Jaxson Hayes recently helped the Lafitte Greenway reopen the newly remodeled New Orleans courts in style. The new “Shine Together” mural created by the BElite youth artists collective was unveiled Saturday, August 20, on the Lafitte Greenway basketball courts. This project was led by community leader, Jalen Gray, in partnership with Friends of Lafitte Greenway and the New Orleans Recreation Development (NORD) Commission.
The BElite Collective is a non-profit organization spearheaded and created by Brandan “BMike” Odums. Odums has worked on several city and Pelicans-related projects in the past few years. The BElite collective was formed following the summer of 2019 so the creatives could continue working together through art.
Since their formation in 2019, they have created murals, hosted workshops, and collaborated with Governor’s Office, the Pelicans, Sneaker Politics, and even Brand Jordan. They receive technical support, training, and mentorship from the professional team at Eternal Seeds + StudioBE.
The Greenway youth-led basketball court mural project was made possible with support from Sneaker Politics, Jaxson Hayes, United Way of Southeast Louisiana, Baptist Community Ministries, the Brees Dream Foundation, and Neel Choudhury.
Hayes said, “Jalen, who works over at Sneaker Politics, came to me with an idea of renovating this nice court. You see the whole view of the city. A lot of kids come to this court so we wanted to renovate it and it turned out great.”
Shine Together was created to explore the bold and rich spirit of New Orleans youth, with the bright colors representing their liveliness. The hands symbolize the communities togetherness and the BElite crew hopes this mural connects our city and helps us continue to Shine Together.
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“It’s been an amazing experience working to bring this idea to life. Teamwork has been on full display from everyone involved in this project and we can’t wait to share it with the community,” says Jalen Gray, Volunteer Project Leader.
BElite Artist Astrid Sims explained, “Working on this project has honestly been so fun and I am extremely excited to be a part of creating something beautiful and bright for our community. It’s really important to show our people that we care for them, especially during these times, and it’s an honor to be able to bring a little light to the Lafitte Greenway through art.”
“Community members dreamed it. Young artists led it. And an amazing team came together to support it. Young folks have taken ownership of this vibrant space and made it their own–adding art, color, care, and inspiration. We are so grateful to the team for making this joyous project possible,” Sophie Harris Vorhoff, Executive Director, Friends of Lafitte Greenway added.
“Shine Together” mural installation is near completion. Photo by Sarah Kehoe
“BElite Collective is the type of youth-led programming, training, and mentorship opportunity the City of New Orleans needs more of,” said Larry Barabino, Jr., the New Orleans Recreation Department CEO. “NORD is pleased to partner with Belite, Jalen Gray, Friends of Lafitte Greenway, and the artist involved in this mural project to bring approved public artwork to this community court. We look forward to the mural unveiling and court reopening this weekend.”
