The mural at Tucker Road Ice Rink contains a highly effective picture of Matthew Henson, an African American explorer from Nanjemoy, Maryland, who made historical past in 1909 as one of the primary Americans to succeed in the North Pole. The piece, titled “Maripaluk,” displays the affectionate nickname given to Henson by the Arctic Inuit neighborhood throughout his explorations.
Alexandria Briggs-Blake, president of the Tucker Road Parent Organization, describes the mural as a “conversation piece” that celebrates diversity and inclusion. “It’s beautifully displayed in a way that brings people together,” she mentioned. Briggs-Blake was a finalist for the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award in 2020, an honor recognizing people who positively affect their communities by hockey.
The mural, situated within the almost $28 million, 48,860-square-foot rink that opened in 2021, has already change into a subject of admiration amongst rink guests. Artist Del Valle, who painted the piece, enjoys listening to the reactions of those that admire it with out understanding he’s the artist. “One of the things I love is hearing people say how someone in the mural looks like someone they know. It shows how people see themselves in the artwork,” he shared.
Del Valle was chosen by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) from a gaggle of artists to create the mural, changing the outdated Tucker Road rink that was destroyed in a 2017 fireplace. Alec Simpson, Visual and Public Arts Coordinator for M-NCPPC, famous that Del Valle went by a number of drafts to create a mural that may resonate with each the hockey and determine skating communities. “He was very professional and went above and beyond,” mentioned Simpson.
Del Valle drew inspiration from his kids and youthful sister, all of whom have a ardour for hockey, and even from his personal experiences as a novice skater, making a mural that really captures the spirit of the rink and its neighborhood.
