Giant baseball cards, murals and more: Public art coming to Richmond’s CarMax Park
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The brand-new CarMax Park will be outfitted with several public art installations -- and season ticket holders can get an exclusive sneak peek of them on Thursday.
The Richmond Flying Squirrels' new stadium will include multiple public art installations, including murals, four giant baseball cards welcoming fans into the park and a Richmond 34 monument.
Described as a monument that "honors their courage and gains meaning" through educational and scholarship programs, the Richmond 34 was a group of Virginia Union University students who staged a sit-in at the Thalhimer's department store in downtown Richmond at its "whites only" counter in 1960. Their protest later inspired the desegregation of Richmond.
The Squirrels have made several efforts since 2021 to honor the Richmond 34. This includes retiring the #34 jersey in their honor, along with #42, worn by Jackie Robinson, the first Black player allowed to play in Major League Baseball. There's also a mural at the Squirrels' former home, The Diamond.
Though the Squirrels may be moving their home base to CarMax Park, this monument makes it clear that the team's commitment to honoring the legacy of the Richmond 34 is coming with them.
The new monument, created by Jackson Ward native and renowned Richmond muralist Sir James Thornhill, will be unveiled during a 6 p.m. dedication ceremony on Thursday, March 19. Thornhill, who's spearheading the public art efforts at CarMax Park and throughout the Diamond District, said he tapped some of the best local muralists for the work inside the stadium.
In a March 19 press release, Thornhill shared the following statement regarding the Richmond 34.
“I’m truly excited about this project. When it came to me, I knew it was a great opportunity to unite our community through public art and history, Richmond’s muralists are remarkable, and selecting these artists has been a highlight. Working with the Squirrels team has been an exceptional experience. As the art director and a native of our historic city, it’s meaningful to help shape something that honors both our past and future. CarMax Park is more than a stadium; it’s a hub where the community enjoys baseball, art, and shared experiences. As art director, I’m proud to bring my experience from murals across Richmond, and I’m thrilled that our artists are making their mark on this forward-looking project.” Sir James Thornhill
CarMax Park will also showcase works by internationally known artist Fredrick Prescott, known for his kinetic steel sculptures, alongside Richmond artists Ed Trask, who created “The Flying Squirrels are Richmond, VA”; Matt Lively, who created the Backstop Mural; Jason Ford, who created the Arthur Ashe mural outside Marco's Pizza; and Nico Cathcart, who created The Bon Secours Base Camp Mural.
Ford's installation at the ballpark -- sponsored by Estes Express Lines -- is located on the back of the batter's eye. It also features baseball card-style artwork celebrating four iconic players with deep-rooted historic ties to Richmond baseball: Ray Dandridge, Gene Alley, Tommie Aaron and Mel Roach.
Season ticket holders' first glimpse of the installations and muralists at work on three of the four new murals will happen during a concessions "sneak peek" event Thursday evening.
The four new murals, along with a brief description of each, are as follows:
- The Bon Secours Base Camp Mural inside the playground was created by Nico Cathcart as a tribute to health care workers. She is an award-winning, Richmond-based painter, and her work can also be seen as part of the permanent gallery at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.
- The Backstop Mural was created by Matt Lively, whose work can be seen throughout Richmond, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Children's Museum of Richmond and CarMax's headquarters.
- “The Flying Squirrels are Richmond, VA” mural on the back wall of The Landing was created by Ed Trask, whose work can be seen all over Richmond.
- The Nutzy and Brandon Crawford’s art installations were created by award-winning, kinetic artist Fredrick Prescott, whose work is featured in gallery collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the CA Museum of Modern Art in Los Angeles, among others.
Those season ticket holders have a chance to sample the new food items that will be available at concourse concession stands at CarMax Park during Flying Squirrels games for the 2026-27 baseball season.
Season ticket holders attending Thursday night's event can park in the Blue Lot between CarMax Park and the Diamond.
Those without season tickets will have to wait until the Flying Squirrels' opening day on April 7 to see this new art. They'll find the four giant baseball cards to the left of the stadium's main entrance and one of the four murals at the back of the batter's eye near the main entrance. The Richmond 34 monument is located just inside the VIP gate near the left-field corner of the stadium.
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