January 31, 2020
Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department, along with the East Lawrence Neighborhood Association and Community Artists Nicholas Ward and Billy Beeson will hold a public mural design session for the Edgewood Community Skatepark in Edgewood Park 2-4 p.m. tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 2, at East Lawrence Recreation Center, 1245 E, 15th St.
Ward and Beeson will guide those in attendance on the preliminary work they’ve done with the Full Circle Youth Program, an out-of-school program of the Lawrence Douglas County Housing Authority in starting the process of envisioning a mural for the ramps and ground of the skatepark.
After showcasing the images that have been sketched previously, those in attendance will be guided through an imagining session of the space through a series of exercises by the artists, culminating in drawings by those in attendance.
Once complete, Ward and Beeson will take the work of participants and translate them into a themed-design that will be presented to Parks and Recreation and the neighborhood association for review sometime in late-February or early-March.
Ward was awarded a Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission grant for the project and had worked with Parks and Recreation on the development of the skatepark through a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) process over a period of two years. Ward has also conducted community art projects in other communities, working with the department in development and implementation.
For more information on the mural design session, please contact Ward at talentfalcon@gmail.com or the Parks and Recreation Department at (785) 832-3450 or parksrec@lawrenceks.org.