Changing the face of the White River in Muncie
Students of Ball State University often joke about having to live in Muncie. But I feel that in poking-fun at where we live, we often times forget or overlook the good things we have here. Ball State's campus and Muncie as a whole have a lot of green space in both the shape of open lots, quads and the public park along White River.
I posted previously about one of the Center for Media Design's 3 Immersive Learning Institutes, the Institute for Digital Fabrication (IDF). They recently finished a project called reBarn in which they did two things I think are worth mentioning: Firstly, they made found a new use out of donated barn wood from a local "Pennsylvania-style" barn. And secondly, they used it to change the space along the White River in Muncie's West Side Park.
The students over at IDF did what they do best by making a 3D model in Rhino, taking advantage of the unique aspects of the wood, leaving the history of it intact. After cutting and partial assembly (read more on the iMADE project site for details on the process) they assembled the piece, finishing it this weekend.
Muncie now has a new unique piece of functional and recreational art. The IDF students not only repurposed the materials, but they changed a small space in Muncie. Now there is a new reason to go to the park along the White River - its not just open green spaces, its a space that promotes recreational use beyond running along and fishing in the river.
Who says there aren't cool things happening in Muncie?
