Nationally renowned artist Hamilton Glass designed and led the execution of a mural which transformed the Strikers’ original white cinderblock athletic training room into a 60-foot long work of art. The mural flows seamlessly from the front entrance and spills onto the west side, creating an abstract piece of art large enough to be seen by drivers on Pouncey Tract Road.
Through a partnership between Bon Secours Virginia Health System Sports Medicine and the Richmond Strikers Soccer Club, the largest outdoor mural in Henrico County has been completed. John Turner, vice president of Bon Secours Virginia Health System Orthopaedic Institute and Sports Medicine, said, “The mural symbolizes the Strikers’ commitment to excellence in individual and team performance, and we share that commitment in our sports medicine work each day.”
With its location in western Henrico County, this mural is already different than others created by Glass. In addition to its suburban location, another aspect of the mural also distinguishes it: Strikers team members helped complete the look and feel by painting about half of the mural under the direction of the artist.
On March 9, approximately fifteen young athletes took turns applying their artistic skills by using latex exterior paint to color into pre-sketched shapes, ultimately making up the mural’s background. The children helped with the majority of the perception work, according to Glass, while he completed the more detailed work by adding designs that pop and bring the mural together. Once completed, Glass spray-painted the soccer balls, field hockey, and lacrosse sticks over the children’s colors. Finally, he cut out additional shapes with white to make the mural appear sharp.
Glass, an artist native to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and currently based out of Richmond, used a mix of latex exterior paint and spray paint to create the unique, three-dimensional, sports-focused mural. “For the design, I capitalized on the architectural elements of Strikers sports – soccer balls, field hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks – to play together in bold, bright colors, keeping with the graffiti style. With the help of the kids, everything came together to create a dynamic background for the space,” he said.
Jay Howell, executive director of Strikers, said, “From the beginning of our relationship with Bon Secours, a mutual goal of both our organizations was to consistently plan fun, innovative opportunities to get the community involved with our partnership. We are pleased our communities joined together to create what will be a beautiful, lasting impact on our facility and the community that uses it.”
