Betty Foy Sanders donates bus to Georgia Southern art department

Betty Foy Sanders, former first lady of Georgia and supporter of the arts at Georgia Southern University, donated a bus last fall to the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art (BFSDoArt) to help students access art through travel.

For more than 50 years, Sanders has worked behind the scenes to support students in the BFSDoArt providing scholarships, equipment and other financial support.

“Mrs. Sanders has a personal understanding that an art education extends well beyond the classroom,” said Jeff Garland, chair of the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art.

In recent years, art and design students have traveled to Art Basel in Miami, the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, and Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, among other places. The department had plans to use the bus soon, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellations.

“After Mrs. Sanders’s generous donation in the fall, some faculty had planned to take groups to several museums and shows in the spring,” Garland said. “Artists understand patience and when the time comes to travel again, thanks to Casey Stoddard and Daniel Castro, the students and faculty in the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art will be doing it in true Betty style,” said Garland.

The vehicle wrap design, which features elements inspired by Sanders’ own artwork and the department logo, was a collaborative effort by Stoddard, creative design director for BFSDoArt, and Castro, a graphic design student.

“Our goal was to design something that represented the department while acknowledging Mrs. Sanders and her numerous contributions to the University and the department over the years,” Stoddard said. “We were really inspired by the crisp, colorful intensity of Mrs. Sanders’ most recent artwork, her doodles, and we knew we wanted to incorporate something like them into our design. Daniel did a really amazing job pulling everything together and delivered something exceptional.”