Tag: arts and culture

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Spring 2020 Ball State Immersive Learning Projects

Ball State faculty, students, and community partners worked together this spring on a number of immersive learning projects in and around Muncie.

Academy of Model Aeronautics Video Project
Faculty Mentors: Tim Pollard, Department of Telecommunications; Suzanne Plesha, Office of Immersive Learning
Community Partner: Academy of Model Aeronautics

Assigning the Living Quality of Muncie Neighborhoods Using Remote Sensing and GIS
Faculty Mentor:  Jason Yang, Department of Geography
Community Partner:  Muncie Action Plan

Beneficence Records (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Daniel Porter, Department of Music Media Production
Community Partner:  Indiana Public Radio

Capturing “The Big Idea”
Faculty Mentor: Melinda Messineo, Department of Sociology
Community Partner: Second Harvest Food Bank

Geospatial Design Laboratory
Faculty Mentor: Jörn Seemann, Department of Geography
Community Partner: Muncie Visitors Bureau

Halteman Park Landscape Architecture Studio Project
Faculty Mentors:  Chris Baas, Jeremy Merrill, J.P. Hall; Department of Landscape Architecture
Community Partners:  Halteman Village Neighborhood Association, City of Muncie, Muncie Parks Department

Human Rights Symposium
Faculty Mentor: Ruby Cain, Department of Educational Studies
Community Partners: City of Muncie Human Rights Commission, Industry Neighborhood Association, Whitely Community Council, Muncie Public Library, Muncie Housing Authority, It Is Well With My Soul, DePaul University School of New Learning and Service Engagement Projects, Northeast Indiana Workers Project, Inc.

i-Made (Indiana Made) Muncie:  Custom Fabricated Design-through-Production (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Kevin Klinger, Department of Architecture
Community Partners:  Indiana Hardwoods (IHLA), Midwest Metals, Minnetrista, Mobile Market

The Junior Producers Club
Faculty Mentor:  Christoph Thompson, School of Music
Community Partners:  Boys and Girls Club, Buley Community Center

Muncie Neighborhood Visual Identity Design (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Shantanu Suman, School of Art
Community Partners:  Building Better Neighborhoods, Muncie Action Plan

Preserving the Past and Looking Toward the Future:  Historic Preservation and Digital Storytelling for a Muncie Landmark Church
Faculty Mentor:  Peggy Fisher, Department of Communication Studies
Community Partner:  St. Mary Catholic Church

Renovation of Residential Structures
Faculty Mentor: Janet Fick, Department of Construction Management and Interior Design
Community Partners: ecoREHAB, Urban Light, and Brothers 2 Brothers

Sustainable Muncie Project:  Assessing Sustainability for the City of Muncie
Faculty Mentor:  Sanglim Yoo, Department of Urban Planning
Community Partner: Muncie Action Plan

Teen Dating Violence
Faculty Mentor: Ron Dolon, Department of Social Work
Community Partner: A Better Way

Tourist Maps for Muncie and Delaware County
Faculty Mentor: Jörn Seemann, Department of Geography
Community Partner: Muncie Visitors Bureau

Urban Health in Muncie, IN:  Pb in the Soils (ongoing)
Faculty Mentors:  Carolyn Dowling, Department of Geological Sciences; Jessi Haeft, Department
of Natural Resources and Environment Management
Community Partner:  United Way of Delaware County

Well Connected 
Faculty Mentor:  Jane Ellery, School of Kinesiology
Community Partners:  Muncie Action Plan, Future of Work/Sustainable Muncie, George and Frances Ball Foundation

Working with the Whitely Community to Identify Needs and Resources of Men who are Reentering the Community After Periods of Incarceration
Faculty Mentor:  Keisha Warren-Gordon, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology
Community Partner:  Whitely Community Council

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Preserving the Past and Looking Toward the Future: Historic Preservation and Digital Storytelling for a Muncie Landmark Church

Churches play a significant role in the lives of Muncie residents, and every church has a story worth preserving. St. Mary Catholic Church located on West Jackson, held its first mass on December 8, 1930. Then, the parish had 100 families. Today, the church campus has grown and the  community is now made up of approximately 700 registered families. Although the parish has kept an extensive collection of historical records, photos, and other memorabilia dating back to the 1930s, many of their stories had gone untold. The goal of this year-long, immersive project was to assist St. Mary Church with a variety of storytelling initiatives. Students conducted interviews, filmed and produced a series of seven short videos covering topics such as the grounds, the stained-glass windows, and church architecture.  The students are also publishing a photo book that incorporates augmented reality so that the photos can tell stories of their own.

Faculty Mentor: Peggy Fisher
Department: Communication Studies
Community Partners: St. Mary Catholic Church
Students: Scott Anderson, Nathan Guide, Abigail Huff, Elli Mott, Zach Neitzel, Avonlea Schnitzius, Cameron Toner

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Fall 2019 Ball State Immersive Learning Projects

Ball State faculty, students, and community partners worked together this Fall on a number of immersive learning projects in and around Muncie.

Beneficence Records (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Daniel Porter, School of Music
Community Partner:  Indiana Public Radio

Campus Sexual Assault and Rape Culture in the Age of #MeToo 
Faculty Fellow:  Jill Christman, Department of English
Community Partner:  Jana’s Campaign and The Facing Project

Computer Science for Middle Schoolers (CS4MS) (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Dave Largent, Department of Computer Science
Community Partners:  Burris Laboratory School, Muncie Central High School, Northside Middle School

i-Made (Indiana Made) Muncie:  Custom Fabricated Design-through-Production (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Kevin Klinger, Department of Architecture
Community Partners:  Indiana Hardwoods (IHLA), Midwest Metals, Minnetrista, Mobile Market

The Junior Producers Club
Faculty Mentor:  Christoph Thompson, School of Music
Community Partners:  Boys and Girls Club, Buley Community Center

Makerspaces as an Opportunity to Cultivate and Reinforce Cultural Identity in Post-Industrial Cities 
Faculty Fellow:  Laura Romano, Department of English
Community Partner:  Muncie Arts and Culture Council

Muncie Micro-Cinema
Faculty Mentor:  Maura Jasper, School of Art
Community Partner:  Muncie Arts and Culture Council

Muncie Neighborhood Visual Identity Design (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Shantanu Suman, School of Art
Community Partners:  Building Better Neighborhoods, Muncie Action Plan

Preserving the Past and Looking Toward the Future:  Historic Preservation and Digital Storytelling for a Muncie Landmark Church
Faculty Mentor:  Peggy Fisher, Department of Communication Studies
Community Partner:  St. Mary Church

Reconstructed Early Language and Literacy Learning: Addressing school readiness through critically conscious listening centers
Faculty Mentors:  Emily Hoffman, Department of Early Childhood, Youth and Family Studies; Kristin Cipollone, Department of Elementary Education
Community Partner:  Huffer Memorial Children’s Center

Resiliency Plan for Muncie
Faculty Mentor: Michael Burayidi, Department of Urban Planning
Community Partner: City of Muncie

Sitting at the Feet of our Muncie Elders:  Stories of Resistance and Resiliency
Faculty Mentor: Darolyn “Lyn” Jones
Community Partner: Westminster Village, Muncie Delaware County Senior Center, Moth Danner and YART (Yard Sale for Art).

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Cultural Identities and Community Engagement

In this project, students explored the intersectionality of cultural identities, history and impact of structural racism, positionality of race, and strategies for promoting inclusion and civic engagement through family and history research, presentations, oral storytelling, and the development of traveling exhibits. Students worked along with community members to develop and administer Talking Race Human Library in Muncie, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Indianapolis, using the book, Facing Racism, as a resource. The course is designed as an interactive seminar to foster student discussion, discover family histories, and promote community involvement. The course is constructed from curriculum developed in the community program; It is Well With My Soul.

Faculty Mentor: Ruby Cain
Department: Educational Studies
Community Partners: Human Library Fort Wayne, Muncie Public Library, Purdue University Fort Wayne, It Is Well With My Soul, Whitely Community Council, Industry Neighborhood, Fort Wayne Urban League
Students: Adriana Arthur, Molly Boso, Vashon Broadnax,
Kara Duquette, Kizmin Jones, Lamaiya Lancaster, Alexis McKenzie, Ellen Sauer, Audrey Whitson

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Children Facing Challenges Literature Project

Students enrolled in a two-course practicum partnered with Wes Del Elementary and learned about life-challenges faced by children in the Muncie community. Areas of research involved such difficult topics as food insecurity, child neglect, divorce, drug addiction, in addition to other challenges. Ball State students then evaluated and selected children’s literature that provides support to these children and the immediate community. Supportive text-related activities were developed around book selections and students worked within the school to provide in-service training for the curriculum. Finally, they worked to determine the impact of the project on the school community and the students themselves.

Faculty Mentor: Carolyn Hitchens
Departments: Elementary Education
Community Partners: Wes Del Elementary
Students: Natalie Carder, Julia Coons, Dannielle Delee, Courtney Eck, Audrey Gemberling, Lauryn Gray, Hannah Hewson, Jessica Howell, Chrissy Kennedy, Kelsey Kincanon, Megan Marchal, Anna Portwood, Mackenzie Sheets, Riley Worden

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Muncie Mystery! – June 6, 2019

Muncie’s first, First Thursday Mystery was a huge success; if you missed it, we hope to see you next year! Check out the video below to find out who ‘dun it!

A serious (and pretend) crime been committed in Downtown Muncie! We are calling on all citizen sleuths to participate in a real-life Clue game as part of the First Thursday festivities on June 6.

Between 5 and 6:30 pm, visit ten participating downtown businesses for clues about suspects and weapons. At each location, you will have the chance to answer a Muncie trivia question to learn more about our city, complements of the Delaware County Historical Society.

The guilty party and facts about the case will be revealed at Muncie Civic Theatre at 7:00 pm. Sleuths who correctly identify the perpetrator and weapon will be entered into a drawing for great prizes, including an overnight stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Muncie at Horizon Convention Center, Muncie Civic Theatre tickets, a Silver Crystal Pendant from Pazols Jewelers, and more! (Must be present to win.)

Download your crime tracker and plan your investigation!

Follow the event on Facebook to stay up to date and learn more! 

Event partners: Downtown Muncie, Muncie Civic Theatre, Indiana Public Radio, WIPB-TV, Ball State Office of Community Engagement, Muncie Neighborhoods, and Delaware County Historical Society

Participating businesses: Debbie’s Handmade Soap, The Hayloft Boutique, Twin Archer Brewpub, Mulberry Street Uniques, Aw Yeah Comics- Muncie, Vintage Shoppe Thrift & Gift, Intersection, Olive & Slate, Muncie Map Co.