The art scene is not one that has been lost on Muncie residents.
In the downtown area of Muncie alone, there are nine art galleries displaying a variety of art mediums.
Ball State currently has two art galleries on its campus. The Ball State University Art Gallery located in the Atrium showcases student and faculty artwork for the public to view and serves as an educational benefit to the university community. Another venue for art galleries is the Ball State Museum of Art; although the museum does not showcase current local artists' work, the museum is filled with 11 different art collections and even features some pieces exclusively from members of the Ball family. With residents and students becoming more interested in the local art galleries of Muncie, one wonders if small town art is taking on a life of its own.
Many small towns and cities are struggling with deterioration, under-utilized facilities and the destruction of historic buildings in their downtown area. Big city competition is not the only cause.
Bringing art galleries into small towns' flow of life is a recent trend that has sprung up across America to attract tourists and bring more vibrancy to dilapidated areas. It was only in December of 2000, when Muncie's downtown began to get a revitalized look, that the first downtown art gallery opened.
Not every gallery houses traditional art in downtown Muncie, 111 Arts Gallery doubles as a tattoo parlor and an art gallery. Serving as an alternative route for artists to express themselves with permanent ink is what makes this specific gallery so unique. To have people walk out of the shop and display an artists' work on their body is true advertisement at its best.
Artworks Gallery, located downtown, also features a variety of one-of-a-kind creations by local artists. Such creations include handmade jewelry, paintings, fiber art, glass, pottery, sculpture, handmade paper and novelties.
Two major factors that contributed to artists and art professionals' move away from metropolitan areas to smaller towns are affordability and a strong sense of community. Cornerstone Center for the Arts and Gallery 308, both located in downtown Muncie, are community-centered facilities and draw most of their support from nonprofit organizations as well as volunteers.
Just recently Cornerstone added an artist gallery on its second floor to showcase artist from Anderson, Fort Wayne and Muncie, just to name a few local places. In addition, Cornerstone is known for its various performing arts programs, pottery, ceramic and jewelry classes, which are available to everyone in the Muncie community.
Fort Wayne, Anderson and New Castle are well on their way to becoming art towns.
Anderson features The Anderson Center for the Arts, which provides outreach programming to seniors in assisted living communities and nursing homes through a program called Senior Exploration in Art. The center also works with other arts organizations in Madison County to provide events for the community, such as Winterfest, Pow Wow and more.
In the small town of New Castle, the Henry County Art Center is the main point of recreational art. A nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers, the Henry County Art Center features 12 different workshops, exhibits, classes, films and educational videos a year in which both children and adults are able to participate.
With the popularity of art galleries, museums and restaurants featuring art, it is now a question of where the next trend for small towns will come from.
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