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Geoffry Mearns
Ball State University is a proud partner of Minnetrista Museum and Gardens, one of Muncie key cultural attractions. Now, with funding from the Lilly Endowment, Minnetrista will enhance its arts and cultural opportunities for decades to come. I'm Ball State president Geoff Mearns, and this is Cardinal Compass: Campus and Community Conversations.
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Narrator (Male)
From the campus of Ball State University on Ball State, PBS, and Indiana Public Radio. This is Cardinal Compass: Campus and Community Conversations.
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Narrator (Female)
At Ball State University, our promise is simple to empower the success of our students. Our students benefit from immersive learning, innovative academic programs, and state of the art facilities. Ball state offers a distinctive yet affordable educational experience and the ideal environment to prepare for a fulfilling career and a meaningful life. We inspire cardinals to transform their communities, to revolutionize their industries, and to make a difference.
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Narrator (Female)
We fly. Are you ready to fly?
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Abby Urban
Hello and welcome to Cardinal Compass. I'm Abby Urban,
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Abby Urban
and I'm Wyatt Maher. Over the summer, the Lilly Endowment granted miniaturist a $5 million to strengthen the museum and gardens impact.
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Abby Urban
Kahmara Munn takes us to the museum and gardens to show us how exactly they're putting this grant to use.
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Kahmara Munn
After being open for nearly 40 years, Minnetrista Museum and Gardens is developing a bigger and better campus experience. This is after a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Incorporated was announced back in July.
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Kasey Davis
There was a lot of squealing and yelling and jumping up and down Minnetrista officials say part of that celebration stems from a detailed application process and describe it as more than just a simple request form.
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Kasey Davis
It goes across teams. You're talking to facilities, you're talking to exhibitions, you're talking to programs. You're really trying to get at the heart for each individual department of what those greatest needs might be.
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Kahmara Munn
One of the main purposes of the grant is to enhance visitor experiences, like these nature walks here at Minnetrista. I spoke with the Director of Development, Kasey Davis, and she tells me what visitors should be expecting over the next three years.
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Kasey Davis
Part of this, with some of our renovations and accessibility improvements, is that it's simple things like some of our walk paths out by Oakhurst are not wide enough for strollers, or they're not even enough for a wheelchair.
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Kahmara Munn
In addition to Oakhurst Gardens, the Bob Ross Experience will expand into a traveling exhibit, making stops all around the country. Minnetrista is one of twelve art museums that received funding from Lilly Endowment this year, and Davis hopes that this will shed more light on the museum.
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Kasey Davis
I think this gives us an opportunity to really keep promoting Minnetrista and keep promoting Muncie for a long time.
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Kahmara Munn
Community members can stay engaged and involved on upcoming projects and changes made to Minnetrista as a result of the grant through their magazine columns, which has up to date exhibition schedules and more information in Muncie, Kahmara Munn: Cardinal Compass.
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Abby Urban
Joining us now is Minnetrista CEO Brian Statz and President Lindsey Horn. Thank you guys so much for joining us today.
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Lindsey Horan
Thanks for having us.
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Abby Urban
So Minnetrista is an interesting name for a museum. Can you tell us about the origins of the name and how long Minnetrista has been serving the community?
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Abby Urban
Sure. We're not 100% sure I'll lead with that.
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Brian Spatz
There are a couple of different stories about the Minnetrista name. When the Ball family moved to the site, the local paper said it meant “winding waters” based on a Dakota term. And so they went with that. There's also a family lore that it's a combination of the Dakota word “mní,” meaning water and the English word “tryst,” meaning gathering place.
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Brian Spatz
So for a while, our logo or slogan was “Gathering Place by the Water.” There is a Minnetrista, Minnesota that supposedly the family visited as well. So it's a bit of a mystery. But regardless of the origin, Minnetrista the museum has been in place since 1988. So we're coming up on our 40th anniversary.
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Wyatt Maher
Nice. Okay, so Minnetrista is located on property that was owned by the Ball family.
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Wyatt Maher
What is it like to work on and around living history and to connect visitors to that local history?
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Lindsey Horan
It's really an honor. I think anyone who knows Ball State or the hospital, anyone who knows Muncie, really knows that the ball family was really transformational and a catalytic force. And so to be stewards of their stories, the story of the industry that they helped to sort of bring to the forefront and their homes.
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Lindsey Horan
It's just it's it's just fun to be able to share that with visitors and with the community every day.
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Brian Spatz
Great.
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Wyatt Maher
And as we mentioned earlier, Minnetrista recently received a $5 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. How did that opportunity come about, and how will those funds be used at the museum?
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Lindsey Horan
Yeah, this is our favorite thing to talk about.
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Lindsey Horan
I’ll be honest, y’know, over the last several years, Minnetrista has done a little bit of cultivating the Lilly Endowment. We've never necessarily known that we've fit their funding model, but we've always wanted to make sure that our community and our organization stayed on their radar. We've been engaged with the Lilly Scholars Program and had those groups come visit our campus for the last couple of years, and we've kept them on our annual report list and things like that.
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Lindsey Horan
But really, it was an invitation. The Lilly Endowment, they created this opportunity to invest in art museums across the state. And they called us in was it? December or January
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Brian Spatz
December.
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Lindsey Horan
Of this year and asked us if we'd be interested in having a chat with them. And of course we said yes. And so we had an opportunity to learn a little bit more about what they were hoping to do with the funds and how to really great conversation around how transformational we thought the funds could be for Minnetrista.
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Lindsey Horan
And so we put together a package that I guess they found compelling. So they funded us. Muncie received quite a bit of money in that round of grants. It was $6 million total with $5 million coming to us, and honestly, I don't think there's gonna be a corner of our campus that won't be touched.
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Brian Spatz
That's fair.
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Lindsey Horan
We'll be investing in staff development. We'll be investing in audience development, but the bulk of the money is really going into enhancing our programs, enhancing our gardens. We have historic buildings on campus that probably need a little bit of attention. And even our newer buildings, like Brian said, are almost 40 years old. And so it's a great opportunity for us to increase capacity and better serve the community.
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Geoffry Mearns
And the state of Indiana is so fortunate to have the Lilly Endownment invest in so many programs all across the state, but they're very thoughtful about what they choose to invest in. And so it's a real testament to the quality of the programs at Minnetrista to receive that kind of investment from Lilly Endowment. The endowment also understands the intrinsic, inherent value of arts and culture, the value that it brings to a community.
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Geoffry Mearns
They also understand that arts and culture is what attracts people to live and to stay in communities where people want to live of all ages. And so Minnetrista is a real gem for our community because they put on programs for people of all ages and not just here in Muncie, but Delaware County and all across East Central Indiana.
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Geoffry Mearns
It's a real gem, and it will help to continue the ongoing revitalization of Muncie.
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Abby Urban
So as you all kind of briefly mentioned, Minnetrista does offer a variety of programs, both in the community and in tandem with our university. Do any of you have a program or exhibition that you are most proud of or excited to see
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Brian Spatz
Wanna take that?
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Lindsey Horan
Well, I will say one of my favorite collaborations that we have with Ball State is with the Glick Hot Shop, the glass program. And glass is so important to Minnetrista. It's so important to our history. And it's incredible to me that a city, a region like East Central Indiana, that we have this opportunity for people who are just curious about the process of glass, to partner with Minnetrista, to go into one of our hot shop glassblowing classes and create any number of really cool things.
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Lindsey Horan
And everyone who signs up for that gets paired with a Ball State student and artist who is amazing and who really knows everything about glass. And so it's just a really, that to me, that's my favorite. I have I have done the class probably three times now and I will definitely sign up again. I highly recommend it if you've never blown glass, but it's really fun.
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Abby Urban
Brian. Do you have a favorite?
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Brian Spatz
I do, I think as far as the programs that we do with Ball State, certainly the Freedom Bus is one of the more recent ones in Ball State, of course, had a huge hand in that. And anything. Bob Ross, I know folks at Ball State and I joke that we're kind of co-parents to Bob Ross, you know, joint custody.
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Brian Spatz
But he meant so much to this community when he was here. And he still means so much to people all around the world, and I think it's a real blessing for us and for Ball State to be able to tell his story even today.
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Wyatt Maher
Of course.
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Geoffry Mearns
One of my favorite things is how they celebrate the holidays when they dress up E.B. Ball.
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Geoffry Mearns
And then they have a variety of programs on those two nights. I think it's always the first Friday and Saturday.
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Lindsey Horan
That's right
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Geoffry Mearns
of December. And so that's a great opportunity, brings people from all across the community to see what resources exist there. And of course, Brian always guarantees that it's going to be about 40 degrees and dry. No snow and cold.
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Lindsey Horan
Perfect Winter weather.
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Geoffry Mearns
Yeah, it's a beautiful evening, and I hope if the students haven't been there, just venture. Minnetrista is less than a mile away. So walk up there and take part in that holiday celebration.
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Wyatt Maher
Of course. So along with partnering with Minnetrista for some of its programs, in what other ways does Ball State contribute to the museum's operations?
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Lindsey Horan
Well, what I would say is usually the first face that our visitors see is going to be a Ball State student. We have a lot of students working on campus, and frequently they're working at our ticket desk or welcoming people to the galleries. So that's really just sort of a vital way that our Ball State partnership supports the things that are happening at Minnetrista.
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Geoffry Mearns
And of course, we've talked on other episodes of the show, what we do at the Maplewood Mansion, which is another ball family mansion, it's on the Minnetrista, campus, but it's a program that we support with Ball Memorial to help recruit and retain aspiring physicians who are being trained either at the medical school or who are training at IU Ball Memorial.
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Geoffry Mearns
And then we're going to talk a little later in the segment about what we do in the E.B. Ball Mansion as well, and the programs that we do there that complement and coordinate the programs that Minnetrista a museum and gardens provides.
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Abby Urban
Yeah. And this is kind of a question for all of you. What has it been like having a partnership like this between Minnetrista and Ball State?
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Brian Spatz
Well, yeah, it's the one thing that I love of many is that Ball State are great neighbors to us on our campus. And for folks who haven't been to our campus yet, we have 40 acres. And right in the middle are two gorgeous mansions that are either owned or controlled related to Ball State. And when I got here four years ago, I wondered what that would be like.
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Brian Spatz
But they're wonderful neighbors. It's like living in a peaceful neighborhood where you rely on each other. You communicate with each other. When we have parties, they participate in vice versa, and Ball State doesn't have to do that. But you all are wonderful neighbors to us, and we're very grateful for that.
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Geoffry Mearns
And the partnership is so important for the community.
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Geoffry Mearns
And of course, as you know, Minnetrista is really right across the White River from Muncie Central High School and very close to downtown. So it really brings together the kind of the three nodes of activity and arts and culture and education with the university, Minnetrista, and Muncie Central in downtown Muncie. So that partnership is natural geographically. But as we all know, in many communities, people partners can be right next to each other, but they don't work well together.
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Geoffry Mearns
This is a good example of the strength of the community, that there's that constant spirit of what can we do together, not in competition, but in coordination and collaboration. And we know it's part of our responsibility, it's part of the legacy that we've inherited. But it's also what makes this an even more vibrant and enriched community to live in.
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Abby Urban
Yeah. For sure. So, Brian Lindsey, you've both worked in community engagement for other public organizations. What skills from your past jobs do you carry with you into your current positions?
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Lindsey Horan
Yeah, I, I was a fundraiser before I came to Minnetrista and that's kind of how I started at the organization. And for me, it's really the joy of fundraising and the joy of the work that we do now is about relationships.
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Lindsey Horan
And so doing things like this, being able to build those partnerships that strengthen what we're doing and what our partners are doing. To me, that is an absolute joy to be able to do that every day in my work.
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Abby Urban
Yeah, for sure.
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Brian Spatz
And I worked at the Children's Museum in Indianapolis, and we were right in the middle of a residential area on the North side of Indianapolis.
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Brian Spatz
And one thing we learned quickly was that regardless of what we brought in, whatever we produced, if we didn't have the buy in of our community, especially the neighborhoods around us, we were going to fail. So we had to be respectful of the people that shared the area with us. And, you know, we had to be imaginative in what we did.
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Brian Spatz
And, you know, obviously put in the hard work. But I think those are lessons that carry over to what we're trying to do at Minnetrista because we know any success we have depends on our ability to
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Brian Spatz
connect with east central Indiana.
00:14:07:12 - 00:14:16:22
Abby Urban
Yeah for sure. Well, thank you, Brian, Lindsay, so much. So for over 50 years, Ball State and Minnetrista have developed a partnership working together on community events and projects.
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Wyatt Maher
Dylan Rosen gives us a deep dive into why this partnership has not only stayed alive, but grown throughout the years.
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Unknown
While staying miniaturist, I took an old bus and turned it into a moving archive called the Freedom Bus. According to a professor of communication studies, Beth Messner, the response was encouraging, and so their excitement was contagious. For those of us who were serving as the tour guides or the docent for the bus project. It's not every day that a bus stops in a town with the markings of a community's contributions to the history books.
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Unknown
We would drive down the road, you would park at a stoplight, and people would go by and stare. You'd get honks. You'd get waves. Rarely does knowledge and heritage overlap with the future to bring color to the past. When I think of community coming together in Muncie, I think of miniaturist being the spot where that happens. By making history present, we can think about the future we want to build together.
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Unknown
Students walked away from this project. They felt a great deal of agency. They felt a great deal of connection to community. They felt their voices rising up and being heard. Ties between education and art. Paying a picture of artists who helped lay the foundation for monthly to keep moving forward. So Bob Ross legacy is actually greater since he is past and when he was alive.
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Unknown
People just love. Bob's soft spoken this his acceptance of, you know, it's a happy little accident. Ball state PBS didn't miniaturist collaborated to share the legacy through the art of storytelling, and preserved it in living color through the bottom glass experience. Whip actually got its beginnings on the minute Trista Campus, our original home, was in the building that currently holds the Bob Ross experience.
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Unknown
The joy of painting may have had its last stroke, but the spirit of joy is alive and well where it first blossomed. Bull come from all over the country and sometimes out of the country just to visit that exhibit, because there's such a fan of Bob. And then with the painting classes where you can learn how to paint by a certified Bob Ross instructor.
00:16:41:18 - 00:16:53:21
Unknown
The legacies left behind don't wash out over generations. The stories live on through time. A brush stroke worth a thousand words Dylan Rosenblum, Cardinal compass.
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Abby Urban
Joining us now is chief strategy officer at Ball State University. Charlene Alexander, thank you so much for joining us today, Charlene.
00:17:00:06 - 00:17:02:02
Charlene Alexander
Thank you so much for the invitation.
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Abby Urban
Of course. So one of the ball homes located on Minnetrista property is now the E.B. and Bertha Sea Ball Center. Can you tell us more about Ball State's history with this historic house?
00:17:12:19 - 00:17:54:07
Charlene Alexander
Sure. Our history with the house started in 1963. This would have been about six years after the death of Bertha C. ball. And it was a wonderful time where the house was actually leased to Ball State at that time. So from 1963 to 1972, that lease allowed a lot of programing to happen at the house. The house was then known as the Bertha Sea Wall Center for Art, and there was a lot of art program.
00:17:54:07 - 00:18:25:22
Charlene Alexander
People came to the house to check out all the artwork and to do some paintings at the house. So it was it was really a good it was it was a good way for us to connect with the ball family. So just as a reminder. Bertha was married to Edmund Burke Ball, who was the third ball brother, and he died in 1925 and Bertha died in 1957.
00:18:25:23 - 00:19:04:15
Charlene Alexander
So for those years, the house that empty and it was a good opportunity for the house to then release back to Ball State. And then in 1975, the Ball Brothers Foundation then donated the home to the Ball State University Foundation, and at that time, the name changed to the Minnetrista center for Nontraditional Adult Studies. And, so we had this opportunity to sort of focus on lifetime learning and the programing at the time sort of focused on that area.
00:19:04:15 - 00:19:20:16
Charlene Alexander
And then later on, the house was then renamed in 1986 to what we now refer to it as the E.B. Bertha C. Ball Center for University and Community Programing,
00:19:20:18 - 00:19:21:10
Brian Spatz
Of course.
00:19:21:11 - 00:19:21:21
Charlene Alexander
Yeah.
00:19:21:22 - 00:19:29:19
Brian Spatz
So, what is the goal of the E.B. Ball Center, and how does that goal tie into the strategic plan of Ball State University?
00:19:29:21 - 00:19:45:17
Charlene Alexander
The--the purpose of the House is to really provide very engaging and educational opportunities for both the university and the community, and there are lots of opportunities for us to do that.
00:19:45:17 - 00:20:18:08
Charlene Alexander
And and as you look at the strategic plan of the university, really there are two of our strategic goals. Our goal two focuses on lifetime learning, and goal three focuses on community engagement. Our strategic imperatives in both of those goals help us think about the ways that the community can benefit from the types of programing that happens at the house, and to to build that university community partnership.
00:20:18:08 - 00:20:30:09
Charlene Alexander
So. So I think, again, strategically, it's a really in sync with our mission and the goals that we have for the community as well.
00:20:30:11 - 00:20:47:10
Geoffry Mearns
It really is vital, as Charlene says, it is entirely consistent with two of the principal five, two of the five goals in our strategic plan about providing those lifetime learning programs, as well as being a source of an engine for--for civic development and civic vitality.
00:20:47:15 - 00:20:55:06
Abby Urban
Yeah, for sure. So you have briefly mentioned the programs, but what types of signature programs are offered annually at the Ball Center?
00:20:55:07 - 00:21:20:21
Charlene Alexander
Sure, there are many. I think what the house is really known for are the town and gown opportunities programing that happens. These are themed at times. So my some of my favorites I know are the programing that where I get to dress up and we've had like “The Great Gatsby” as a theme.
00:21:20:21 - 00:21:52:12
Charlene Alexander
And “Death on the Nile” is another theme program. So, there's the town and ground programing, but then there are programing for several of our retirees in the community who enjoy needlepoint painting. They learn about writing their own memoirs. So all of those programs are really great. Earlier, the president mentioned the holiday open house that we do in partnership with Minnetrista.
00:21:52:13 - 00:22:09:08
Charlene Alexander
That's a wonderful opportunity. And then I think our youngsters, well, not just our youngsters, several people in the community also enjoy Boo Bash, which is, you know, a wonderful opportunity. And we sometimes have as many as five thousand people coming through that home.
00:22:09:09 - 00:22:13:21
Geoffry Mearns
And I think that's going on right now up at Minnetrista the celebration of Halloween that's coming up.
00:22:13:22 - 00:22:27:04
Geoffry Mearns
I think one of the things that Charlene touched on is it's not just interesting programs. They make them really creative. The things like “The Great Gatsby” night, obviously, it was a wonderful evening and a great meal, but also there was an historic component to it.
00:22:27:08 - 00:22:27:17
Abby Urban
Correct.
00:22:27:17 - 00:22:33:00
Geoffry Mearns
So, there was a very accomplished author and historian who talked about that period
00:22:33:02 - 00:22:33:06
Abby Urban
RIght.
00:22:33:06 - 00:22:43:21
Geoffry Mearns
In English literature and in the and in the United States at that time, so that creativity brings people in to have something that’s enjoyable, that’s fun, but also that’s educational.
00:22:43:21 - 00:22:44:14
Abby Urban
For sure.
00:22:44:14 - 00:22:45:07
Brian Spatz
Of course.
00:22:45:09 - 00:22:52:10
Brian Spatz
So how does the Ball State engage? How does Ball State engage the Muncie community in the operations of the E.B. Ball Center?
00:22:52:11 - 00:23:16:18
Charlene Alexander
Sure. I'm mostly we have lots of Ball State faculty who help and volunteer at the house. We have members of the community who come in and will help with the decorating of the house. It's you know, it's a huge endeavor, but we love the enthusiasm of the community as they come in and they engage with the house.
00:23:16:20 - 00:23:30:22
Charlene Alexander
We have musicians who are singing in the house, so there are many opportunities for the for the community to engage because it's a small staff, but we need that support in order to get all the work done.
00:23:31:00 - 00:23:36:23
Geoffry Mearns
And we're essentially responsible for kind of the maintenance of the building, the maintenance of the ground. That was part of the arrangement.
00:23:36:23 - 00:23:42:05
Geoffry Mearns
When the Ball Brothers Foundation donated it to the University Foundation.
00:23:42:07 - 00:23:51:19
Abby Urban
Yeah, for sure. And, in one sentence, could you kind of talk about what do you want, future or curtain cardinals to get out of the events that are held at the ball center?
00:23:52:00 - 00:23:59:21
Geoffry Mearns
One short sentence. Go there and take part of them. Take part. As I said earlier, it's only about a half mile, maybe three quarters of a mile from campus.
00:23:59:22 - 00:24:05:13
Geoffry Mearns
Take advantage of what's happening at the E.B. Ball Center, but also take advantage of what's happening at--at Minnetrista.
00:24:05:15 - 00:24:05:22
Abby Urban
Yeah.
00:24:06:01 - 00:24:25:03
Charlene Alexander
I say it's we want them to keep focused and understand that connection to the ball family and to the university. I think that's really important. And we want them to see this as a place where they can continue learning for as long as they would like.
00:24:25:05 - 00:24:30:03
Abby Urban
Well, thank you so much, Charlene and President Mearns. That's all. We have time for that part of the discussion.
00:24:30:04 - 00:24:35:01
Brian Spatz
President Mearns, we want to give you the final minute for your reflection on today's conversation.
00:24:35:01 - 00:24:41:05
Geoffry Mearns
Sure. Well, I appreciate that, Charlene. Thank you for joining us this morning. And thank you for what you do every day. Thank you to the university's mission.
00:24:41:05 - 00:25:06:12
Geoffry Mearns
And Abby and Wyatt, thank you also for giving us a platform to talk about the partnership between Minnetrista and between the university. I think that partnership is so important. Both institutions were founded through the generosity of the ball family. And so I think it's very important for the two of us as institutions to work together to advance their legacy of generosity and commitment to Muncie, to Delaware County and to east central Indiana.
00:25:06:13 - 00:25:12:11
Geoffry Mearns
That partnership is a natural extension of that legacy, and we're proud to participate in it. Thank you very much.
00:25:12:15 - 00:25:38:05
Abby Urban
Yeah. Well, thank you, President Mearns. And I'm Abby Urbin, and I'm Wyatt Maher. Make sure to join us next time for Cardinal Compass campus and community Conversations.
00:25:38:07 - 00:26:04:02
Unknown
At Ball State University. We welcome you as a learning partner from day one. Our students bring creativity and determination to each aspect of the learning experience, from the classroom to the community. At Ball State, we help students turn an emerging passion into an enduring purpose. Our beautiful campus, welcoming environment, immersive learning, and collaborative culture provide the ideal place for you to pursue your journey to a fulfilling career and a meaningful life.
00:26:04:06 - 00:26:06:21
Unknown
We fly. Are you ready to fly?
Geoffry Mearns
Ball State University is a proud partner of Minnetrista Museum and Gardens, one of Muncie key cultural attractions. Now, with funding from the Lilly Endowment, Minnetrista will enhance its arts and cultural opportunities for decades to come. I'm Ball State president Geoff Mearns, and this is Cardinal Compass: Campus and Community Conversations.
00:00:23:21 - 00:00:34:20
Narrator (Male)
From the campus of Ball State University on Ball State, PBS, and Indiana Public Radio. This is Cardinal Compass: Campus and Community Conversations.
00:00:34:22 - 00:01:02:01
Narrator (Female)
At Ball State University, our promise is simple to empower the success of our students. Our students benefit from immersive learning, innovative academic programs, and state of the art facilities. Ball state offers a distinctive yet affordable educational experience and the ideal environment to prepare for a fulfilling career and a meaningful life. We inspire cardinals to transform their communities, to revolutionize their industries, and to make a difference.
00:01:02:02 - 00:01:12:12
Narrator (Female)
We fly. Are you ready to fly?
00:01:12:14 - 00:01:15:12
Abby Urban
Hello and welcome to Cardinal Compass. I'm Abby Urban,
00:01:15:12 - 00:01:22:17
Abby Urban
and I'm Wyatt Maher. Over the summer, the Lilly Endowment granted miniaturist a $5 million to strengthen the museum and gardens impact.
00:01:22:18 - 00:01:28:13
Abby Urban
Kahmara Munn takes us to the museum and gardens to show us how exactly they're putting this grant to use.
00:01:28:18 - 00:01:42:06
Kahmara Munn
After being open for nearly 40 years, Minnetrista Museum and Gardens is developing a bigger and better campus experience. This is after a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Incorporated was announced back in July.
00:01:42:08 - 00:01:56:10
Kasey Davis
There was a lot of squealing and yelling and jumping up and down Minnetrista officials say part of that celebration stems from a detailed application process and describe it as more than just a simple request form.
00:01:56:12 - 00:02:11:05
Kasey Davis
It goes across teams. You're talking to facilities, you're talking to exhibitions, you're talking to programs. You're really trying to get at the heart for each individual department of what those greatest needs might be.
00:02:11:07 - 00:02:24:21
Kahmara Munn
One of the main purposes of the grant is to enhance visitor experiences, like these nature walks here at Minnetrista. I spoke with the Director of Development, Kasey Davis, and she tells me what visitors should be expecting over the next three years.
00:02:24:23 - 00:02:41:15
Kasey Davis
Part of this, with some of our renovations and accessibility improvements, is that it's simple things like some of our walk paths out by Oakhurst are not wide enough for strollers, or they're not even enough for a wheelchair.
00:02:41:16 - 00:02:57:14
Kahmara Munn
In addition to Oakhurst Gardens, the Bob Ross Experience will expand into a traveling exhibit, making stops all around the country. Minnetrista is one of twelve art museums that received funding from Lilly Endowment this year, and Davis hopes that this will shed more light on the museum.
00:02:57:15 - 00:03:04:05
Kasey Davis
I think this gives us an opportunity to really keep promoting Minnetrista and keep promoting Muncie for a long time.
00:03:04:05 - 00:03:20:05
Kahmara Munn
Community members can stay engaged and involved on upcoming projects and changes made to Minnetrista as a result of the grant through their magazine columns, which has up to date exhibition schedules and more information in Muncie, Kahmara Munn: Cardinal Compass.
00:03:20:07 - 00:03:26:06
Abby Urban
Joining us now is Minnetrista CEO Brian Statz and President Lindsey Horn. Thank you guys so much for joining us today.
00:03:26:07 - 00:03:27:11
Lindsey Horan
Thanks for having us.
00:03:27:11 - 00:03:36:06
Abby Urban
So Minnetrista is an interesting name for a museum. Can you tell us about the origins of the name and how long Minnetrista has been serving the community?
00:03:36:08 - 00:03:40:01
Abby Urban
Sure. We're not 100% sure I'll lead with that.
00:03:40:02 - 00:04:04:16
Brian Spatz
There are a couple of different stories about the Minnetrista name. When the Ball family moved to the site, the local paper said it meant “winding waters” based on a Dakota term. And so they went with that. There's also a family lore that it's a combination of the Dakota word “mní,” meaning water and the English word “tryst,” meaning gathering place.
00:04:04:16 - 00:04:26:00
Brian Spatz
So for a while, our logo or slogan was “Gathering Place by the Water.” There is a Minnetrista, Minnesota that supposedly the family visited as well. So it's a bit of a mystery. But regardless of the origin, Minnetrista the museum has been in place since 1988. So we're coming up on our 40th anniversary.
00:04:26:02 - 00:04:31:12
Wyatt Maher
Nice. Okay, so Minnetrista is located on property that was owned by the Ball family.
00:04:31:13 - 00:04:38:14
Wyatt Maher
What is it like to work on and around living history and to connect visitors to that local history?
00:04:38:16 - 00:05:02:16
Lindsey Horan
It's really an honor. I think anyone who knows Ball State or the hospital, anyone who knows Muncie, really knows that the ball family was really transformational and a catalytic force. And so to be stewards of their stories, the story of the industry that they helped to sort of bring to the forefront and their homes.
00:05:02:17 - 00:05:09:05
Lindsey Horan
It's just it's it's just fun to be able to share that with visitors and with the community every day.
00:05:09:07 - 00:05:09:16
Brian Spatz
Great.
00:05:09:17 - 00:05:21:01
Wyatt Maher
And as we mentioned earlier, Minnetrista recently received a $5 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. How did that opportunity come about, and how will those funds be used at the museum?
00:05:21:02 - 00:05:24:01
Lindsey Horan
Yeah, this is our favorite thing to talk about.
00:05:24:03 - 00:05:53:02
Lindsey Horan
I’ll be honest, y’know, over the last several years, Minnetrista has done a little bit of cultivating the Lilly Endowment. We've never necessarily known that we've fit their funding model, but we've always wanted to make sure that our community and our organization stayed on their radar. We've been engaged with the Lilly Scholars Program and had those groups come visit our campus for the last couple of years, and we've kept them on our annual report list and things like that.
00:05:53:02 - 00:06:06:10
Lindsey Horan
But really, it was an invitation. The Lilly Endowment, they created this opportunity to invest in art museums across the state. And they called us in was it? December or January
00:06:06:12 - 00:06:06:14
Brian Spatz
December.
00:06:06:14 - 00:06:24:07
Lindsey Horan
Of this year and asked us if we'd be interested in having a chat with them. And of course we said yes. And so we had an opportunity to learn a little bit more about what they were hoping to do with the funds and how to really great conversation around how transformational we thought the funds could be for Minnetrista.
00:06:24:07 - 00:06:42:22
Lindsey Horan
And so we put together a package that I guess they found compelling. So they funded us. Muncie received quite a bit of money in that round of grants. It was $6 million total with $5 million coming to us, and honestly, I don't think there's gonna be a corner of our campus that won't be touched.
00:06:42:23 - 00:06:43:13
Brian Spatz
That's fair.
00:06:43:15 - 00:07:07:09
Lindsey Horan
We'll be investing in staff development. We'll be investing in audience development, but the bulk of the money is really going into enhancing our programs, enhancing our gardens. We have historic buildings on campus that probably need a little bit of attention. And even our newer buildings, like Brian said, are almost 40 years old. And so it's a great opportunity for us to increase capacity and better serve the community.
00:07:07:10 - 00:07:30:14
Geoffry Mearns
And the state of Indiana is so fortunate to have the Lilly Endownment invest in so many programs all across the state, but they're very thoughtful about what they choose to invest in. And so it's a real testament to the quality of the programs at Minnetrista to receive that kind of investment from Lilly Endowment. The endowment also understands the intrinsic, inherent value of arts and culture, the value that it brings to a community.
00:07:30:15 - 00:07:48:00
Geoffry Mearns
They also understand that arts and culture is what attracts people to live and to stay in communities where people want to live of all ages. And so Minnetrista is a real gem for our community because they put on programs for people of all ages and not just here in Muncie, but Delaware County and all across East Central Indiana.
00:07:48:01 - 00:07:53:22
Geoffry Mearns
It's a real gem, and it will help to continue the ongoing revitalization of Muncie.
00:07:54:01 - 00:08:09:05
Abby Urban
So as you all kind of briefly mentioned, Minnetrista does offer a variety of programs, both in the community and in tandem with our university. Do any of you have a program or exhibition that you are most proud of or excited to see
00:08:09:07 - 00:08:09:18
Brian Spatz
Wanna take that?
00:08:09:22 - 00:08:41:22
Lindsey Horan
Well, I will say one of my favorite collaborations that we have with Ball State is with the Glick Hot Shop, the glass program. And glass is so important to Minnetrista. It's so important to our history. And it's incredible to me that a city, a region like East Central Indiana, that we have this opportunity for people who are just curious about the process of glass, to partner with Minnetrista, to go into one of our hot shop glassblowing classes and create any number of really cool things.
00:08:41:22 - 00:09:01:20
Lindsey Horan
And everyone who signs up for that gets paired with a Ball State student and artist who is amazing and who really knows everything about glass. And so it's just a really, that to me, that's my favorite. I have I have done the class probably three times now and I will definitely sign up again. I highly recommend it if you've never blown glass, but it's really fun.
00:09:01:22 - 00:09:03:05
Abby Urban
Brian. Do you have a favorite?
00:09:03:06 - 00:09:21:23
Brian Spatz
I do, I think as far as the programs that we do with Ball State, certainly the Freedom Bus is one of the more recent ones in Ball State, of course, had a huge hand in that. And anything. Bob Ross, I know folks at Ball State and I joke that we're kind of co-parents to Bob Ross, you know, joint custody.
00:09:21:23 - 00:09:35:07
Brian Spatz
But he meant so much to this community when he was here. And he still means so much to people all around the world, and I think it's a real blessing for us and for Ball State to be able to tell his story even today.
00:09:35:09 - 00:09:35:16
Wyatt Maher
Of course.
00:09:35:17 - 00:09:40:03
Geoffry Mearns
One of my favorite things is how they celebrate the holidays when they dress up E.B. Ball.
00:09:40:03 - 00:09:45:09
Geoffry Mearns
And then they have a variety of programs on those two nights. I think it's always the first Friday and Saturday.
00:09:45:10 - 00:09:46:02
Lindsey Horan
That's right
00:09:46:03 - 00:09:58:19
Geoffry Mearns
of December. And so that's a great opportunity, brings people from all across the community to see what resources exist there. And of course, Brian always guarantees that it's going to be about 40 degrees and dry. No snow and cold.
00:09:58:21 - 00:09:59:18
Lindsey Horan
Perfect Winter weather.
00:09:59:20 - 00:10:10:23
Geoffry Mearns
Yeah, it's a beautiful evening, and I hope if the students haven't been there, just venture. Minnetrista is less than a mile away. So walk up there and take part in that holiday celebration.
00:10:11:04 - 00:10:21:22
Wyatt Maher
Of course. So along with partnering with Minnetrista for some of its programs, in what other ways does Ball State contribute to the museum's operations?
00:10:22:00 - 00:10:42:22
Lindsey Horan
Well, what I would say is usually the first face that our visitors see is going to be a Ball State student. We have a lot of students working on campus, and frequently they're working at our ticket desk or welcoming people to the galleries. So that's really just sort of a vital way that our Ball State partnership supports the things that are happening at Minnetrista.
00:10:43:00 - 00:11:04:19
Geoffry Mearns
And of course, we've talked on other episodes of the show, what we do at the Maplewood Mansion, which is another ball family mansion, it's on the Minnetrista, campus, but it's a program that we support with Ball Memorial to help recruit and retain aspiring physicians who are being trained either at the medical school or who are training at IU Ball Memorial.
00:11:04:21 - 00:11:16:14
Geoffry Mearns
And then we're going to talk a little later in the segment about what we do in the E.B. Ball Mansion as well, and the programs that we do there that complement and coordinate the programs that Minnetrista a museum and gardens provides.
00:11:16:15 - 00:11:25:14
Abby Urban
Yeah. And this is kind of a question for all of you. What has it been like having a partnership like this between Minnetrista and Ball State?
00:11:25:16 - 00:11:47:10
Brian Spatz
Well, yeah, it's the one thing that I love of many is that Ball State are great neighbors to us on our campus. And for folks who haven't been to our campus yet, we have 40 acres. And right in the middle are two gorgeous mansions that are either owned or controlled related to Ball State. And when I got here four years ago, I wondered what that would be like.
00:11:47:10 - 00:12:02:04
Brian Spatz
But they're wonderful neighbors. It's like living in a peaceful neighborhood where you rely on each other. You communicate with each other. When we have parties, they participate in vice versa, and Ball State doesn't have to do that. But you all are wonderful neighbors to us, and we're very grateful for that.
00:12:02:09 - 00:12:04:14
Geoffry Mearns
And the partnership is so important for the community.
00:12:04:14 - 00:12:30:15
Geoffry Mearns
And of course, as you know, Minnetrista is really right across the White River from Muncie Central High School and very close to downtown. So it really brings together the kind of the three nodes of activity and arts and culture and education with the university, Minnetrista, and Muncie Central in downtown Muncie. So that partnership is natural geographically. But as we all know, in many communities, people partners can be right next to each other, but they don't work well together.
00:12:30:15 - 00:12:49:14
Geoffry Mearns
This is a good example of the strength of the community, that there's that constant spirit of what can we do together, not in competition, but in coordination and collaboration. And we know it's part of our responsibility, it's part of the legacy that we've inherited. But it's also what makes this an even more vibrant and enriched community to live in.
00:12:49:15 - 00:13:00:03
Abby Urban
Yeah. For sure. So, Brian Lindsey, you've both worked in community engagement for other public organizations. What skills from your past jobs do you carry with you into your current positions?
00:13:00:08 - 00:13:13:01
Lindsey Horan
Yeah, I, I was a fundraiser before I came to Minnetrista and that's kind of how I started at the organization. And for me, it's really the joy of fundraising and the joy of the work that we do now is about relationships.
00:13:13:01 - 00:13:24:20
Lindsey Horan
And so doing things like this, being able to build those partnerships that strengthen what we're doing and what our partners are doing. To me, that is an absolute joy to be able to do that every day in my work.
00:13:24:22 - 00:13:26:02
Abby Urban
Yeah, for sure.
00:13:26:04 - 00:13:33:14
Brian Spatz
And I worked at the Children's Museum in Indianapolis, and we were right in the middle of a residential area on the North side of Indianapolis.
00:13:33:14 - 00:13:53:00
Brian Spatz
And one thing we learned quickly was that regardless of what we brought in, whatever we produced, if we didn't have the buy in of our community, especially the neighborhoods around us, we were going to fail. So we had to be respectful of the people that shared the area with us. And, you know, we had to be imaginative in what we did.
00:13:53:00 - 00:14:04:20
Brian Spatz
And, you know, obviously put in the hard work. But I think those are lessons that carry over to what we're trying to do at Minnetrista because we know any success we have depends on our ability to
00:14:04:20 - 00:14:07:10
Brian Spatz
connect with east central Indiana.
00:14:07:12 - 00:14:16:22
Abby Urban
Yeah for sure. Well, thank you, Brian, Lindsay, so much. So for over 50 years, Ball State and Minnetrista have developed a partnership working together on community events and projects.
00:14:16:23 - 00:14:24:02
Wyatt Maher
Dylan Rosen gives us a deep dive into why this partnership has not only stayed alive, but grown throughout the years.
00:14:24:04 - 00:14:54:20
Unknown
While staying miniaturist, I took an old bus and turned it into a moving archive called the Freedom Bus. According to a professor of communication studies, Beth Messner, the response was encouraging, and so their excitement was contagious. For those of us who were serving as the tour guides or the docent for the bus project. It's not every day that a bus stops in a town with the markings of a community's contributions to the history books.
00:14:54:22 - 00:15:21:12
Unknown
We would drive down the road, you would park at a stoplight, and people would go by and stare. You'd get honks. You'd get waves. Rarely does knowledge and heritage overlap with the future to bring color to the past. When I think of community coming together in Muncie, I think of miniaturist being the spot where that happens. By making history present, we can think about the future we want to build together.
00:15:21:13 - 00:15:51:10
Unknown
Students walked away from this project. They felt a great deal of agency. They felt a great deal of connection to community. They felt their voices rising up and being heard. Ties between education and art. Paying a picture of artists who helped lay the foundation for monthly to keep moving forward. So Bob Ross legacy is actually greater since he is past and when he was alive.
00:15:51:11 - 00:16:20:16
Unknown
People just love. Bob's soft spoken this his acceptance of, you know, it's a happy little accident. Ball state PBS didn't miniaturist collaborated to share the legacy through the art of storytelling, and preserved it in living color through the bottom glass experience. Whip actually got its beginnings on the minute Trista Campus, our original home, was in the building that currently holds the Bob Ross experience.
00:16:20:18 - 00:16:41:17
Unknown
The joy of painting may have had its last stroke, but the spirit of joy is alive and well where it first blossomed. Bull come from all over the country and sometimes out of the country just to visit that exhibit, because there's such a fan of Bob. And then with the painting classes where you can learn how to paint by a certified Bob Ross instructor.
00:16:41:18 - 00:16:53:21
Unknown
The legacies left behind don't wash out over generations. The stories live on through time. A brush stroke worth a thousand words Dylan Rosenblum, Cardinal compass.
00:16:53:23 - 00:17:00:04
Abby Urban
Joining us now is chief strategy officer at Ball State University. Charlene Alexander, thank you so much for joining us today, Charlene.
00:17:00:06 - 00:17:02:02
Charlene Alexander
Thank you so much for the invitation.
00:17:02:03 - 00:17:12:18
Abby Urban
Of course. So one of the ball homes located on Minnetrista property is now the E.B. and Bertha Sea Ball Center. Can you tell us more about Ball State's history with this historic house?
00:17:12:19 - 00:17:54:07
Charlene Alexander
Sure. Our history with the house started in 1963. This would have been about six years after the death of Bertha C. ball. And it was a wonderful time where the house was actually leased to Ball State at that time. So from 1963 to 1972, that lease allowed a lot of programing to happen at the house. The house was then known as the Bertha Sea Wall Center for Art, and there was a lot of art program.
00:17:54:07 - 00:18:25:22
Charlene Alexander
People came to the house to check out all the artwork and to do some paintings at the house. So it was it was really a good it was it was a good way for us to connect with the ball family. So just as a reminder. Bertha was married to Edmund Burke Ball, who was the third ball brother, and he died in 1925 and Bertha died in 1957.
00:18:25:23 - 00:19:04:15
Charlene Alexander
So for those years, the house that empty and it was a good opportunity for the house to then release back to Ball State. And then in 1975, the Ball Brothers Foundation then donated the home to the Ball State University Foundation, and at that time, the name changed to the Minnetrista center for Nontraditional Adult Studies. And, so we had this opportunity to sort of focus on lifetime learning and the programing at the time sort of focused on that area.
00:19:04:15 - 00:19:20:16
Charlene Alexander
And then later on, the house was then renamed in 1986 to what we now refer to it as the E.B. Bertha C. Ball Center for University and Community Programing,
00:19:20:18 - 00:19:21:10
Brian Spatz
Of course.
00:19:21:11 - 00:19:21:21
Charlene Alexander
Yeah.
00:19:21:22 - 00:19:29:19
Brian Spatz
So, what is the goal of the E.B. Ball Center, and how does that goal tie into the strategic plan of Ball State University?
00:19:29:21 - 00:19:45:17
Charlene Alexander
The--the purpose of the House is to really provide very engaging and educational opportunities for both the university and the community, and there are lots of opportunities for us to do that.
00:19:45:17 - 00:20:18:08
Charlene Alexander
And and as you look at the strategic plan of the university, really there are two of our strategic goals. Our goal two focuses on lifetime learning, and goal three focuses on community engagement. Our strategic imperatives in both of those goals help us think about the ways that the community can benefit from the types of programing that happens at the house, and to to build that university community partnership.
00:20:18:08 - 00:20:30:09
Charlene Alexander
So. So I think, again, strategically, it's a really in sync with our mission and the goals that we have for the community as well.
00:20:30:11 - 00:20:47:10
Geoffry Mearns
It really is vital, as Charlene says, it is entirely consistent with two of the principal five, two of the five goals in our strategic plan about providing those lifetime learning programs, as well as being a source of an engine for--for civic development and civic vitality.
00:20:47:15 - 00:20:55:06
Abby Urban
Yeah, for sure. So you have briefly mentioned the programs, but what types of signature programs are offered annually at the Ball Center?
00:20:55:07 - 00:21:20:21
Charlene Alexander
Sure, there are many. I think what the house is really known for are the town and gown opportunities programing that happens. These are themed at times. So my some of my favorites I know are the programing that where I get to dress up and we've had like “The Great Gatsby” as a theme.
00:21:20:21 - 00:21:52:12
Charlene Alexander
And “Death on the Nile” is another theme program. So, there's the town and ground programing, but then there are programing for several of our retirees in the community who enjoy needlepoint painting. They learn about writing their own memoirs. So all of those programs are really great. Earlier, the president mentioned the holiday open house that we do in partnership with Minnetrista.
00:21:52:13 - 00:22:09:08
Charlene Alexander
That's a wonderful opportunity. And then I think our youngsters, well, not just our youngsters, several people in the community also enjoy Boo Bash, which is, you know, a wonderful opportunity. And we sometimes have as many as five thousand people coming through that home.
00:22:09:09 - 00:22:13:21
Geoffry Mearns
And I think that's going on right now up at Minnetrista the celebration of Halloween that's coming up.
00:22:13:22 - 00:22:27:04
Geoffry Mearns
I think one of the things that Charlene touched on is it's not just interesting programs. They make them really creative. The things like “The Great Gatsby” night, obviously, it was a wonderful evening and a great meal, but also there was an historic component to it.
00:22:27:08 - 00:22:27:17
Abby Urban
Correct.
00:22:27:17 - 00:22:33:00
Geoffry Mearns
So, there was a very accomplished author and historian who talked about that period
00:22:33:02 - 00:22:33:06
Abby Urban
RIght.
00:22:33:06 - 00:22:43:21
Geoffry Mearns
In English literature and in the and in the United States at that time, so that creativity brings people in to have something that’s enjoyable, that’s fun, but also that’s educational.
00:22:43:21 - 00:22:44:14
Abby Urban
For sure.
00:22:44:14 - 00:22:45:07
Brian Spatz
Of course.
00:22:45:09 - 00:22:52:10
Brian Spatz
So how does the Ball State engage? How does Ball State engage the Muncie community in the operations of the E.B. Ball Center?
00:22:52:11 - 00:23:16:18
Charlene Alexander
Sure. I'm mostly we have lots of Ball State faculty who help and volunteer at the house. We have members of the community who come in and will help with the decorating of the house. It's you know, it's a huge endeavor, but we love the enthusiasm of the community as they come in and they engage with the house.
00:23:16:20 - 00:23:30:22
Charlene Alexander
We have musicians who are singing in the house, so there are many opportunities for the for the community to engage because it's a small staff, but we need that support in order to get all the work done.
00:23:31:00 - 00:23:36:23
Geoffry Mearns
And we're essentially responsible for kind of the maintenance of the building, the maintenance of the ground. That was part of the arrangement.
00:23:36:23 - 00:23:42:05
Geoffry Mearns
When the Ball Brothers Foundation donated it to the University Foundation.
00:23:42:07 - 00:23:51:19
Abby Urban
Yeah, for sure. And, in one sentence, could you kind of talk about what do you want, future or curtain cardinals to get out of the events that are held at the ball center?
00:23:52:00 - 00:23:59:21
Geoffry Mearns
One short sentence. Go there and take part of them. Take part. As I said earlier, it's only about a half mile, maybe three quarters of a mile from campus.
00:23:59:22 - 00:24:05:13
Geoffry Mearns
Take advantage of what's happening at the E.B. Ball Center, but also take advantage of what's happening at--at Minnetrista.
00:24:05:15 - 00:24:05:22
Abby Urban
Yeah.
00:24:06:01 - 00:24:25:03
Charlene Alexander
I say it's we want them to keep focused and understand that connection to the ball family and to the university. I think that's really important. And we want them to see this as a place where they can continue learning for as long as they would like.
00:24:25:05 - 00:24:30:03
Abby Urban
Well, thank you so much, Charlene and President Mearns. That's all. We have time for that part of the discussion.
00:24:30:04 - 00:24:35:01
Brian Spatz
President Mearns, we want to give you the final minute for your reflection on today's conversation.
00:24:35:01 - 00:24:41:05
Geoffry Mearns
Sure. Well, I appreciate that, Charlene. Thank you for joining us this morning. And thank you for what you do every day. Thank you to the university's mission.
00:24:41:05 - 00:25:06:12
Geoffry Mearns
And Abby and Wyatt, thank you also for giving us a platform to talk about the partnership between Minnetrista and between the university. I think that partnership is so important. Both institutions were founded through the generosity of the ball family. And so I think it's very important for the two of us as institutions to work together to advance their legacy of generosity and commitment to Muncie, to Delaware County and to east central Indiana.
00:25:06:13 - 00:25:12:11
Geoffry Mearns
That partnership is a natural extension of that legacy, and we're proud to participate in it. Thank you very much.
00:25:12:15 - 00:25:38:05
Abby Urban
Yeah. Well, thank you, President Mearns. And I'm Abby Urbin, and I'm Wyatt Maher. Make sure to join us next time for Cardinal Compass campus and community Conversations.
00:25:38:07 - 00:26:04:02
Unknown
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00:26:04:06 - 00:26:06:21
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