Lick o’ Paint: Lawrence residents, local artists gather for skatepark graffiti party

Plain gray concrete covered with crudely drawn images, profanity and derogatory words has been replaced with bright, colorful and well-crafted graffiti, turning Lawrence Skatepark into a large, open-air, interactive art gallery. It was a community effort with the bulk of the painting taking place during a Sept. 8 celebration — a bright, sunny day with a hint of fall in the air. Skaters, kids, parents, military veterans and public officials gathered to add their own flourishes as Indianapolis-based graffiti artists and muralists made their marks on larger sections. If everything goes as planned, the new artwork at Lawrence Skatepark, located inside Community Park off Franklin Road, will discourage vandals from again turning the park into an eyesore. Casper Jones, a longtime skateboarder who lives near the park, led the effort to clean it up — inspired after he found some derogatory words painted on the concrete. He said he was happy to see the community come together in a positive way and make the park welcoming to everyone. “I stopped by the park last night to check it out,” he said, noting that one graffiti artist already had put up his piece. “I was jumping around like a kid on...