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FOREST PARK COURTS MURAL ARTIST CONCEPTS

Please take a moment to review each artists’ concept design and share your thoughts.

Please review each artist’s design concept and share your thoughts. Your comments and insights will be shared with the Art Selection Committee. As you review, consider:
  • How does the concept create a welcoming atmosphere and underscore the importance of community, camaraderie, sportsmanship and pride?
  • What makes the concept visually compelling, engaging and unique?
  • What other strengths or weaknesses do you see in the concept?
1. Your zip code: *This question is required.
2. Reflections of Play: Sport, Community and Inclusion
Moses Ball - Sikeston, Missouri
This mural design celebrates Forest Park’s courts and open spaces as powerful community equalizers—places where people from all walks of life come together through movement, play and shared experience. The handball imagery honors the court as both a physical and symbolic space of inclusion, depicting players of varied ages, backgrounds and professions unified by competition, trust and mutual respect. Dynamic figures in mid-play capture the intensity of the game while emphasizing the camaraderie that naturally emerge on the court. Balancing this energy, racquetball players are shown in focused exchange, reinforcing equity and shared purpose.

The background composition reflects St. Louis’ cultural diversity through vibrant color fields that form a unified visual tapestry. Silhouettes of native Missouri plants found in Forest Park stretch across the upper portions of the walls, grounding the artwork in local ecology. Above the racquetball courts, these plant forms appear in mirrored mosaic glass, creating shifting reflections that respond to ambient light and passing cars—creating movement of light, reflection and community.

The basketball and movement section celebrates the game’s power to unite across race, age, gender and ability—highlighting the space as one of belonging. Interwoven are moments of mentorship, play and accessibility. The iconic Gateway Arch also shows the trajectory of a young man shooting the ball as well as the shape of the three-point line, integrating basketball geometry with St. Louis’ most iconic symbol. Balancing the work is a multi-generational family enjoying a moment of rest at the cycling air pumps just in front of the wall and two women practicing tai chi. At the center, a mirrored basketball invites viewers to see themselves reflected in the mural itself, affirming that everyone belongs in Forest Park and on its courts. Please select one of the following images.
4. Play at Forest Park and Victory in St. Louis
Joseph Mueller - St. Louis, Missouri 
This pair of murals uses a contemporary interpretation of classical mythology to celebrate the energy, movement and timeless experience of sports.

Play at Forest Park features Hermes, who symbolizes speed, agility, athletics and communication. Shown in a dynamic pose, he represents motion, focus and the joy of play. Cool color gradients emphasize clarity and calm, while a subtle leaf motif connects the figure to the natural landscape of Forest Park.

On the opposite side, Victory in St. Louis presents Nike, the goddess of victory and a symbol of triumph, excellence and achievement. Warm tones convey the emotional high of success. She holds a medal marked with a fleur-de-lis, referencing St. Louis and the 1904 Summer Olympics held in the Park, linking athletic achievement to local history and civic pride.

By blending classical mythology with contemporary color, bold composition and monumental scale, these murals are designed to celebrate sports as a shared human experience rooted in movement, history and community. Please select one of the following images.
6. Intersection of Growth and Connection
Beau Stanton - Brooklyn, New York
This mural design creates a continuous visual loop around the exterior of the racquetball courts and is meant to symbolize connection, commonality, play and movement through time. To convey these ideas, the artist employed various visual elements built off interlocking circular shapes. Signifying a shared experience, they echo a Venn diagram or a lens flare while also taking form as various balls of the sports played here.

The basis of the image is an intentional color gradient that shifts to convey part of the concept and bridge connection between the disparate sides. The west-facing wall incorporates the warm hues of summer transitioning into autumn, while the east wall trends into cooler territory, signifying the transition of winter into spring.

Natural elements from the Park appear as blossoming hyacinth, hellebore and magnolia while cast shadow shapes of oak leaves echo some of the natural shadows that occur across the wall at various times of day.

Contrasting the organic are subtle references to local architectural elements that depict natural elements as a nod to the Park’s role as a connection between nature and human-made environments. Pulling all elements together are the human hands: holding a ball, in motion preparing to connect and in a post-game embrace. Walking around the courts, the viewer will have a seamless experience from different vantage points. The north and south sides serve as bridges between the main images using the limited paintable space with color gradients that visually connect the east and west sides. Please select one of the following images.
8. I'm interested in staying informed about the Forest Park Mural Project (optional).
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