Major League Baseball commissioned East St. Louis native Frank Anthony, to design and paint cleats celebrating the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson playing his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
“I know I’m not the only person who was bullied because my shoes were busted, I didn’t have a name-brand shirt, and my shirt wasn’t always clean.”
During a live session on the Capital One PLAY BALL PARK website, the artist painted the Sole Power Activation cleat, honoring Robinson.
“I’m not much of a baseball fan myself, but I admire the people and the amount of work they do to provide people with a sport to watch,” Anthony said.
“Doing anything athletic takes constant hard work, and [Jackie Robinson] is an example. I’m mainly a fan of his.”
Anthony’s work was offered to bidders during an MLB auction, alongside other pieces that featured artist interpretations of Robinson’s impact and legacy. Proceeds were donated to the Boys and Girls Club of America, which has several area locations.
“I was honored to receive the opportunity because of everything [Jackie Robinson] stood for on and off the field, and the things he did to change the direction of baseball, provided opportunities and chances for Black people in baseball that weren’t there before,” Anthony said.
Growing up in East St. Louis with two siblings wasn’t a walk in the park Anthony. He says sharing that he was surrounded by poverty, high crime rate, and constant bullying in school.
He discovered art at a young age, completing projects as early as three years old. Teasing and criticism from his peers for his shoes inspired him to get into sneaker art, which is one of his art forms.
“My siblings saw I was dealing with hard times in school because people talked about my sneakers,” Anthony said. “My brother gave me an old pair of sneakers. We cleaned them up and restored them to make them look wearable. That made me say ‘I can do art on sneakers and many other clothing items.’ I thought it was cool to wear artwork out and about. It’s about being expressive outwardly in different ways.”
Using artistic skills on tennis shoes and other apparel “gives a lot more avenues for creatives having a difficult time with their appearance,” Anthony said.
“I know I’m not the only bullied person because my shoes were busted. I didn’t have a name-brand shirt, and my shirt wasn’t always clean. Creatives don’t have to be limited with how they deal with situations of being teased.”
Anthony said many East St. Louis artists feel they must leave the area to find recognition.
“I feel like if there were more awareness of the talent in East St. Louis, that would help more. I can do my part by spreading more awareness on the talent and art in East St. Louis,” he said.
Anthony has resided in Los Angeles for three months, calling his relocation “a leap of faith.”
“The transition has its ups and downs because being in an area I’m unfamiliar with has its challenges,” Anthony said.
“I’m still adapting to the driving distances, the weather, and familiarization with the city. Back home, I knew where everything was, and it didn’t take 45-50 minutes to get from Point A to Point B. Here I have to use my navigation system to go everywhere.”
His advice for Black youths is “stay true to themselves.”
“Express yourself in whatever creative way you see,” Anthony said.
“It will effect you because you’ll grow from constantly creating and always have that inspiration to tap into. It can be a long journey, things will happen along the way, but that’s the most beautiful part about it.”
Anthony said he is crafting an art show which will debut later this year, and plans to incorporate his art on phone cases, sneakers, clothing, and more. He specializes in fine art. Patrons should look for his signature staple, a wood-grain hand-painted technique intertwined with a checkered-board aesthetic.
Along with his work for MLB, his pieces have been featured at the 2021 Paris Art Exhibition, Viacom/MTV’s Converse Create At Home Campaign 2020, Overtime Paint Wars 2020, and other venues.
Frank Anthony’s artwork is available on his website, https://frankanthonyart.com/.
Follow Anthony on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/kingdom_made/?hl=en.
