Monroe, Louisiana — MONROE, La. (KNOE) - The City of Monroe held a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, April 3 to celebrate the unveiling of the second basketball court mural in Monroe. The mural was created by Eric Francis and KaDavien Baylor at Charles Johnson Park.
The mural was partially funded by the Percent for Art Program and was around five thousand dollars. The mural honored local athletes who dedicated their lives to serving their community and to the game of basketball.
Mayor Friday Ellis said, " It was intentional to be able to honor families that came from here. We hope that the families that use this understand that we made this investment for them,”
The first basketball court mural in the city was unveiled in December of 2023 and is located at the Powell Street Community Center. The mural was painted by the Black Creatives Circle.
An Artist of the mural, KaDavien Braylor said, " This portrait was symbolic of love and hope. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to pour into this community. When we came across the people that we wanted to include in the artwork, it dawned on me that people need to know where they come from. We will continue to inspire communities and document history.”
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The mural featured multiple colors, images of some of the honorees, eleven stars that overlap the court, and five stars that represent the fifth district of Louisiana.
An artist of the mural, Eric Francis said, " It was great to work on something that honors legends of the community which gives hope for a better future.”
The mural honored Larry Wright, Dale Glen Zimmerman, Elaine Powell, and Bill Russel.
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