Program areas at Minnetrista Cultural Foundation
The Minnetrista heritage collection includes artifacts, art, and archival material that document the people, places, organizations, events, and businesses and industries of east central Indiana. A major component of the collection is ball family material and ball corporation business records. Several acquisitions were received in 2023. They included materials and objects that document the ball family, ball corporation, and local history. The Minnetrista heritage collection, both on-site and on- line, is also a destination for researchers. In 2023, there were more than 44 remote and in-person research requests and appointments. By the end of 2023, there were more than 8,295 objects online, 6,278 photograph collections, and over 2,559 archival records from the Minnetrista heritage collection on-line. Thousands of additional records were available onsite to researchers through our collections management system. There were over 12,000 searches of the on-line collection in 2023.
Minnetrista improves the quality of life for east central Indiana by offering a beautiful location in the middle of muncie. With a six-acre nature area, 23 acres of themed and historic gardens, and a stretch of the white river greenway, Minnetrista serves as green space for the community. This space continued to provide invaluable respite to our community during 2023 as the visitors sought ways to get physical and find mental relief from life stresses caused by both personal and national factors like the pandemic, economics, and political pressures.
As the home of the ball jar, Minnetrista continues to serve as a legacy site and gathering place for east central Indiana. Visitors come to explore, recharge, and connect. In 2023, approximately 100,000 local, regional,national, and international visitors enjoyed programs like painting workshops, glass workshops, school tours, summer camps, family days, and many other programs at Minnetrista. Families attended our signature events like farmers market, garden fair, faeries sprites & lights, and enchanted luminaria walk.
Other program services: the breakdown of the remaining 592,941 in program expenses is as follows: 486,407 depreciation expense; 84,791 it expense; 21,743 advertising.