Zanewood Recreation Center Adds Color to Expansion With New Murals
Zanewood Recreation Center has provided a place for Brooklyn Park youth to gather for years. To meet growing needs, it’s expanding — and adding pops of color.
The expansion, which broke ground last April, is tacking a new teen center onto Zanewood’s original building. It also remodeled the existing building to fit programming for kids K-5. That remodel includes more than different rooms, it’s also decorated with new art.
“I think that for our littles, especially our kindergarten through fifth graders, we want them to be able to feel, see, touch and taste art. Right? So, when you’re able to introduce that at a young age, it just expands their horizons,” said Tashawna Williams, Brooklyn Park’s arts and engagement specialist.
Williams put out a call on social media for artists to craft three different murals for Zanewood’s original building. The artists were paid to create pieces collaboratively with the city. Williams said they collected theme ideas from K-5 youth and staff.
“We wanted this project to be special, where we were working with multiple artists on multiple mural spaces,” Williams said.
A close-up look at a new mural by artist Audrey Carver at Zanewood Recreation Center.
Into the Treehouse
Twin Cities-based muralist Audrey Carver was one artist up to the task. She was responsible for two pieces. One was hallway signage. The other was a bright, colorful mural for the newly-revamped and renamed “Treehouse Room.” The latter has a yellow background, with botanical pops of green, orange and red.
“I wanted to make something feel really warm, lively, and colorful. Kind of bring some good energy into this space, especially during winter,” Carver said.
Carver said she specializes in science communication and likes to work painting native plants and scenes. She put most of the piece together at home, and then merged it onto the wall of the Treehouse Room.
“I just love working in spaces where there’s kids. Making sure they are surrounded by art and have access to colorful, beautiful things. That’s really important to me,” Carver said.
Carver’s work is just a small part of the big expansion, but it certainly makes Zanewood a little brighter.
Getting More Creative
Carver is one of two artists assigned to the Zanewood K-5 mural projects. Expansion funds paid for the artists’ work.
Williams said the city is incorporating more art into Zanewood thanks to community feedback from its beautification survey. In the new teen center, there will also be an art garden, an art gallery and a dedicated space for art.
The city hasn’t scheduled a grand opening for the Zanewood teen center yet.
