Ball State University Athletics
BSU Alumna Creates Connection For Cardinals
November 11, 2020 | General
If you are around BSU's campus or out and about in Muncie, you'll likely see posters celebrating Ball State athletes hanging on walls and windows. Posters are the most fun way to learn when and where the Cardinals are playing. But due to COVID-19 restrictions, the teams have been limited in their ability to gather in group photo shoots. The silver lining to that is it opened the door to a creative collaboration with a young alum who is a local artist.
Kori Bethea grew up in Indianapolis and graduated from Ball State in 2018 with a degree in social studies education. She's a world history teacher by day, and an up-and-coming artist by night. She spent her free time painting portraits until quarantine hit this spring, when she taught herself to produce digital portraits. The marketing department at Ball State found her work, learned she was an alum and a partnership was born.Â
"When I got the first message from Ball State I was a little excited and nervous," Bethea said. "Not everyone wants an artist to really truly collab, but I saw Ball State followed me and still liked my work, that was a big deal for me."
Bethea was a resident assistant and worked on Late Nite at Ball State as a student and that's where she started getting creative. And once school went remote this year, she found herself with a lot of time to hone her craft.Â
The collaboration with Ball State creating the football poster may lead to more projects and also open the door to my conversations with other alumni and local artists. That's the goal. But for now, Bethea's work is an homage to Muncie and to the Cardinals. The poster features the West Fork White River Bridge, the Civic Theatre, Ball State and other landmarks specific to Muncie and to Cardinals fans.
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"I wanted it to be about Muncie, community and unity," she said. Bethea used images shot by the university, sifting through hundreds of pictures of the players to find the best ones to use on the poster. She used all of the resources available to connect the Cardinals to Muncie in a visual way that captured the school and the city.
"I layered them to plan it out and drew them all individually. Then, I went to the library and found public record photos from 1884. I also talked to locals and asked them what the thought should be included. I wanted to include things people would recognize about Muncie. Those are the pictures I used for the background.
"This is a new thing for me. I think it came together pretty well and was well-received. It feels a little closer to home for a lot of people."
As Bethea's art has taken off just two years out of college, she reflects back to her days on campus.Â
"Ball State was the only school I wanted to go to," Bethea said. "I miss Muncie and Ball State more than any time period. I miss being part of that community. It was a really good experience for me, and many of my friends now I met at Ball State. I'd do it again if i could."
Find Bethea's work on her website and on Etsy. She also has an Instagram featuring her work at @painbrushkori. Ball State is always open to creative collaborations with artists in all genres. Email us here to start the conversation!
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Kori Bethea grew up in Indianapolis and graduated from Ball State in 2018 with a degree in social studies education. She's a world history teacher by day, and an up-and-coming artist by night. She spent her free time painting portraits until quarantine hit this spring, when she taught herself to produce digital portraits. The marketing department at Ball State found her work, learned she was an alum and a partnership was born.Â
"When I got the first message from Ball State I was a little excited and nervous," Bethea said. "Not everyone wants an artist to really truly collab, but I saw Ball State followed me and still liked my work, that was a big deal for me."
Bethea was a resident assistant and worked on Late Nite at Ball State as a student and that's where she started getting creative. And once school went remote this year, she found herself with a lot of time to hone her craft.Â
The collaboration with Ball State creating the football poster may lead to more projects and also open the door to my conversations with other alumni and local artists. That's the goal. But for now, Bethea's work is an homage to Muncie and to the Cardinals. The poster features the West Fork White River Bridge, the Civic Theatre, Ball State and other landmarks specific to Muncie and to Cardinals fans.
Â
"I wanted it to be about Muncie, community and unity," she said. Bethea used images shot by the university, sifting through hundreds of pictures of the players to find the best ones to use on the poster. She used all of the resources available to connect the Cardinals to Muncie in a visual way that captured the school and the city.
"I layered them to plan it out and drew them all individually. Then, I went to the library and found public record photos from 1884. I also talked to locals and asked them what the thought should be included. I wanted to include things people would recognize about Muncie. Those are the pictures I used for the background.
"This is a new thing for me. I think it came together pretty well and was well-received. It feels a little closer to home for a lot of people."
As Bethea's art has taken off just two years out of college, she reflects back to her days on campus.Â
"Ball State was the only school I wanted to go to," Bethea said. "I miss Muncie and Ball State more than any time period. I miss being part of that community. It was a really good experience for me, and many of my friends now I met at Ball State. I'd do it again if i could."
Find Bethea's work on her website and on Etsy. She also has an Instagram featuring her work at @painbrushkori. Ball State is always open to creative collaborations with artists in all genres. Email us here to start the conversation!
Â
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