NCCA invite you to collaborate to Cure Empty Net Syndrome!

In 2010 New Craft Artists in Action team captain launched MOLTENi Net Works in Boston. Bringing together makers and players in collaborative exchange, this yarn-bomb initiative aims to create functional, hand-crafted basketball nets for neglected public hoops. This project is brought to participants via traveling workshops, pickup games, web demonstrations, and internet cataloging.

Dr. James Naismith created the game of basketball in Springfield, MA in 1891, posing a recycled peach basket as the first hoop. Now nets help break a ball’s fall, give players a sense of depth for good aim, and allow refs to see that a basket was made. Beyond these functions, nets add to the audio, kinetic, and aesthetic experience that leave players striving for “Nothin But Net”.

This project is inspired by a mapping process and DIY form of slow production, making use of neglected recreational space & the internet as public venues. The process aims to build a pro-active relationships between artists, athletes, and neighbors while tracing connections between such networks via logged hoop coordinates. Our nets have since spread as far as South Africa and we’ve gained increasing interest via social media, exhibitions, and publication. Help us bring this structure back to its woven roots and expand the potential for creative expression. We encourage you to initiate Net Works in your city or participate via our google map by uploading images of lacking courts that you see around town. Click the map below to contribute!