Marabou Park basketball court art comp bounces to life
Date published: 23 October 2024
An Annandale basketball half-court is set to receive a new splash of life with aspiring artists from across Townsville being called on to battle it out in a design competition that will see the winning artist receive a $1,500 artist fee to bring their design to life.
Divisional Councillor and former basketball superstar, Suzy Batkovic said artists had until 20 November to put their designs forward to be painted on the basketball half-court at Marabou Park.
“Not only is basketball a terrific way to get active, but there is such a culture around the sport, so it’s great to be able to build on that here in Townsville through this half-court design competition,” Cr Batkovic said.
“Not only have we got some amazing basketballers in Townsville, but some incredible street artists too, so it will be terrific to bring those two worlds together and create something really special on this half-court.
“These great community assets are where it all begins, from grass-roots community sports, to creating a dream and being a free and accessible spot for anyone in our community to practice their game, so I’m really looking forward to seeing the result.”
Councillor Batkovic said Council had made the competition as easy as possible by including a template of the court and a colour palette on Council’s website.
“These tools will help our entrants create an incredible design that will enliven the space at Marabou Park,” Cr Batkovic said.
“Council is very proud to support both established and emerging local artists. The pieces created by our city’s street artists enhance our neighbourhoods and help create a brighter and safer community.”
North Queensland artist Garth Jankovic has been instrumental in establishing and growing Townsville’s art scene during the past 30 years and said street art brought huge value to Townsville.
“Townsville’s street art scene has a great mix of art including First Nations art, which represents our demographic really well,” Jankovic said.
“This competition is a great way for aspiring artists to take that next step and potentially see their work in full scale. It’s all about embracing your style and having a good crack, you never know if you don't have a go. This opportunity could be a manoeuvre that takes you on an amazing journey as an artist through life.”
Entries into the Marabou Park Basketball Half-Court design competition are open until 10am AEST Wednesday 20 November.
To download the template and approved colour palette and submit your entry, visit our Street Art web page.
