Artist Ashley O. Davis and organizer Shelanda Deas examine painting projects for the basketball courts at Norwest Park in Florence. One court was painted as a West Florence High School themed game controller while the other received an Africa-themed basketball whistleblower scene.
Devon Ford records a curve along a chalk line on a basketball court in Northwest Park in Florence during a canvas project on the courts.
Anton Greer prepares to lay some more yellow on a basketball court at Northwest Park in Florence during a canvas project on the courts.
Engine crew from Florence Fire Department Station No.2 traveled on Saturday to help cover the courts at Northwest Park in Florence.
Janeva Tyree uses a tape measure to make sure she has a straight line on a basketball court at Northwest Park in Florence during a canvas project on the courts.
FLORENCE, SC – A community effort to cover the basketball courts at three Florence parks began in earnest Friday at Northwest Park with duct tape, chalk, creativity and determination.
“Like a lot of this land is green. We will have game control buttons there and that will be the power button. That’ll be the coolest part, that it’s gonna be the power button here, ”artist Ashley O. Davis said of one of the shorts.
The game controller is more square and will have a lot of green.
The other yard will have more detail and will have an African theme.
Davis and Shelanda Deas started Friday morning with painter’s tape over the court marks to preserve them. This was followed by a bit of chalk and then marks to indicate the color of the areas to be painted – much like a paint by numbers set the size of a basketball court.
Once the grounds were marked out on Friday, volunteers came out on Saturday to take care of business. The Florence Wildcats trained a dozen players and the Florence Fire Department sent the engine crew from Station # 2 to paint.
“It contains a lot of detail, especially here. We probably won’t go into details until Sunday, ”Davis said of the Africa-themed tribunal. “I counted, 22 lines on it.”
