Custom pavement art celebrates the legacy of a Baltimore jazz legend
Project Profile: Chick Webb
ArtMark Decorative Preformed Thermoplastic Pavement Marking Material Brings Music to the Surface
Project Fast Fact
Custom pavement art celebrates the legacy of a Baltimore jazz legend
Project
Location
Baltimore, MD
Product
Customer/Installer
Project Partner
Lead Artists
Installation Date
July 29, 2026
Custom pavement art celebrates the legacy of a Baltimore jazz legend
A pavement marking can guide traffic, define a space or communicate an important message. With the right design, it can also help tell a story.
That was the opportunity at the historic Chick Webb Memorial Recreation Center in East Baltimore, where a colorful new pavement art installation now welcomes visitors with drums, musical notes and bold graphics inspired by the center’s legendary namesake.
Completed in July 2026 by Graham Projects in collaboration with Mural Masters, the installation uses custom ArtMark Decorative Preformed Thermoplastic Marking Material by Preform to extend the story of Chick Webb beyond the recreation center itself and across the surrounding pedestrian space.
A Baltimore Landmark Reimagined
The Chick Webb Memorial Recreation Center has been part of East Baltimore for nearly 80 years.
Opened in 1947, the center was created during segregation to provide recreational opportunities for Baltimore’s Black community. Its development followed years of community fundraising and advocacy inspired in part by William Henry “Chick” Webb, the acclaimed drummer and bandleader who grew up in East Baltimore. Webb died in 1939, but Dr. Ralph J. Young and other community leaders continued the effort to make the center a reality.
That history remains central to the facility today.
Following a $17.5 million renovation, the center reopened in April 2026 with improvements to the historic building and swimming pool as well as a new gymnasium and expanded spaces for recreation, education and community programs. The renovation also incorporated elements celebrating Webb and his musical legacy throughout the facility.
Taking the Story Outside
As part of the renewed campus, Baltimore City Recreation and Parks commissioned Mural Masters to develop artwork honoring Webb and the history of the center.
That creative vision expanded beyond the building when Mural Masters partnered with Baltimore-based public art and placemaking studio Graham Projects to develop a complementary pavement installation for the pedestrian promenade.
Working together, artists Shawn James and Graham Coreil-Allen developed a design centered around music, movement and the identity of the recreation center.
The finished pavement art features a large circular centerpiece surrounded by drums, musical notes and other colorful elements that move across the promenade toward the recreation center and nearby playground.
From above, the scale of the installation becomes especially clear. What was once simply a concrete pedestrian space has become part of the visual identity of the entire campus.
Where Art, History and Place Meet
The Chick Webb project demonstrates what can happen when infrastructure becomes part of a larger creative vision.
The renovated recreation center preserves an important piece of East Baltimore history while creating a modern community space for a new generation. The surrounding artwork carries that story outside, connecting the building, pedestrian areas and playground through a common visual language inspired by music.
For Preform, we're proud to see ArtMark become part of that environment.
We're even prouder to see our material used by talented partners to create something that belongs specifically to this place.
Because sometimes pavement needs to do more than get people where they're going.
Sometimes it can help tell them where they are.
Built to perform. Designed to inspire.
Custom pavement art celebrates the legacy of a Baltimore jazz legend
A pavement marking can guide traffic, define a space or communicate an important message. With the right design, it can also help tell a story.
That was the opportunity at the historic Chick Webb Memorial Recreation Center in East Baltimore, where a colorful new pavement art installation now welcomes visitors with drums, musical notes and bold graphics inspired by the center’s legendary namesake.
Completed in July 2026 by Graham Projects in collaboration with Mural Masters, the installation uses custom ArtMark preformed thermoplastic by Preform to extend the story of Chick Webb beyond the recreation center itself and across the surrounding pedestrian space.
Bringing the Design to Life with ArtMark
Translating a detailed piece of public art onto pavement requires a material capable of handling color, custom shapes and intricate design while also providing the durability needed for an outdoor pedestrian environment.
For this project, Graham Projects selected custom ArtMark decorative preformed thermoplastic manufactured by Preform.
Individual elements were manufactured in the colors and shapes needed to reproduce the artists’ design, then assembled and heat-applied on site by the installation team.
The result is artwork that does not simply sit on top of the space. It becomes part of it.
ArtMark gives artists, designers, municipalities and communities another way to think about pavement. Custom graphics, logos, symbols and original artwork can be transformed into preformed thermoplastic installations built for real-world public spaces.
At Chick Webb, that flexibility allowed a complex artistic concept to move from design to pavement without losing the character that made the original idea distinctive.
Where Art, History and Place Meet
The Chick Webb project demonstrates what can happen when infrastructure becomes part of a larger creative vision.
The renovated recreation center preserves an important piece of East Baltimore history while creating a modern community space for a new generation. The surrounding artwork carries that story outside, connecting the building, pedestrian areas and playground through a common visual language inspired by music.
For Preform, we're proud to see ArtMark become part of that environment.
We're even prouder to see our material used by talented partners to create something that belongs specifically to this place.
Because sometimes pavement needs to do more than get people where they're going.
Sometimes it can help tell them where they are.
Made to perform. Designed to inspire.
Additional Project Information & Sources
Graham Projects: Chick Webb Recreation Center Project Profile
Baltimore City: History and Renovation of the Chick Webb Memorial Recreation Center
Baltimore City Department of Planning: Chick Webb Memorial Recreation Center Reopening
Building Congress & Exchange: Behind the Build, Chick Webb Memorial Recreation Center