Afrofuturistic public art space coming to Dewitt Playground in Roxbury

Celina Colby

Celina Colby is an arts and travel reporter with a fondness for Russian novels.... VIEW BIO

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Guyanese American artist, educator and former D1 ball player Marlon Forrester has long explored the connection between art and basketball in his paintings and installations. Now, he’s taking that exploration a step further by developing “Out of Bounds,” an immersive, Afrofuturistic community space and public art project at Dewitt Playground in Roxbury.

Visually, “Out of Bounds” is grounded in a few site-specific public art projects created by Forrester and Studio Luz Architects and commissioned by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture of the City of Boston. Lining the basketball courts is the “Mirror of History,” a 54-foot, multi-panel installation showing prominent figures in the Black community from Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. to local legends like Elma Lewis and Melnea Cass.

“This project is more than a celebration of creativity, culture and athleticism,” Forrester said. “‘Out of Bounds’ is a space to honor the Black and brown heroes of Boston and beyond — our ancestors, activists, athletes, artists and everyday people who push the boundaries of justice and community forward.”

Forrester has also installed shaded, sculptural canopies that will provide both aesthetic beauty and comforting shade to park visitors. The entire court surrounding the areas where basketball is played will be covered in Forrester’s intricate latticework paintings, patterns derived from the geometry of the game.

A panel from “Mirror of History” awaits installation at Dewitt Playground in Roxbury. PHOTO: COURTESY OF MARLON FORRESTER

“This space is anchored in African ideas and also in the Black aesthetic,” said Forrester. “How do you take elements from basketball sports and think about futurism? How do you create a Black space?”

Forrester was raised in Boston and graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in 2008 and Yale School of Art in 2010. The artist has an extensive portfolio and received the 2021 James and Audrey Foster Prize for a series exploring Black male transformation. This is the largest physical project Forrester has done.

In late September, “Out of Bounds” will formally open with an all-day community celebration featuring panel discussions, performances, food, community vendors and, of course, a basketball game. Nucarta, an arts and racial health equity startup, will also host a cross-industry panel about the intersection of art and wellness. The official opening date is pending permit approval.

Forrester said he looks forward to seeing the project completed and populated with community members.

“It’s a space for activation and learning,” he said. “My hope is that the community rallies around the space as a safe space for young people to grow, to play, but also to learn and to heal and to be introduced to different ways of seeing the world.”