When Georgia Paterson ’25 signed up for a costume design class this fall, she had no idea that it would involve designing the College’s first mascot.
But she’s so glad it did.
“I don’t think I’ve been in a class that was more excited for anything than being told we were going to design a mascot,” the film major from Seattle said. “I’m really proud of it. … It was really, really fun.”
Paterson was one of the 12 students taking DRAM 242 (Costume Design) this semester with Visiting Assistant Professor of Drama Kasey Brown. The costume they dreamed up will feature a gray-feathered owl with purple tints around its ears and a host of “Kenyonesque” accessories.
The result of their hard work — done in concert with a campus steering committee — has received final approval and will be revealed officially in the spring. It will be named through an upcoming student contest.
The group’s focus was on creating a mascot who reflected the best of Kenyon and who was both friendly and sporty. This led to some serious discussions among the students that was by turns philosophical — what exactly makes a Kenyon student? — and scientific.
“Everyone’s Pinterest for two weeks was just owl after owl after owl. Like, actual owls,” Paterson said.
Associate Provost Travis Landry has been a champion of the project since this summer. “It really is about the fun factor,” he said. “People have a certain connection to mascots.”
He approached Brown about the possibility of her students taking on the project as an example of high-impact, experiential learning. Not only was she enthusiastic about the prospect, Brown had connections at Costume Specialists — a mascot production company in Columbus that has created mascots for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cincinnati Bengals and the Ohio State University — and scheduled a visit with the class.
Students said the project-based learning gave them unique, practical insights into the costume design process, from dealing with a budget to responding to feedback. And visiting the manufacturer not only showed what the production process is like but offered inspiration for alternative career paths.
“Sometimes, when you’re going for a job, you think that there’s only one path you can go down with that degree, but there are so many more jobs in the world than what we even think. … I hope that it showed them the possibilities of the world,” Brown said.
As they worked on designs for the character, students were challenged to find the right balance between naturalistic and cartoonish, between friendly and fierce.
“A lot of us were like, we want it to be cute and friendly,” Brown said. “I remember the first draft — the owl just looked like you could get a big hug from it.”
That’s when an athlete in the class spoke up.
“She was like, yeah, but on the lacrosse field, that doesn’t really represent fierceness,” Brown recalled.
Part of the solution was to add accessories — the kind a visitor might see daily around campus — that could provide different looks in different settings. So one day the owl might walk around campus wearing a scarf and Doc Martens. At a football game, it could sport a jersey and Kenyon sneakers. For Commencement, it could wear glasses and a graduation cap.
John Franz ’25, a double major in drama and English from western Pennsylvania, said the discussions associated with the project opened his eyes to the diversity all around him on campus.
“We all came from different places and had different ideas of what we thought the Kenyon campus was, so it was interesting to get those all together to see how the real Kenyon experience would be summed up in a mascot,” he said.
Brown said those moments were incredibly valuable in helping to promote collaboration and empathy.
“It brought in thinking about other people outside of yourself and how opinions and beliefs and views might be different,” she said. “I think that’s really important right now, seeing someone else’s side.”
Eight people from the College, including a student, made up the steering committee that offered feedback and ultimately — and enthusiastically approved the final design.
“Everyone was ecstatic about the final product and how it’s going to look and what it’s going to bring to campus,” said Amy Quinlivan, coordinator of administrative services in the Office of the Provost and a member of the steering committee.
Landry described the final product as sporty but endearing. “There’s authenticity to it,” he said.
An anonymous parent donation will cover the cost of the costume, which will be manufactured by Costume Specialists. Student auditions to be the mascot will take place next semester.
Paterson said she is pleased with the final result and so happy that students got to take the lead with the design process.
“I’m really glad Kenyon gave us the chance,” she said. “It was an awesome show of trust … I’m hoping people will like it.”
