Editor’s note: This story was updated on March 4, 2022 to correct affiliation with the New Arts Program.
A fitness park is planned on the Kutztown University campus that will be part of the outdoor gym and part of the Keith Haring Art Gallery through the KU and Kutztown Community Partnership.
Keith Haring’s fitness park will be at the corner of Normal Street and South Baldy Street and will be a point of pride for Kutztown, with each element displaying the artwork of the late Haring, a townspeople, officials said.
In a press release on Wednesday, officials said the park will promote health and wellness in the Kutztown community and is expected to be completed by fall.
Kuwait University officials have described Haring as a legendary activist and artist who revolutionized pop art with his graffiti-like works filled with abstract lines and colorful shapes. His illustrations in the 1980s grew out of New York street culture and became a widely recognized visual language for many.
Dr. Kenneth S. said: “Keith Haring’s topic is particularly exciting because it relates to many powerful aspects of our society, including health and fitness, art, history, education, public relations, support for DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives, and more.”
The Keith Haring Fitness Collection is a limited edition outdoor art collaboration with the Keith Haring Foundation in New York, Outdoor Fitness Court and the National Fitness Campaign. The fitness ground will include a 32-foot by 35-foot outdoor circuit training system with 30 pieces of fitness components, including seven full-body circuit training stations and a wall for bodyweight training, officials said.
The cost to bring the project to campus is $200,000 plus maintenance costs.
The Kuwait University Foundation raises funds and accepts sponsorship inquiries. There are different levels of care; The name of the main sponsor will be placed below Haring’s signature at The Fitness Garden. Those interested in supporting the project can do so at give.classy.org/fitnesscourt.
Kuwait University officials said the project represented a great opportunity for the Kutztown community to pay homage to Haring, who went to Kutztown High School. Despite his worldwide fame, he has always remained true to his roots and often referred to himself as “Keith from Kutztown,” officials said.
Sandy Green, Assistant to Kutztown University and Community Communications Assistant at KCP, has been working on bringing the fitness park to campus since meeting Megan Kerber, executive director of the Birx Council on the Arts, who informed Green of the opportunity.
Green then applied for the project through the National Fitness Campaign to be considered one of 10 cities across the country that would be eligible for this program. NFC has approved KU to be home to a Haring Group sponsorship site.
“We are proud and excited that Kutztown, Keith’s hometown, was one of 10 national sites selected for the project,” Green said. “We have a fantastic opportunity to turn one of our highly visible Kutztown locations… into a unique destination point.”
Haring, who died in 1990, dedicated his sculpture “Untitled (Balance Figure on Dog)” to Kutztown Park and it remains there today. More of his artwork can be found on a floor mural in the New Arts Program building at 173 W. Main St. It is preserved under layers of polyurethane.
Haring also gifted a 1984 drawing of the nativity scene to the Unitarian Christ Church at St. John’s in Kutztown, where he was baptized as an infant. Haring lived next door at 212 S. Whiteoak St. It went to what was once Kutztown Middle School, which was purchased in 1979 to become the home of the Kutztown District Historical Society. The community features original Haring art painted on many chalkboards protected under plexiglass. His elementary art can also be found in the halls of the Kutztown School District building.
In November 2021, Haring’s niece, Yena Hill, designed a mural on the side of Young One’s Records at 26 S. Whiteoak St. Among the Haring family members who were present and contributed to this mural were Haring’s father, Allen, and his sister, Karen DeLong.
For more information, visit nationalfitnesscampaign.com/haring-feature.
