Visit to Ball State University – Chris Nowicki and Jacek Szewczyk
During January 16-18, 2012 we were guests of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Our main objective was to see the Printmaking and Glass Departments. We stayed at the University Hotel in the Student Building and it was very nice. Everyone was friendly and we had a great stay.
We had a great dinner at the home of Peter Blume who is director of the Ball State University Museum of Art. Peter gave us a complete tour of the Museum complete with the history of the collection and it’s most important acquisitions.
During our stay in Muncie I had the opportunity to give a lecture and demonstration about my favorite technique – mezzotint. The Printmaking Department at Ball State is small compared to our Academy in Poland but it is very well equipped. David and Sarojini Johnson are the professors of printmaking and they were very helpful in showing us around and helping with the demonstration. There were about 20 printmaking students in attendance who were all very attentive and asked a lot of good questions. I was able to take my time and explain about tools, paper, inks, printing presses, technique, and the history of mezzotint. My greatest compliment came at the end when some students decided to try mezzotint.
Jacek gave an excellent presentation of our Academy with photos and videos to an audience of about 50 students. We hope to arrange an exchange of students between our schools and Jacek’s talk created much interest among the students.
Ball State University has a beautiful campus with nice architecture. Everything is within walking distance. Our visit was a success and we look forward to future contact with this excellent institution.
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