For its 2019-20 men’s basketball creative intro video, Ball State Sports Link teamed with local Muncie artist Leon Crosby to produce two original pieces of art.
As part of the project, Crosby and students from his art classes at Muncie’s Cornerstone Center for the Arts created two 10-foot by 10-foot murals.
All 14 members of the men’s basketball team painted portions of the murals at Cornerstone as the Sports Link cameras rolled. The project has spanned several months of planning, shooting, painting and editing.
The video project, led by Sports Link junior Zach Roy, will also feature an extended director’s cut plus a mini documentary on Crosby to be released soon as part of Sports Link’s exclusive men’s basketball series, The Process.
Focused on a theme of inclusiveness and community, the project includes the team playing a pickup game on the celebrated basketball courts of Muncie’s McCullough Park, located in the southwest corner of the Whitely Neighborhood.
In the video shoot at McCullough, the team was surrounded by kids from the community watching and joining in. The courts symbolize Muncie’s rich tradition in basketball where all of the greats have played, plus the inspiration and mentoring of youth in our community.
Crosby has been teaching at Cornerstone Center for the Arts for nearly six years. He is an active artist in the community and demonstrates a strong passion for creating and teaching alike.
Crosby creates art incorporating a wide variety of styles. He has specialization in the areas of street and graffiti art, cartooning and animation styles, pop art, and traditional Japanese painting and kanji. The artist is passionate about the Muncie community and works every day to inspire creativity in others and to beautify the town he calls home.
The finished murals, the focal point of the team’s intro video prior to the starting lineup being announced at home games, are prominently on display at the Gate 1 concourse of Worthen Arena.
The video premiered Nov. 20 prior to Ball State’s home contest with Northern Kentucky.
