Pizza and Place: Cultural Neighborhood Mapping

A room full of people sitting at tables with two speakers standing up. They are discussing cultural mapping

September 27th from 6-7:30 p.m.

Join us for a family-friendly event at Madjax Makerforce on East Main Street.

Cultural mapping is a process of drawing and visualizing a place, its landmarks, and traditions. It helps people understand the significance of their neighborhood, heritage, and the richness of the cultural landscape they live in. It’s also just fun to doodle.

Through mapping and drawing from memory, we learn about places, heritage, history, cultural traditions, and significant places in our neighborhoods and Muncie. By creating a visual representation of our neighborhoods, we can better understand and appreciate the richness of our community’s culture. It can also point to challenges too.

Additionally, cultural mapping can be used as a tool for preserving cultural heritage. We can learn about the importance of preserving landmarks, sites, and the role they can play in creating community attachment over time.

Join us at Madjax Makerforce and let’s celebrate the diverse cultures that make our neighborhoods thrive! We will eat pizza too!

Organized by: J.P. Hall, College of Architecture and Planning

The free Neighborhoods Pool Party Tuesday at Tuhey Park made quite a splash with families!

The event was hosted by Muncie Action Plan, with help from Ball State University’s Office of Community Engagement, Shafer Leadership Academy, Woof Boom Radio, and the City of Muncie. 

When they weren’t in the pool, partygoers played yard games and “Muncie Bingo,” and enjoyed pizza, beverages, and popsicles. Kids received some cool summertime swag – beach balls and bubbles. 

Prizes for the bingo winners included Minnetrista memberships, Holiday World passes, WLBC totes, and more! And parents and caregivers received the gift of very sleepy kiddos after a high-energy evening.

Halteman Neighborhood Spotlight

Photo of park sign

The expansion of Halteman Park into a Multi-generational Recreational Space project has reached Phase Two. The work will continue to serve as a model for other placemaking endeavors around the city. Click here to learn more about Phase One and how to get involved with Phase Two.

Photo of JP Hall provided by MAP

J.P. Hall, BSU Assistant Professor of Historic Preservation and Associate Chair, recently received the 2023 David Sursa Leadership Award for the impact on Halteman Village and the Muncie community as a whole. 

Neighborhoods USA Conference Recognizes Muncie

Photo of team that attended the conference to accept the award.

The Muncie team that traveled to the Neighborhoods USA (NUSA) Conference returned with an award, great feedback, and some wonderful neighborhood ideas.

The 48th annual conference, which brings together people/organizations committed to building and strengthening neighborhoods, was held in El Paso, Texas, May 24-27.

The team featured Heather Williams, Ball State Office of Community Engagement associate director and manager of the Building Better Communities Initiative; Krista Flynn, OCE program coordinator and MAP member; Megan “Mo” Orbin of MAP; Mitch Isaacs (executive director of Shafer Leadership Academy, MAP board president), and Dustin Clark (City of Muncie).

They placed fifth in Regional Best Neighborhood Program in the Social Revitalization/Neighborliness category for the IDEA Conference, which brings together leaders representing Muncie’s neighborhoods to develop and strengthen community-building skills.

“I learned that we are a part of a vast national effort to revitalize communities at the grassroots level. It’s not just Muncie that seeks to engage residents; it’s a movement happening across the county, ” Mitch said. “Judges and NUSA board members both commented on our passion for the IDEA Conference. They could tell we love the conference and believe in the impact it has on neighborhood leaders!”

Williams, Flynn, and Orbin also presented “Neighborhoods ARP Funding: Participatory Budgeting in Action” at the conference.

A description of the presentation from the NUSA program described it this way: “The City of Muncie, IN, allocated $1 million to help combat the effects of COVID-19 within Muncie’s neighborhoods. The process that developed to ensure the equitable distribution of those funds focused on residents’ voices and meeting the needs of each individual neighborhood association.”

Krista said it was “exciting to share how Muncie is utilizing the ARP funds.” ”Several folks from our session stayed after to ask more in-depth questions on how they can do the same in their community,” she added. Neighborhoods, USA (NUSA) is a national, non-profit organization committed to building and strengthening neighborhood organizations. Created in 1975 to share information and experiences used to build stronger communities, NUSA continues to encourage networking and information-sharing to facilitate the development of partnerships among neighborhood organizations, government, and the private sector for the ultimate goal of strengthening every neighborhood.

Kindness Rocks at Be My Neighbor Day

Four colorful baskets, each labeled with a different location, sit in the grass. Each contains many decorated rocks.

Building Better Neighborhoods hosted a booth at this year’s Be My Neighbor Day on June 10th, asking families to paint a rock and then choose where in the community they want it placed. These “Kindness Rocks” with their little pops of color and inspirational quotes are meant to brighten the day of those who find them. You can see these bright additions at Heekin Park’s Memory Spiral, Canon Commons, various MITS bus stops, the Cardinal Greenway Trailhead, Minnetrista’s Children’s Garden, and Westside Park. 

Be My Neighbor Day returns June 10 to downtown Muncie

Two little girls hold signs saying why they love Muncie nexted to a graphic with information on Be My Neighbor Day

Welcome back, Neighbors!

MUNCIE – Won’t you be our neighbor?

Ball State PBS’s Be My Neighbor Day is returning to downtown Muncie!

Join Daniel Tiger for an afternoon of free fun 1-4 p.m. Saturday, June 10, at Canan Commons. The event will also include more than 20 booths (neighbors) offering hands-on activities – from sunflower planting to rock painting to puppet making – for the whole family.

This will be the first in-person Be My Neighbor Day since 2019 (the fifth anniversary) and the start of the pandemic (in 2020).

“We are so excited to bring Be My Neighbor Day back as an in-person event this summer,” said Dr. Phil Hoffman, General Manager of Ball State PBS. “We have really missed seeing all of our neighbors together, enjoying a beautiful day in the neighborhood!”

Highlights:

  • Meet Daniel Tiger!
  • Dance along to music by the Atomic Sharks!
  • Visit our great neighbors from arts organizations, community centers and other awesome non-profit groups!
  • Enjoy performances by Muncie Ballet and Youth Symphony Orchestra, too!
  • Pick up your very own Be My Neighbor Day tote bag packed with goodies!

Based on the animated PBS KIDS show “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” and with a nod to “Mister Rogers Neighborhood,” this event focuses on the importance of being neighborly.

Be My Neighbor Day is presented by Ball State PBS, Midas, and the Ball State Office of Community Engagement, with major support from Wilhoite Family Dental, Lifestream Services, The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inspire Academy, and Heart of Indiana United Way.

For more information, go to www.ballstatepbs.org.