US Open commissions artists to create vibrant tennis courts for aspiring youth players

While the hairstyles and fashion trends of tennis players have dramatically evolved over the years, courts themselves have mostly stayed the same. For more than a century they have been monochrome, clean white lines delineating precisely measured boxes; the uniformity of each court is essential to facilitating the creativity that occurs on it.

But this year artists have disrupted this orderliness in five cities: Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cincinnati and New York. On court in Miami, the centre of the net seems to emit bold rays that form giant multicoloured hearts. In Chicago players run between leaf-like shapes of varying shades of green. And in Brooklyn, courts in Highland Park have reopened filled with blistering comic-book lettering reminiscent of Roy Lichtenstein.

This “Art Courts” project was spearheaded by the US Tennis Association as part of a 50th anniversary celebration of the US Open. Organisers hope to inject a dash of enthusiasm and colour into community tennis courts in underserved neighbourhoods – as well as enliven a sport that, to some, possesses a reputation for stuffiness and strict adherence to the rules.

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The programme was funded by sponsor Chase, as part of a $500,000 (£387,000) effort to support youth tennis. Five artists – including Justus Roe of Chicago; Miami duo KiiK Create, aka Manoela del Pilar Madera Nadal and David Gray Edgerton; and Charlie Edmiston, of Los Angeles – were commissioned to create designs for rehabilitated courts used by the public and for youth instruction.

Sen2 Figueroa, a Puerto Rican artist known for graffiti, was picked to design eight courts at Highland Park, in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. He submitted a first draft that reined in his splashy style. “I tried to do something with minimal colour, trying to let them keep playing,” he explained in a telephone interview. But organisers persuaded him to stay faithful to his pop art-inspired aesthetic so he created a new design with bright red letters spelling out “BAM”. An enormous cartoon eye covers two courts.

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Working with the actual canvas, however, turned out to be a challenge of another magnitude. Whether with easels or walls, Figueroa is used to working upright with spray cans; this project required him to work on his knees with rollers, and to use a type of paint created for smoothness as well as for durability to withstand heavy wear from sneakers. Figueroa and James Rodriguez, a fellow artist, say they worked three, 12 hours-plus days to finish the project.

“This was one of the most difficult projects I did in my life; but I liked it a lot,” Figueroa said. “I wanted it crispy. I didn’t do it for the money. I want people to appreciate the details.”

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Organisers say the courts will not be used for regulation games, but rather for instruction and public use. Jose Rodriguez, a Highland Park tennis instructor, said in an interview the seemingly distracting art on the courts might actually improve his lessons.

“Tennis is a sport of concentration; the mental part is very important,” he said. “I think we can use it as targets.”

© New York Times