtroom.
Parks, like Fenelon Street Playground, are important belongings to the group due to how a lot the general public makes use of them, Santos mentioned.
“For the younger generation, I think it’s really important to give them resources,” she mentioned. “Having a bright, colorful court for them to play on that’s been refurbished and redone, I think it’s going to motivate them to be using it more often.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”