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WHEREAS, Janel Young is a Pittsburgh-raised visual artist, who started practicing art at the age of 3; and,
WHEREAS, growing up in Beltzhoover, Janel Young played basketball on Upper McKinley Court, the very same court that she wanted to wrap in color; and,
WHEREAS, the art installation “Home Court Advantage” was designed in consultation with input from the local community and youth from Voices Against Violence; and,
WHEREAS, Janel chose an uplifting phrase for the court that embodies the expressed themes, “There is Victory in Unity:” and,
WHEREAS, some of the symbolism in the artwork includes the dripping design which shows the community “waterhole” analogy mentioned in the feedback to the significance of this court, the red and yellow overlapping rectangles which symbolize the continuous giving to one another, building bridges across peers and generations and the checkered pattern in the paint section that resembles a finish line flag, encouraging the community to support each other in getting things done and crossing the metaphorical finish line together; and,
WHEREAS, with the help of the City of Pittsburgh, The Urban Redevelopment Authority, and Ace Hardware, Janel was able to design and create a basketball court that it is one of a kind; and,
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare the day of October 23rd, 2019 to be “Janel Young Day” in the City of Pittsburgh, and recognizes Ms. Young for her extraordinary efforts to wrap the City of Pittsburgh in color.