College basketball may not be just for the sport enthusiasts this year as the art world is noticing a new canvas…basketball courts.


The old generic basketball court with its highly polished hardwood floor, team logos and boundary lines are what we have come to expect and very much take for granted. One court is pretty much like any other except for the logos and various advertising around the court.

The University of Oregon, the Mighty Ducks, has changed the playing field, literally. The university’s basketball team will be playing in the brand new Matthew Knight Arena this year, which boasts two practice courts and the concourse touts a state-of-the-art LED wrap around. The most amazing addition to the arena is the basketball court itself. The floor is a giant mural. Spectators will not only be watching their favorite players run up and down the basketball court, but will feel like they are sitting in a forest full of Fir trees.

The new floor is a tribute to Matthew Knight and Pat Kilkenny, who in 1939 led their team known as “The Tall Firs” to a national championship. The name, “Tall Firs,” was coined because the average height of the team was taller than most other teams of that era.

The graphics are made up of 225 interlocked panels and weighs 22 tons; it took more than 2,500 personnel-hours to complete and required 2 miles of stenciling material in order to lay the graphics down correctly.

It remains to be seen if this new design will help the Mighty Ducks pull out of a slump or will players find the design to be detrimental to their concentration.

As an artist, it is invigorating to see art being sprinkled into all facets of life. Americans especially spend so much time working; they often forget to enjoy the beautiful things in life. Now when you watch sports, you may be inspired or lose yourself in the artistic inspiration jumping out of the court.