Clay Brizendine holds a number of roles in the health and wellness space and in the corporate world. But it was his love of basketball and want to do something for the community that led him to create Courts of Art. Having grown up in KY where basketball is the sport of choice, having played in high school, and having a general love of the sport, connecting to the game in this kind of way was inevitable. As a 5'11" guard, Clay holds no significant basketball records to speak of, but once, as a kid, got to shake hands with Michael Jordan.
Robin Ewers Carnes, designing for Courts of Art, is a local watercolor artist and designer. She graduated from Antonelli College in 2005 with a degree in Graphic Design and worked corporately in Cincinnati for ten years. She has owned and operated her own business R.Ewers Designs for ten years selling greeting cards and prints of her work, freelancing and teaching art classes. Robin has worked on many different public art projects on her own and also with ArtWorks Cincinnati, ranging from Big Pig Statues to small and large scale murals, one of which is most notably the Ezzard Charles Mural in Over-the-Rhine. She is also one of four admins for the newly recognized Cincinnati chapter of the global organization of Urban Sketchers. Robin has won many awards for her work over the years including being voted Best Local Artist in Cincinnati by CityBeat readers. (Instagram: @rewers; Facebook: R.Ewers Designs)
Since 1984, Schubert Tennis has served the tennis community across the entire Cincinnati region. Whether hard courts, clay courts or indoor courts, Schubert specializes in crafting the very best fit for the need. Schubert has installed hundreds of tennis courts, in addition to basketball courts, and continues those relationships by offering court resurfacing, maintenance and a wide variety of coaching and playing supplies. With 30 plus years of experience, they consult with a range of folks from the University of Cincinnati to residents with their own backyard courts.
Dan Peterson is the founder of the non-profit Project Backboard (Instagram: @project_backboard) which works to ensure that all communities have access to a safe and inviting place to play outdoor basketball. Project Backboard collaborates with artists to install large scale works of art across newly renovated public outdoor basketball courts, resulting in busier, cleaner and safer spaces that encourage all community members, but especially families, young women and girls, to be active together. Dan consults with Courts of Art not only as an expert in the execution of these courts but also as a soulful leader of the purpose behind them.
Officially, People's Liberty is "a philanthropic lab that brings together civic minded talent to address challenges and uncover opportunities to accelerate the positive transformation of Greater Cincinnati." And separately, they are officially the reason we were able to complete our first court having granted the initial funding and guidance for Courts of Art. Eternal thanks for their help and efforts to get this off the ground!