Dixwell Eyeballs New Goffe Street Hoops

Artists and friends came together to dream about how to reimagine a basketball court — and a community. 

That happened Thursday night at a community meeting for artists and Dixwell neighbors at NXTHVN on Henry Street.

The meeting was called to get community input on a plan by a national nonprofit called Project Backboard to resurface and redesign the popular basketball court in Goffe Street Park. The money for the project is coming for an organization called Five Star Basketball, which has partnered with Project Backboard to renovate 20 basketball courts over 10 years. The mission, in the organization’s words: ​“to renovate public basketball courts and install large scale works of site specific art on the surface in order to strengthen communities, improve park safety, encourage multi-generational play, and inspire people to think more critically and creatively about their environment.” NXTHVN was selected as the groups’ local host organization for the New Haven project.

The court is set to be refurbished in 2023.

Harlem-born artist Tschabalala Self — who has been living in New Haven since coming here in 2013 to attend Yale’s art school — was brought in by NXTHVN staff to be the main artist advising on the project. ​“I really credit New Haven for being a city where I could develop my practice,” Self said.

Self plans to come up with several design motifs, get input, then present an idea to the city parks department for final approval. The parks department has been in the midst of a broader renovation project at Goffe Street. (Read a previous story about that here and here.)

Thursday night she presented one possible motif for the mural, called ​“eyeballing.” (See an example of the idea in the graphic at the top of this story.) She suggested the motif could have multiple meanings for people, from eyes on the court to eyes on community.

“I think you’re spot on in terms of the eye for the court,” said neighbor Malcolm Ashley. He suggested the artist ​“inject a little movement” into the piece because of the sport, as well as ​“emphasize the duality of the sport” by being sure to include female basketball players.

Kali Williamson and her sister Shareebah Williamson, daughters of New Haven’s late New York Nets basketball star John ​“Super John” Williamson, were in attendance. They said they love the proposed ideas for the design.

“The eyes are the window to the soul” and maybe, Kali Williamson noted, ​“the window to New Haven’s soul.”

The daughters suggested having the design also honor their father. The court is currently dedicated to Super John, with his plaque facing the east side of the court. ​“We’re just trying to keep his name alive” said her sister, who also noted how their children never got to meet John since his passing.

On and off the court, John was a pillar of the New Haven community. Shareebah recalled how her father reached young men at the state juvenile detention center, where he worked after his basketball career: “[He had the] roughest, gang-banging guys eating at our dinner table.”

Self discussed the idea of using QR codes within the art to include histories like Super John’s, and keeping the piece ​“neutral enough to bring new relationships to the motif.”

As Goffe court awaits its makeover, it remains a space for the community to come together and share a history.

“I hope you convey the culture of street ball [and] really give people a sense of New Haven,” said Dixwell resident Steve Roberts, who recalled playing basketball there as a kid. As a former player, Roberts said, the reward is ​“I always feel like I have a piece of the culture.”