Rockaway Beach playground transformed with massive, colorful mural by NYC artist

A vibrant mural is now on display at the Rockaway Beach playground.

Harlem-based artist Sonia Louise Davis unveiled a 16,000-square-foot mural during Rockaway Hotel+Spa’s Art Arena Summit on Friday, May 30.

The Art Arena Summit, sponsored by WOAH, is a new platform that aims to foster a community of connection, leadership, and creativity for women artists, athletes, and business leaders. The two-day event brought together leaders from these respective fields to exchange ideas and unveil collaborative art projects.

The mural, created in collaboration with WNBA star Breanna Stewart and curator Michi Jigarjian, is located at the handball courts at Beach 59th Street Playground.

The vibrant art piece consists of improvisational shapes inspired by playbook diagrams and drawings from local youngsters. davis also incorporated bright pinks, greens and blues into the piece.

The mural is visible from many vantage points, including the Rockaway Hotel and planes flying into JFK airport. It integrates into the playground’s new inclusive redesign, which features ADA ramps, interactive braille panels, and accessible play equipment.

davis explained to QNS that she drew inspiration from the playground’s landscape and infused creative ideas related to play and childlike expression into her work. “Improvisation is at the heart of my artistic practice as a whole, and I approached this project by centering joy and play. I’d been drawing on black paper for several years, but the opportunity to create a large-scale mural for a playground was especially captivating to me, as someone born and raised in New York City. I love how the mural evokes street and sidewalk chalk drawings,” davis said.

The artist added that the student artwork she received during the design phase of her project inspired her to paint with vibrant color choices.

Through discussions with Stewart, Davis said she gained insight into basketball terminology and understood how children use their surroundings to invent imaginative games. “I’m thrilled to see my artwork scaled up so dramatically that it has become a visual feature in the Rockaways, and I love that it can be seen from far away and experienced up close. I hope families can take inspiration to explore their own inherent creativity and self-expression,” she said.

Jigarjian described Davis as a “seamless fit” as the selected artist to create the playground’s mural. “She has worked in and presented her art throughout the city’s boroughs – from NYC and Harlem to Queens. Her knowledge of the city, combined with her interactive, playful style, creates an ideal balance that I’m confident will resonate with those who experience her work,” she said.

Jigarjian explained that accessibility is at the heart of Davis’ piece, as it is situated in an inclusive play space. “On one hand, we wanted the mural to raise awareness of the playground’s new design, offering a more welcoming, all-inclusive environment for the community,” she said. “On the other, we hope that those who interact with this space are given a new level of perspective and mindfulness. This combination ultimately sends an important message of our community’s strength, resilience, and the power of each voice within it.”