3 upcoming events with the exhibitions tag

The School of Art is proud to present Checkpoint: Interactive Artworks & Experimental Play , an exhibition by John C. Gonzalez.

The Ned and Gloria Griner Art Gallery
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January 7 to 29, 2026
Exhibition Reception, Gallery Talk and Art Performance: January 7, 4 to 6 p.m.

About the Artist

John C. Gonzalez is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice spans installation, sculpture, painting, performance, writing, music, game design, and socially engaged projects. Deeply collaborative in nature, his work often blurs the lines between artist, viewer, and participant, challenging conventional notions of authorship and production. Gonzalez frequently partners with individuals or institutions not traditionally associated with artmaking to create pieces that reflect shared labor, conversation, and experience. These conversations result in works that are as much about the process and relationships as they are about the final product. Through his ongoing exploration of labor, cooperation, and institutional critique, Gonzalez's practice offers a reflective and often playful lens on the social systems that shape artistic and everyday life. Whether building systems that critique their own fabrication, facilitating game-based art experiences, or searching for meaning in collective action, he consistently seeks to expand the role of the artist beyond the studio and into the shared spaces of work, play, and community. Gonzalez lives in Rhode Island and teaches drawing and game design at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI.

The exhibition Checkpoint: Interactive Artworks & Experimental Play will include several interactive and game-adjacent artworks in the galleries. These works will include images, performance, and site-specific works that will solicit viewer engagement and provide space for unexpected connections and exchanges.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday: 10 A.M. - 4 P.M. Closed weekends and all Ball State breaks and holidays.

Jeffrey Gibson Lecture & Reception

Join us for a special lecture by Jeffrey Gibson (b. 1972, Colorado Springs, Colorado; lives and works in New York), a mid-career multidisciplinary artist whose work spans sculpture, painting, printmaking, video, and performance. A citizen of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and half Cherokee, Gibson has exhibited internationally and represented the United States at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024 as the first Indigenous artist to present a solo exhibition in the U.S. Pavilion. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, and more.

Date & Time: February 4, 2026, 6:00 p.m.
Location: Pruis Hall

A reception will follow the lecture. All are welcome.

Ivan Harmon at 111 Arts Gallery Josh Dunckel at Cornerstone Center for the Arts Kevin Campbell at Gordy Fine Art and Framing Co. Echoes of Muncie: An AR Architectural Heritage Tour at IDIA Lab Terri Best, Muncie Artist Guild's Artist of the Month Hugo Meza at MuncieArts Spenser Johns at the Songwriter Sessions at Elm St. Brewing Cherry Chub at the Songwriter Sessions at Elm St. Brewing Nobody Knew at Urvan Stitch Studio

111 Arts Gallery 
111 E. Main
Ivan Harmon will be doing solo art show of paintings on canvas for February’s First Thursday.

Cornerstone Center for the Arts
520 E. Main
Join us this month for February's First Thursday from 5-8pm. Shop from local vendors, explore and purchase the work of local photographer Josh Dunckel, and make your own free Valentine's Day card. All activities will take place at Cornerstone on the 2nd floor. 

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. 
224 E. Main
Gordy Fine Art & Framing Company to present an exhibition of Kevin Campbell’s Puzzle Project, Thursday February 5, 5 – 8 pm.   

Gordy Fine Art & Framing Company will open Kevin Campbell: The Puzzle Project, Thursday February 5, 5 – 8 pm, featuring groupings of puzzle pieces that the artist cuts from plywood and paints individually.  Each grouping has a place in a much larger puzzle that could be assembled if all the pieces were brought together.  The Puzzle Project is a work of art that has no edge and so it can be added onto and ‘grow’ indefinitely.  The exhibit will be anchored by a composite image showing what the entire puzzle would look like if it were fully assembled.  Throughout the evening, Campbell will be on hand to engage with viewers and answer questions. Light refreshments will be served, and the public is invited to attend. 

At 6:15 Campbell will speak about the project and how it has evolved since he began in 1994.

All of the puzzle groupings are expressions of the interconnectedness of the natural world.  Each individual piece is “inherently part of something larger than itself,” says Campbell, speaking about the idea that has driven his art for decades.  “As it grows, pieces and groups of pieces are separated and treated as individual works of art.”  These groups will be hung and for sale in the Gordy gallery.  Those who own a piece of the Puzzle Project will forever have a place in the larger composition. 

“Works of art are often referred to as ‘pieces of art,’” says Gordy owner Carl Schafer.  “For Kevin Campbell this is literally true.  He is making only one work of art that has many pieces. Campbell has placed no boundaries on his single work of art.  It can continue forever and each piece will always have its place.” 

The exhibit will be on view with works for sale in the gallery through March 28, 2026. 

Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company promotes talented artists, provides appraisals, enlarges and digitally restores photographs restores antique frames, and offers expert design and craftsmanship for framing and displaying treasured family possessions and works of art. Business hours: Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5:30 pm, Saturday, 10 am – 3 pm. Gordy Fine Art and Framing Company is located at 224 East Main Street, next door to Muncie Civic Theatre.  For more information, visit www.gordyframing.com or call 765-284-8422

Idia Lab
306 S. Walnut
Ball State University’s IDIA Lab, part of the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning, will showcase a new interactive installation during Muncie’s First Thursday on February 5, from 5–8 p.m., at the ECAP Downtown Space, 306 South Walnut Street. Visitors are invited to stop by, play, and create interactive 3D forms in a hands-on digital experience.

In addition, IDIA Lab will present virtual reality experiences from Echoes of Muncie: An AR Architectural Heritage Tour, first launched during Summer ArtsWalk. Using your mobile device as a window into the past, you can explore immersive 3D reconstructions of several historic downtown landmarks, including the Wysor Block Building, the Wysor Grand Opera House, and the former Delaware County Courthouse—right on their original sites. This project is made possible through the support of Muncie Downtown Development and the Ball Brothers Foundation.

Muncie Artists Guild
Various locations
Terri Best is the Muncie Artists Guild’s Artist of the Month for February 2026.

"My name is Terri Best, and I am an artist based in Yorktown, IN. I believe my artistic talent is a gift from God, received four years ago, and I am passionate about sharing His message through my work. Although I am primarily self-taught and have no formal training in painting, I continually strive to grow and improve as an artist each day."

Terri's work will be on display at the following locations: Rosebud Coffee House, Haul n Oats, Vera Mae’s, Patterson Lobby, and Old National Bank

MuncieArts
216 E. Main
Join us for the MuncieArts Artist Spotlight, a monthly First Thursday event celebrating local art in Muncie. This month’s event will feature Hugo Meza and will take place from 5-7pm. Come have the opportunity to view Hugo’s linoleum prints and street photography, meet the artist, and learn about his creative process.

The Songwriter Sessions at Elm Street Brewing Co.
519 North Elm Street
The Songwriter Sessions is a monthly event where local and regional songwriters share the art of original music and the stories behind the songs. The event is held in conjunction with Muncie's First Thursday. It runs from 8-10pm at Elm Street Brewing Co, 519 North Elm Street after the main First Thursday events, as an after party where you can unwind and listen to awesome live music performed by the creators. The February event features Spenser Johns from Indianapolis as well as Cherry Chub from Muncie. You may find details here or on The Songwriter Sessions Facebook page.

Urban Stitch Studio 
306 S. Walnut
Urban Stitch Studio, a Ball State Architecture studio, will host an “Arts Walk” on February 5th in collaboration with Ball State’s National Organization of Minority Architecture Students NOMAS. The evening will feature artwork by Ball State students and local Muncie artists, as well as an alumni focused exhibition highlighting graduates from CAP and CAP adjacent fields. Visitors can explore a variety of visual and digital works, engage directly with artists and students, and experience the studio as a welcoming space for collaboration and creative expression. 

The night will also include a live performance by Nobody (K)new, a Ball State student led band, adding energy and bringing the community together. 

Urban Stitch Studio is dedicated to strengthening the connection between Ball State students and Downtown Muncie while celebrating creativity, collaboration, and community. Come explore art, connect with artists, and be part of the creative energy shaping the city.