From canvas to court – how art and sport unite in the WNBL Indigenous Round

For Tamara May Murray, community and connection intertwine in the life she lives and in the art she creates.

Living in the regional NSW city of Albury was how Murray connected with fellow local, Australia’s greatest ever basketballer and reigning Cygnett WNBL champion Lauren Jackson, who commissioned her to create a custom piece of art.

“Lauren said she had been following me on social media and was a big fan and I was like ‘Whoa!’” Murray, the creative force behind Mara May Art, recalls.

“She ordered a painting from me, a commissioned piece and rocked up to my house to pick it up and I was sweating for hours before hand. I was so nervous because she had been a sporting idol of mine and I got to meet Lauren through art which was amazing.”

A connection was formed.

“Now, art and sport went hand in hand, it was amazing,” she adds.

Murray would connect with Basketball Australia and go on to create artwork for the governing body, She Hoops and the Cygnett WNBL including her colourful design which will adorn the Spalding basketballs used in the league’s Indigenous Round in Round 4 of the #WNBL25 season.

She says the design, which was first used by the league in 2022, tells a tale about connection, sharing and celebrating.

“It’s pretty much everyone coming together and the symbols represent the players, the referees and everything that makes the game what it is, everybody coming together for the love of the game.

“The symbols and the colours connect everyone together.”

The semi-circle in the top corner of the artwork represents a team facing the basketball court with the different layers in the semi-circle describing the individuals that make up the team. The centre circle depicts a basketball court, a communal space where players come together as equals to compete and play the game in unity.

The yellow connection lines emanating from the centre of the court acknowledge that basketball is truly a team sport encompassing players, officials and spectators as well as everyone who comes together to make the game happen.

The gateway at the bottom of the piece represents the plethora of opportunities that basketball creates from individuals coming together as a team and working in unison through the highs and lows to achieve success together to creating friendships, being active and making their team, fans and supporters proud.

As a proud member of the Barkindtji tribe, Murray, through Mara May, draws inspiration from her ancestral roots in the Coomealla, Lake Victoria, and Mungo regions, which were passed down to her through her mother’s lineage. Her father’s side of the family connects her to the Yorta Yorta and Dhudaroah tribes originating from the Shepparton region in country Victoria.

Her love of, and passion for, creating shone through from a young age but it wasn’t until after she become a mother, Murray has two daughters Shaniqua, 19, and Halle, 16, that she took her artistic game to a new level

“I’ve been in love with art since I can remember, since the age of three. I always used to build things, create things, any kind of material I’d pick up I’d be really creative with,” Murray explains.

“It wasn’t until I had my first daughter, I got an opportunity through Albury City Council. I worked at an Aboriginal organisation cleaning and a lady encouraged me to get involved, it was through making a sculpture for Council and that’s what started me off in my career.”

Her artwork is hung on walls, has in past seasons been worn by Bendigo Spirit players for their Indigenous Round jersey, been printed on fabric and made into a dress through a collaboration with Australian fashion label Little Party Dress and will now be seen on a Spalding basketball in the hands of WNBL players across the country.

“I never, ever thought it would end up this far and on a basketball the players will play with,” Murray says.

“My daughters are super proud and can’t believe their mum gets to create every day and do what she loves.”

As art and sport come together to connect and celebrate community, the artist has a message for the players who compete in Australia’s longest-running elite women’s sporting league.

“Follow your passions and your dreams and don’t be afraid to reach for the stars because it does happen,” she says.

“The moment that you believe it really, really does start to happen.”

The Cygnett WNBL’s Indigenous Round will take place this week, running from 20 – 24 November.