Indiana Landmarks honors CAP Center for Historic Preservation in Muncie for their preservation work
By Indiana Landmarks—
MUNCIE, IN—Recruiting the next generation to care about historic places and community heritage can require outside-the-box thinking. In Muncie, children ages 9-12 sculpted building façades in clay, trained camera lenses on column capitals, and practiced building landmarks of their own as part of the Time Travelers program, a workshop series organized by the Ball State CAP Center for Historic Preservation.
Through scavenger hunts and walking tours of downtown, students discovered local landmarks in a new way, learning about architectural details and taking photographs to re-create them in clay. Back at their home base at Madjax, a maker-space located in a historic factory, students explored the building looking for clues to how it developed over time—learning how wood, brick, and stone served as building materials. To test their new-found knowledge of architectural styles and historic details, the Time Travelers took guided tours of the Cornerstone Center for the Arts and the Emily Kimbrough House and neighborhood.
“Kids are sponges. After the program, my sons would point out buildings around downtown, noting architectural details such as turrets and keystones. This made me realize they were seeing their surroundings in a new way,” says Megan Dee Berland, whose sons Owen and Simon participated in the program. “Our family travels quite a bit and they would connect Muncie’s architecture to other cities around the world, both empowered by their knowledge and proud of their hometown.”
“I believe how a community values ‘place’ is intrinsically linked to the health of that given place,” says J.P. Hall, associate professor and leader of the program. “By encouraging students to look around and see what they encounter every day in a different light, we’re planting the seeds about the importance of architecture, design, community, and making quality places.”
About Indiana Landmarks
Indiana Landmarks revitalizes communities, strengthens connections to our diverse heritage, and saves meaningful places. With nine offices located throughout the state, Indiana Landmarks helps people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns. People who join Indiana Landmarks receive its bimonthly magazine, Indiana Preservation. For more information on the not-for-profit organization, call 317-639-4534, 800-450-4534, or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.
As winner of the youth-serving category, the Ball State CAP Center for Historic Preservation receives $1,000. The Center will receive Evansville artist John McNaughton’s original sculpture “No Doors to Lock Out the Past,” at Indiana Landmarks’ Annual Meeting on September 7.
https://www.indianalandmarks.org/2024/06/groups-in-fox-lake-muncie-honored-for-preservation-work/
https://www.indianalandmarks.org/our-work/awards/servaas-memorial-award/
