RICHMOND, Va. — The Arthur Ashe Memorial mural was completed in Richmond’s Battery Park to help celebrate what would have been the late tennis great and humanitarian’s 74th birthday. Ashe was born in Richmond on July 10, 1943.
Volunteers, led by Richmond artists, helped transform a tunnel near the park’s tennis courts into an educational work of art.
“It’s a walk through timeline of his history starting here, and as you go through, you will see some of the things Arthur Ashe did throughout the world,” James Thornhill explained. “It’s like putting light in a dark place. And now it’s open and neighbors are so excited. We tell them it’s about Arthur Ashe and they get very emotional. It touches my heart and especially when I see all this come to fruition.”
Artist Hamilton Glass said he hoped the imprint left in Battery Park will be felt in the hearts of those in this community for years to come.
“Also having opportunity for the kids here to know about Arthur Ashe and that he once walked this tunnel and he once walked this neighborhood,” Glass said. “And not so much that he was a tennis player, but that he was a humanitarian. So I think it’s important in knowing that Richmond breeds greatness.”
