Jordanis Sapuis sits courtside at ‘Ball for Art’, a charity basketball game played by artists and art-world figures aiming to raise money for a new generation.
On a cloudy September afternoon, Sara D. Roosevelt Park transformed into a cultural arena as 16 teams of artists and art-world figures laced up for the Ball for Art 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. Over 600 spectators gathered at the Grand Street courts to cheer on creatives and support five different arts non-profits, including ART NOIR, Artolution, ArtsConnection, NYC Culture Club, and Silver Art Projects.
Limited-edition jerseys, designed by renowned artist Nate Lewis and produced by Golden Goose, carried both artistic weight and athletic swagger. By the day’s end, Lucas Page, Amanda Charlwood, and Eric Veit emerged as tournament champions, sealing their first-place prize with a buzzer-beater lay-up.
City Council Member Christopher Marte presented the tournament with an official Citation from the City of New York, affirming the event’s civic impact: “To see artists come off the canvas and onto the court to raise funds for organizations that nurture the next generation of talent is inspiring.” Jordanis Sapuis sat courtside, in conversation with the event’s founders, filmmakers, urban planners, Ray’s bar marketers, and more.
Clayton and Parker Calvert
Artists, Curators, and Co-Founders of NYC Culture Club
JS: How important is an event like this to the art community?
CC: It means a lot. I mean, one complaint I hear a lot from the art community is that there’s gatekeeping. There are no gates here. It’s an open court where people can come and hang out. Whether you’re playing or not, it’s here for everyone.
PC: Yeah, I think it’s all about bringing people together as often as you can in a real way. This is just people in basketball shorts having fun in the park. We’re in Chinatown, there’s no entry fee, so it’s free to participate and attend. I think, for us, it’s about bringing people together from different organizations, different avenues of the art world; curators, gallerists dealers, artists, and seeing what happens.
JS: How can people get involved with Ball for Art?
CC: Reach out to us! We keep an open email, and you can follow and DM us on Instagram. We love hearing from people we don’t know and meeting new faces.
JS: If you could pick a contemporary artist to design the next trophy, who would it be?
CC: Frank Gehry. I would be over the moon.
PC: That’s a great question. I mean Frank Gehry, wow. You know it’s hard to say because I’d really love to have a young emerging artist. Part of this is about giving a spotlight to the people coming up. I’d like to put a spotlight on Leon Zahn, who played today, and who makes incredible work.
JS: Basketball has a lot of symmetry to its design. What on the court reminds you of a canvas or a sculpture?
CC: The paint, you know? That’s yours to play with.
PC: Well, you know, you have to be able to own the paint down here, so once you get down in the paint, you can really let it go, and I think of basketball as a dance. You’re moving, you gotta work with the flow of things, and it’s very intuitive, which I think is very similar to being an artist.
JS: Any last remarks?
PC: Come on out next year, and send us an email if you wanna get involved. We’ll do the best we can to include as many players as possible and be as organized as we can in getting it together before the game.
CP: See ya next year!
Zeehan Wazed
Artist
JS: You painted the mural for this event. What went into painting it?
ZW: Well, I am a Bangladeshi American, and I know that there were no lettering or signage allowed in the murals because of the Park Department’s rules. Which is fine, of course, but I did sort of insert Bangla letters just to sort of identify the different courts, and we wanted to insert our culture a little bit, ya know?.
JS: How do you feel that no one has vandalized your murals in an entire 365 days of a New York City year? You also designed the mural for the event last year, and it was left untouched!
ZW: Well, I like to think I got a little street cred, ya know? So I’ve been there, done that, so I don’t think people really mess with my murals.
Nate Lewis
Artist and “Baller”
JS: Who are you and what do you do?
NL: Since we are at this basketball event. I’m a baller. And a member of the New York City artist community.
JS: How important is this event to the art community?
NL: To me, this event is important to the art community because you know basketball is something you can just go on to the court and pick up and not know who anybody is. But immediately, here, there’s a camaraderie and there’s a bond because we all love basketball. I found that it’s a lot easier to find a genuine connection to people in general since you’re here for the love of the game. For instance, I went on the court last year and met people I didn’t know, whether they were artists or whatever, and now they are some of my closest friends.
JS: Now the basketball court has a lot of geometry and symmetry involved in its design. And you designed this year’s and last year’s shirts for the tournament. What aspect of the court reminds you of a canvas?
NL: I didn’t do art growing up at all. I was an athlete, really, so my understanding of art and my understanding of design comes from the kinetics of my own body. There’s a choreography, rhythms, and patterns. It’s almost like drawing. I also think about different body movements which can look like characters or letters, so a lot of the way that I approach art is understanding kinetics, which I know from playing basketball and other sports.
JS: Now I hear you are the former champion but couldn’t compete this year. What happened?! NL: Yeah, I’m sick. Last year was so much fun. We had such a good team, I was COOKING. They couldn’t stop me. But I’m sick, so I couldn’t play this year. I screwed my finger up pretty bad, and you know I’m an artist, so unfortunately, that didn’t allow me to play this year. I’m sad, but I’m happy to be able to watch the games and excited to see who is gonna be the champ.
Dr. Max Frieder
Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Artolution
JS: So what is Artolution?
MF: We are an international public arts organization where we teach artists within refugee camps, warzones, and host communities. We give kids the opportunity to tell their stories by painting murals, making interactive sculptures out of trash and recycled materials, doing puppetry, performances, dance, fashion shows, and music showcases. We work with kids who have disabilities.
JS: How important is this event to the art community?
MF: Well, you know I think being able to build a bridge between artists here in New York and communities in severe crisis contexts usually doesn’t happen. This event even connected me to someone who builds interactive musical sculptures in a refugee camp on the border of Syria. I think ways to raise support, awareness, and funding are needed now more than ever in history. If we can garner support from the art community, especially the art community in New York, it can be the next movement in the arts for social change. I think balance is needed so badly today in the world, so I hope things like Ball for Art can grow more and more support
Jamel Robinson
Artist
JS: What about the basketball court reminds you of a canvas or a sculpture?
JR: I mean, you paint the picture of how you’re gonna move out there. Am I moving in the right direction, or am I moving in the off direction? When do I stop? Knowing the balance of whether you are shooting bricks or you’re in the zone is similar to being on a canvas. When I am working through the process and I need to keep going, I’m either in the zone, or I need to take a break, or I need to push through. It’s the same as basketball.
JS: Now, how important is an event like this to the art community?
JR: I think it’s really good to get us together outside of the context of being in the studio, being at an exhibition, and talking about art. Here, we are relaxing, although we’re not out here relaxing. Ha! They out there hoopin.
Leon Zhan
Artist and Pratt MFA Student
JS: There’s a lot of sports DNA in your artwork. What similarities does your basketball game have to your art?
LZ: Well, I played basketball as a kid. My dad took me when I was really young. It was the first thing that taught me discipline in a physical way. Then I guess you know when you move your body and you engage with people and have a team sport, I think that develops you as a person, and directly or indirectly, that influences your work.
JS: Which contemporary artist would you like to have design the next trophy?
LZ: My favorite artist right now is Sky Glabush, a Canadian landscape painter who kind of deals with like obstruction and spirituality. It’s probably unlikely, but that would be fucking amazing.
JS: Any last remarks?
LZ: Yeah. I think, do what you love, play ball, make good art, spread love and peace!
Conner Allerton
Urban Planner
JS: If you could pick a phrase or one word that you’d want to share with the world, what would that be?
CA: Involve yourself locally.
Danny Baez
Artist and Co-Founder of Art Noir
JS: Which contemporary artist would you like to design the next trophy?
DB: I would have to choose someone who actually played sports and is passionate about it, and who I know would design something crazy. OH! Patrick Alston.
Cavier Coleman
Artist
JS: What similarities does your art have to your basketball game?
CC: I would say the similarities are that I am very inquisitive, but straight to the point. I’m bold.
JS: If you could pick a contemporary artist to design the next trophy, who would it be?
CC: I’d pick Salvador Dali. I’m sure he’d make like some surreal crazy, design.
Grace Gilligan
Ray’s Bar Marketing Team
JS: How important is this event to the art community?
GG: It is huge, and it’s been really fun. We hosted the afterparty last year, and it’s great to come out with our regulars who have a team and then go for a drink at Rays after and have everyone connect. Looking forward to doing it this year and every year after.
JS: How can people get involved?
GG: You can get involved by donating to the five charities involved. Also, by spreading the word and creating awareness.
JS: How can we find you and follow up?
GG: Rays is on Instagram: @raysbarnyc. We post a lot there!
The Stillman Prize
At the center of the day’s philanthropic spirit was the announcement of the Stillman Prize, a $5,000 award endowed by artist Abbott Stillman for the NYC Culture Club. Juried by Sean Green, Neha Jambhekar, and Annie Taylor, the prize went to artist Pranav Sood, whose work will now enter the Culture Club’s growing collection.
The Players and Patrons
The roster reflected the event’s unique blend of artistry and athleticism: Anthony Akinbola, Joshua “Zeke” Thomas, Cavier Coleman, Emi Guimond, Kevin Couliau, Beatrice Domond, Jeremy John Kaplan, Sarah Dauterman, Young Paris, John Dennis, Jamel Robinson, Prinston Nnanna, Matt Young, and many more stepped onto the court.
Other artists and cultural leaders cheered from the sidelines, such as artists Robert Pruitt, Jason Wallace, Pedro Troncoso, Chellis Baird, and Alexander Edwards; advisors and patrons such as Janis Cecil, John Corbett, and Ayesha Pirbhai; plus fashion and media figures including Dee & Ricky, Hannah Gottlieb-Graham, Tracey Ryans, and Bailey Jane. The presence of Félix Wembanyama, father of NBA prodigy Victor Wembanyama, brought a distinctly global resonance.
The pre-game kickoff—hosted by Silverstein Properties on the 69th floor of 3 World Trade Center—set the tone with caviar from Plantin Kaviari and champagne from Billecart-Salmon. Football star Malcom Jenkins and legendary curator Anwarii Musa attended the event.
Sponsors and After-Party
The event was made possible by sponsors including Wealthspire Advisors, Chubb Insurance, Golden Goose, Ray’s Bar, Casa 13urger, and Williamsburg Pizza. The night closed with an after-party at Ray’s Bar, where artists and fans celebrated the day’s victories under neon lights.
Creativity in Motion
With photography by Gabe Parker, Andrew Einhorn / Casey Kelbaugh (CKA), and Jayden Bempong, and video by RTT Productions and Jordanis Sapuis, the energy of Ball for Art is set to live beyond the courts.
As culture and competition met in Lower Manhattan, one thing became clear: Ball for Art is more than a game—it’s a movement, showing that when artists play together, the entire communities win.
Follow along at @ballforart.
Written by Jordanis Sapuis.
Photography by @photo_by_cka @theandreweinhorn @muse.blaq and @alfiasco_
