This summer, Courtney Peay, Trinity’s assistant women’s basketball coach, hosted an art gallery: “Love Creates Presents QueenBlü’s Pop-Up Art Gallery” on campus.
Coach Courtney Peay’s love for Jesus Christ, basketball, and art has manifested in different ways throughout her life, from playing basketball to coaching to earning an MDiv degree, and painting.
Peay is an abstract artist that goes by ‘QueenBlü,’ and art has been a way for her to express her life’s journey with love: her love of Jesus, basketball, music, and those around her.
“Being a follower doesn’t look fun all the time. When you say ‘I’m a follower you’re signing up for that.' I’m ok with suffering and I’m ok with whatever that comes with. For a while, I didn’t really understand that, I couldn’t put words to it, so I painted it. I painted through my trust issues with God, I painted through my frustrations with him, and I painted through my frustrations with myself.”
Peay compares her gallery with a mixtape and this is just "side A." The gallery itself was broken into five sections: Intro, verse, chorus, bridge, and outro. Each section represents a portion of Peay’s journey with faith and art.
Her gallery represents more, it’s a testament to the mentorship and encouragement Peay provides each player on the women’s basketball team. Since Peay came on staff in the fall of 2020, she has actively mentored and encouraged the women’s basketball team, alongside Head Coach Irving Jerry.
"It's bigger than basketball. Coach Peay's talent as an artist opens up avenues of communication with students at TIU that are outside the court and fields of play.”
“Coach Peay and I work well together because we both know it's bigger than basketball. As a coaching staff, our mission is to invest in the lives of our student-athletes spiritually, mentally, academically, and athletically. Coach Peay's talent as an artist opens up avenues of communication with students at TIU that are outside the court and fields of play.” - Coach Irving Jerry
Peay reiterates Jerry’s and Trinity's mission which is to develop students in all areas of their life so they can go out and serve God’s Kingdom.
“It’s bigger than basketball. My goal is to develop these girls to do well academically and to be who God wants them to be. To me, player development is a bigger win than what’s on the scoreboard.”
We are grateful for the ways Coach Jerry and Coach Peay aid in the education of men and women, to engage with God’s redemptive work in the world.