We have accepted a challenge from
David T. Owsley, Frank C. Ball’s grandson and an art historian, curator, and collector.
Owsley is committed to leaving the majority of his art collection to the
Ball State Museum of Art with the understanding that the university will increase the amount of gallery space available. We estimate renovations will cost $5 million and need the
support of friends and alumni like you.
Making more of the
museum’s collection available will further enrich our vibrant campus and strengthen our meaningful connections with the community. Expansion will boost our visitors’ experience as well as increase educational opportunities and outreach programs.
The museum is an educational resource for everyone. Nearly 11,000 works of art are available for display, some of which have been loaned for major exhibitions at other museums, including the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Here are a few of the benefits
your gift to the museum would allow:
- opening of four more galleries in 2013, providing a total of nearly 25,000 square feet for exhibitions
- an additional 7,450 square feet of exhibition space, over one-third more than what is currently available
- 22 naming opportunities, including the new and existing galleries, the sculpture court, recital hall, vestibule, and Riverside foyer
- development of the collection to be completed systematically.
“I was mesmerized by the caliber of artwork here at Ball State," says Joshua Schum, who earned a master’s degree in telecommunications.
"It is surprising that all this wonderful artwork is here on campus and that you could visit for free. You wouldn’t expect a university art museum to have this kind of stuff. Now, having worked here two years as a graduate assistant, I’ve seen firsthand how space is definitely needed. I didn’t realize how much more art is in storage than on display. There are all sorts of treasures waiting to be displayed right now.”
Download a booklet [PDF] about the Ball State Museum of Art.