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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?

Check out i.M.A.D.E. on Facebook for updates on future projects!

Bike Trail Connecting Town College and Downtown Area

Ball State University students and other Muncie, Indiana citizens are working toward building a bike trail that will connect BSU's campus and Muncie's downtown.

For this project , Muncie applied for a grant that is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. According to the linked article, this project is already beginning because Muncie has been nominated as an arts and culture district. The trail is also supposed to travel through Minnetrista, a culture and art center, and Heekin Park. Perhaps because the trail has not been completely mapped out, the map of the trail below, provided by Ball State's Daily News, does not contain many details and seems a bit vague.

Photo from Ball State Daily News

This is an interesting finding in light of some recent conversations I have had with others about finding ways to connect the communities of Muncie and Ball State University and make the town of Muncie more bike friendly. BSU is often seen as its own town and separate from the town of Muncie, but with this new bike trail, hopefully, new connections between the citizens of Muncie and BSU students will occur. Students will be able to travel downtown more easily, particularly, if they do not have a car, and the people of Muncie may feel more welcome to pass through BSU's campus.

Beneficence

"If you kiss your one true love in front of Beneficence with your eyes closed, her wings flutter. But it has to be your true love and you can’t open your eyes because if you do, Benny won't do it.”

You may be trying to identify where your confusion lies since it is very likely that you have no idea what Benny is, so let’s begin with Webster and a working definition of sorts.

beneficence- noun

1. the act of doing good; active goodness or kindness; charity.

2. a statue/ space on campus, an icon, and the symbol of Ball State Unviersity.

3. sister of the Lincoln Memorial and other works created by Daniel Chester French.

Beneficence is an elegant statue located in the quad on Ball State University’s campus. “Benny” as the statue has come to be  known since her dedication in the 1930s is unique to the campus of Ball State University functioning as the university’s symbol, and a landmark on campus. According to Benny: A History Of Beneficence, a special archives collection at Bracken Library, the statue is iconic; without a doubt, Beneficence continues to maintain the legacy of the Ball family for whose honor she was erected as a gift from the Muncie Chamber of Commerce to honor the Ball family’s philanthropic dedication in the community.

What many do not realize is that a walk over to the quad to see Beneficence or have lunch in front of Benny is a link from Muncie to the rest of the world. Daniel Chester French, who was commissioned to design Benificence also created the Lincoln Memorial, the Minuteman at Concord, and George Washington in Paris; this and more details on his career and contributions to BSU can be found in Benny: A History Of Beneficence.

Benny: A History Of Beneficence states, “He [French] titled his work Beneficence, which he felt aptly described the feelings of the community and the actions of the Ball brothers. Finally erected in the midst of the Great Depression, Beneficence has become a chief icon of the University, and it symbolizes the selflessness of the Ball family in their affection for the community. The statue was the last piece French created before his death. Benny: A History Of Beneficence, “He intently studied the Ball brothers with the objective of attaining a concept for a sculpture that would accurately embody these great men.” Certainly French understood the Ball’s commitment to philanthropy.

While Benny's lasting impressions as a symbol for the university will outlive all of us, it is important to note that without placing her along the edge of the quad, the physical manifestation of the Ball’s legacy would not be what it is today. Sure, she is a symbol students come in contact with daily through ads and paperwork, but until we stand in front of her and gaze upward, we cannot truly experience that which is Benificence. 

It seems too that there is a distinction between Beneficence the icon, and Benny the friendly being.I take a trip to visit her every Fall when I return to campus and each Spring when the weather turns. I would suggest you do the same. Benny is a familiar face, and is referenced in conversation by students like a friend. She is more than another landmark on campus. A bronze statue’s impression on students has even created the folklore which I began with. . ."If you kiss your one true love in front of Beneficence with your eyes closed her wings flutter. But it has to be your true love and you can’t open your eyes because if you do, Benny won't do it if you do.” I've never seen her wings flap, but am considering giving it a try myself before I graduate. 

Beneficence is a statue and a being. Out of this space on campus, an icon has been born.

Bracken Library Special Archives: Benny: A History Of Beneficence

Photos: Courtesy of Beth Simmons and D.Liv

On Organizing Space - Both Physical and Virtual

How does the way we organize space influence the way we use technology? 

In "Life on the Gridiron," a chapter in James Kunstler's book The Geography of Nowhere, the author criticizes how our space is organized. From the first settlements in The New World to the island of Manhattan, space has typically been organized into evenly divided squares or blocks. Kunstler is obviously disconcerted by this phenomenon. However, I don't see the problem with it. It seems logical to me, just as it probably did to those early settlers, who had lots of land that needed to be divvied up. 

I am a very organized person, so straight roads lined with equal-sized plots of land is appealing to me. For example, take a look at this GoogleMap satellite view of Muncie:

And Muncie probably isn't even the best example of this type of division of space. Due to natural formations like the White River, some areas aren't as linearly divided as others. 

While thinking about the organization of actual space, I realized that it is similar to how we organize virtual space, like our computer files.

Of course, there are three organization options - the list, columns, or (pictured above) icons. All three very linear and logically organized. So, it would seem that the way we organize the space we inhabit has influenced the way we construct technological, virtual space.  

BUT the way we organize and interact with technology, specifically computers, is rapidly changing. Take a look at this video from the 2006 TED Talks:

The speaker is demonstrating what he says is a more "intuitive" way to interact with your computer. The multitouch technology allows users to manipulate objects on the screen without using a mouse. I found it interesting that he repeatedly said this state-of-the-art technology is intuitive. He said it wouldn't require a manual and "it is exactly what you would kind of expect, especially if you haven't interacted with a computer before." So, someone who has never encountered a computer could approach this technology and use it successfully with no help or training. 

Now, I have messed around on the Microsoft Surface in Bracken Library, and it doesn't seem intuitive to me. It's fun, that's for sure, but I don't know that I could use it to it's full potential without some kind of training. But could that be because of the structured, linear way of organization that has been ingrained in me since childhood (from the numbered county road I lived on to the computers I used at school)? 

Perhaps new technology will change that way we think about organizing our actual, physical space. Apparently, intuition trumps logic. 

(in my opinion) the coolest campus office you know nothing about

Three years ago I got a job at as a student administrative assistant at an office I have never heard of at Ball State University - The Center for Media Design. I now sit there in the afternoons and listen to campus tours guides give inaccurate, incomplete or no information at all on what I think is one of the most interesting places of business on campus.

The basic facts to know are that the Center for Media Design, or the CMD, is a non-departmental office (meaning they give no degrees) funded by a second 20million dollar Lily Endowment Grant: The Digital Exchange.

But this doesn't answer the simple question of exactly what is done in this elusive office in the Ball Communication Building. The purpose of the CMD is to explore digital media, what it is and how it will impact how we live, learn, work and play. Simply put we’re here to explore and immerse ourselves and students in emerging media.

What I think makes the office unique, though, is how its space is used.

When you walk by the front windows you will see a plethora of screens, a Wii and one of 3 Microsoft Surfaces on campus - all of which you can come in to watch and play with. Though the main CMD office acts as the home for the Administrative branch and the Insight and Research unit, it doesn't feel like an office - its not stuffy or comprised of cubicles in an Office Space-like environment. The space itself is not what you'd expect as you round the corner past the reception area - an open layout with high ceilings and a mezzanine where Insight and Research works on observation studies with industry partners like the Neilsen's Council for Research Excellence and usability studies for digital screen designs.

Insight and Research is not the only institute under the CMD Administrative arm. There are 3 Immersive Learning Institutes and the Digital Corps, which are housed in offices and labs throughout Ball State in the CAP building, Muncie downtown at Mitchell Place and at the Ball State Indy Center . These previously mentioned immersive learning institutes allow students to get hands on experience in their field of interest.

That to me is one of the best parts of the Center for Media Design: the discourse and environment that helps to make a different atmosphere. Robert Sack discusses how the rules of conduct determine how a space is used (like in museums – look but don’t touch!) in his 1993 article, The Power of Place and Space. But here at the CMD we are not a museum; we encourage being hands on, getting involved and please, touch! What good would a Wii and a Surface be if you couldn’t play with them? What good would an education be if you didn’t get the hands on experience?

So lets recap some of the reasons why the CMD has, what I think to be, an awesome use of space that we should see more of in Muncie.

1. From the minute you walk into the reception area all the way around the office to the Emerging Media space on the other side this space does not feel like an office, yet it is a place of business on campus that is getting some unique work done.

2. 5 different institutes spread across campus and Muncie all connected through one main office – all communicating and getting that previously mentioned unique work done.

3. Allowing students to immerse themselves in projects whether it be working on an independent film, learning new software or working in digital fabrication- its a hands on place. Don't be afraid to touch and get involved, the rules here are different!

Walk With God

How do you get to church?

The question occurred to me the other day, while I was examining the distribution of churches in my hometown of Newburgh, IN.

While not particularly spread out, most of these churches are actually located near the commercial areas of town, right on the edge of the major subdivisions. No one I know ever considers walking or biking to church in Newburgh.

(As far as non-Christians go, forget about it. The newly-built Hindu Temple is on the far eastern outskirts of town, surrounded by farms. The new Mosque is being built on the far West side, practically in Evansville [smack in the middle of the entirely commercial Lloyd Expressway corridor] and the Jewish Temple is on the south-west side of town, a decent distance from most residential areas, and certainly not walkable for any of the area's Jews. This literal banishment of non-Christians to the fringe of town is significant, but outside the scope of this post)

Muncie, being much more like a real city than sleepy, suburban Newburgh, is more densely packed with churches.

Furthermore, many churches are located in the middle of residential areas, making transport much more convenient. Despite Muncie's orientation towards the automobile, it should, in theory, be much easier for Muncie's faithful to make it to their place of worship without driving.

My question, then, is this. How many of church-goers out there walk or bike to services (weather permitting)? How many could? Does geographical proximity even play a factor in deciding where to go?

(Full Disclosure: I don't attend any religious services)

[All maps Google]