If you’re driving by Tomkins Square Park in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, you’ll notice a startling pop of color. The park’s basketball court is painted a bright sky blue, with lines of purple and maroon. In the center, there’s a motif of an eye in a rich orange shade.
Glossier, the decade-old makeup startup, brought this public art to life. It’s part of the brand’s broader commitment to women in sports, having partnered with the WNBA for four years. But it’s also part of its vision of reframing beauty, by illustrating the concept that beauty can be found in the everyday.
To create the NYC baskeball court, Glossier partnered with Project Backboard, a nonprofit that is focused specifically on refurbishing courts while also transforming them into works of art. The organization has a lot of experience working with state parks departments to get the necessary permits to paint courts. Project Backboard helped steer the refurbishment of this court, and even proposed a list of possible artists Glossier might tap to reimagine what they court would look like.
One artist on this list, immediately stood out: Na Chainkua Reindorf. Glossier had previously worked with Reindorf as a model in its marketing campaigns and were familiar with her work. Reindorf is known for feminist art that often incorporates the motif of an eye, which represents the concept of the female gaze. It’s about transforming women from objects of the male gaze to subjects in their own right.
All of this resonates profoundly with Kyle Leahy, Glossier’s CEO. As she works to grow the beauty startup, she wants to make sure Glossier stands out in the market for its distinct point of view when it comes to beauty. “Glossier is about celebrating beauty in the world and in our communities,” says Leahy. “We wanted to bring an incredible moment of beauty to a place where you might not expect to see it, on this basketball court.”
Glossier didn’t just sponsor the art; it also paid to refurbish the court so it is more functional. It mended the nets and repainted the backboards. It also sponsored a women’s league that uses this court regularly to practice, paying for all of their equipment. “We wanted these young women to realize that they are worthy of this investment,” says Leahy.
Glossier has been the official makeup sponsor of the WNBA for the past four years, and it’s the first time a makeup brand has sponsored a sports team. Glossier gifts players products, hands out products at games, pays for courtside signage, and features players in ad campaigns. “There’s been a lot of attention on women’s sports over the past year, which we love to see,” says Leahy. “But we were there before this recent explosion of attention, because we really believe in the cause.”
Leahy explains that Glossier supports the WNBA because it aligns with the brand’s take on beauty—namely, that it must fit into people’s everyday lives, including sports. Across the WNBA women take different approaches to makeup. Some wear a full face of makeup, whereas others take a more natural look. Glossier wants to create products for all of these approaches.
This court refurbishment wasn’t an an advertising opportunity for Glossier. There are strict rules instituted by the New York City Parks Department that prevents brands from having their names or logos on the courts. On the side of the court, there’s a little plaque that explains the artists’ vision, including her philosophy on the female gaze.
On a recent visit to the court, Leahy noticed men reading the plaque as they were headed to their pickup game, and remarking that the art deals with pretty heavy themes. “I like that the art is making people think,” she says.