The kilns are heated and the molten glass is ready for new creations at the Marilyn K. Glick Center for Glass.
Opening for instruction with the start of the Fall Semester, the center is Ball State's newest educational facility.
The building has brought national attention, especially in the glass world. While other schools have glass programs, Ball State is one of two schools in the nation opening a facility this year specifically designed for glassworking.
With more than 30 students enrolled in classes at the center, many students are still on a waiting list to get a spot in the courses.
"It's awesome," said Ben Johnson, graduate student and studio assistant. "There are not many glass studios throughout the country at a university setting that are meant to be a glass studio."
Studio manager Mike Hernandez, who was hired by Ball State this year with the new studio in mind, said he's pleased with the new building.
"I think it's great," Hernandez said. "We have everything we need. The studio is running well."
With a new program, the focuses for students and faculty may be different than an older program.
"As a grad student, if you went to another program, you would probably be fixing more stuff or building new equipment," Johnson said. "When everything is new, you are more developing the new, you are more developing the program."
To build the program into the future, staff and students are already forming ideas to place new equipment and to expand offerings in the curriculum.
"It is an ongoing process," Hernandez said.
Though the building and the kilns are operational, the front entrance is currently closed. The terrazzo entrance is not completed and the atrium display cases are not yet placed. There are also some minor facility touch ups that need to be finished as well, Hernandez said.
"We still have contractors working in here," he said.
He said the building is expected to be mostly finished in the next week.
When the building is completed, the outside will look quite different than many of the older facilities on campus. The landscaping was designed to utilize wild grasses and plants.
Though the inside of the building isn't quite ready for visitors, the program is fully underway. Assistant professor Brent Cole said he is pleased with the whole situation and spoke of the future of the program.
"We would like to pay service to the fact that Ball State was founded on a glass industry and really be accessible to the community as a resource for that history," Cole said.
This might include summer and weekend courses for the Muncie community.
"We're trying to get the word out," Cole said. "We've talked to several people, even people on staff, whose family used to be part of the glass industry, that are really interested in coming over and seeing what's going on here."
Ben Hancock, vice president for University Advancement, said the center happened after Ball State received a $5 million grant from the Glick Fund, a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation established by Marilyn and Eugene Glick.
"We have been very grateful for the level of support and enthusiasm by so many individuals, including Marianne Glick, Ball State trustee, and many community partners and individuals who have made special gifts to the project," Hancock said. "We are looking forward to the dedication of the Glick Center on Sept. 29, as it will provide an opportunity to thank the Glick family as well as those donors who have helped make this facility and the glass program at Ball State possible."
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