About

A new initiative for the College of Fine Arts, CFA Talks invites students to explore and learn about specific topics as it relates to career development by engaging with professionals as they share about their experience inside, around, and beyond the arts. This semester, the center of the conversation will be on entrepreneurship. Four professionals will share in a moderated panel discussion their experiences and lessons learned. CFA invites students from all over Ball State’s campus to join in this event to learn more about entrepreneurship. A reception will follow the event in a second location. More details to come.

Panelists

Braydee Euliss, Owner/Director of COMPANION and Director of Curatorial Affairs for BUTTER Fine Art Fair by GANGGANG, School of Art Alum

Braydee Euliss is a conceptual artist and arts & culture practitioner with fifteen years of professional experience in curation, artist advocacy, arts administration, and nonprofit leadership. She works with objects, spaces, and frameworks to explore the often-inconspicuous ways they hold us up and hold us back. Her curatorial and consultation work examines the interdependence of artists and institutions across public, private, and nonprofit entities.

Braydee is the Owner/Director of COMPANION, an exhibition, project, and gathering space guided by artist-centered mutualism. She is the Director of Curatorial Affairs for BUTTER Fine Art Fair by GANGGANG and has led the curatorial team since its inaugural year in 2021. Since 2020, she has served as the Indiana Arts Commission Region 5 Arts Partner through the Community Foundation of Randolph County. Her jewelry line WORN embraces a slow approach to celebrating industrial, found, and salvaged materials. Braydee holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the School of Art at Ball State University. She lives in and works out of a previously long-passed-over home in Indianapolis, IN.

Eric Salazar, Clarinetist, Performer, Composer, and Leader, School of Music Alum

Eric Salazar (The Clarinet Guy) is a performer, composer, and career coach. He performs recitals and concertos of classical music that he feels connected to. Sometimes what he plays isn't all-classical, but a merging of different genres, like jazz and ambient. As a career coach, he focuses on teaching people who don't consider themselves to be "business people" how to be effective managers or leaders in the business world, while still staying true to themselves.

When performing, he embraces being vulnerable on stage as he shares stories in a way that makes the listener feel like they can be vulnerable too. Sharing this experience together produces a magical effect where all come away with a better understanding of themselves. Salazar always jokingly says “I owe you an explanation for what you’re about to hear” when he presents music that he writes, but at the heart of it all, Salazar simply writes music that will tell you a story, so you can feel seen and feel connected to those around you. His music isn’t necessarily in the classical style, though it is cinematic and merges inventive electronic sounds with familiar instruments.

Salazar's number one career advice is to be yourself. A lot of people think that you have to be an aggressive extrovert to be successful in leadership positions, but he takes a different approach. It is entirely possible to run a business purely based on authentic connections and gentle sales tactics - and he’d love to show you how.

Beverly Bautista, Dance Artist, University Educator, Choreographer, and Co-Owner of Dance Education Equity Association, Department of Theatre and Dance Alum

Beverly Bautista is a dance artist, university educator, choreographer, and co-owner of Dance Education Equity Association. She received a bachelor's degree from Ball State University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California-Irvine. Drawing from her years of experience in the entertainment hub of Los Angeles, Beverly has also had the privilege to work on projects with Disney, Pepsi, the Billboard Music Awards, Lip Sync Battle, and iHeart Radio to name a few. With her extensive dance education and industry experience, she aims to foster the connection between dance academia students and the entertainment industry. Continuously driven by her unwavering dedication to the dance community, Beverly remains an ardent advocate for fellow choreographers as a Choreographers Guild Advisory Member, striving to cultivate a sense of unity within the collective dance industry. In the dynamic world of dance, Beverly stands as a beacon of creativity, professionalism, and transformative artistry, inspiring generations to push boundaries and reach new heights.

Brad Root (He/Him), Owner and Director of Roots' School of Theatre, Department of Theatre and Dance Alum

Brad Root is a small business owner and youth theatre instructor from Indianapolis. He received his BFA in Acting from Ball State University in 2013. After graduating he moved to New York City, but came back to Indiana every June to teach Mud Creek Theater’s summer program with his wife Mindy. Brad quickly found a real passion for teaching. He continued to run and expand that program over the next nine summers, as well as serve on their board of directors. In 2017 he and his wife decided to take a chance with their newfound passion, and started their own youth program in Fishers Indiana called Roots’ School of Theatre. The school has continued to grow and improve over the last six and a half years. Brad is very grateful for the opportunity to help young performers find their voice, and for the incredible partnership he has with his wife Mindy.