Full Court Color: Arena to Asphalt
A Summit League x Sioux Falls Community Public Art Project
Project Update | September 1, 2026
Student-Inspired Basketball Backboard Artwork Being Installed at 11 Sioux Falls Parks
Artwork developed with input from hundreds of Sioux Falls students is being installed on basketball backboards at 11 city parks as the latest phase of Full Court Color: Arena to Asphalt.
Launched during the 2026 Summit League Basketball Championships, the public art project brought together the City of Sioux Falls, The Summit League, local artist Les Cotton, schools, youth programs, students and families. The project began with a live art experience in the Sioux Falls Convention Center and continued in classrooms and youth programs throughout the community.
Cotton created an 8-by-8-foot mural during championship week while young people and families participated in an interactive Design Lab featuring drawing stations, artist conversations and other activities. Following the championships, Cotton worked with middle and high school art classes, after-school programs and youth groups across Sioux Falls. The drawings and ideas generated through those experiences helped shape the final backboard designs.
The designs were presented to the City’s Visual Arts Committee and Parks & Recreation Board before fabrication and installation. The project now carries the energy of the Summit League Basketball Championships into neighborhood parks where residents gather, exercise and play.
“The championships give us an opportunity to connect with the Sioux Falls community beyond the games. This project does that by bringing together basketball, art and youth participation and placing the finished work in city parks.”
— Josh Fenton, Commissioner of The Summit League
Parks Receiving Backboard Artwork
- Heritage Park
- Dan Dugan Park
- Emerson Park
- Meldrum Park
- Mansor-Pioneer Park
- Linwood Park
- Dunham Park
- Bakker Park
- Thelin Park
- Glenview Park
- Jefferson Park
Featured Stories
Project Partners
Full Court Color brings together:
- City of Sioux Falls Arts Commission
- Sioux Falls Parks & Recreation
- The Summit League
- Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
- Local artist Les Cotton
- Sioux Falls schools, art classes, after-school programs and youth organizations
How the Project Began
Full Court Color: Arena to Asphalt launched during the 2026 Summit League Basketball Championships as a community public art project designed to extend the energy of championship week beyond the arena and into Sioux Falls neighborhoods.
During the championships, local artist Les Cotton created an 8-foot-by-8-foot mural live in the Sioux Falls Convention Center concourse while youth and families participated in an interactive Design Lab. Young artists completed “Court Icon” drawing activities, contributed original artwork, engaged with Cotton and helped generate the visual ideas that would later influence the basketball backboard designs.
The creative process continued after the championships. Cotton worked with middle and high school art classes, after-school programs and youth groups throughout Sioux Falls to gather additional drawings and ideas. Those contributions were refined and combined with elements from the live mural and championship-week Design Lab to help shape the final artwork.
Before fabrication and installation, the completed designs were reviewed through the City of Sioux Falls’ visual arts and parks processes. The resulting backboards reflect both the excitement of the Summit League Basketball Championships and the creativity of the young people who participated in the project.
A Lasting Community Connection
Full Court Color was created to be more than a championship-week activation. The project connects arena energy to neighborhood courts, basketball to public art and a major sporting event to continued community participation.
From the first sketches created in the Convention Center to the finished artwork appearing in Sioux Falls parks, Full Court Color demonstrates how sports and the arts can bring people together and create a lasting connection between the Summit League Basketball Championships and the Sioux Falls community.
How to Get Involved
The Summit League and [confirm official partner name] are seeking community and corporate partners to help complete the Full Court Color: Arena to Asphalt project and expand its impact during the 2027 Summit League Basketball Championships.
Opportunities to participate may include financial sponsorship, in-kind donations, materials and fabrication support, volunteer involvement, youth and school programming, artist collaborations, promotional support and interactive championship-week activities.
Businesses, community organizations, schools, youth programs, artists and individuals interested in supporting the project or exploring a customized partnership opportunity are encouraged to contact Bryan Miller at miller@thesummitleague.org for more information.
