5 upcoming events with the ball state university tag

All are welcome!

Schedule

• 6–6:45 p.m.: Cocktail hour featuring several tables displaying historical artifacts, current University Libraries projects, and more
• 6:45–7:15 p.m.: Catered meal
• 7:15–8 p.m.: Kirkham Lecture featuring historian Andy Olson

Register Here

Featured Kirkham Lecture

“The Kilgore Pact Legend and the 1818 St. Marys Treaties”

    In seeking to confirm a family legend involving prominent Delaware County resident David Kilgore (1804–1879), Andy Olson uncovered a surprising historical detail connected to the 1818 treaties signed at St. Marys, Ohio. Olson discovered that none of the individuals receiving land grants in one of the treaties were Delawares—raising questions about why and how that came to be. His presentation explores what he found and what it may reveal about the period.

About the speaker

    Andy Olson is an amateur historian and award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Connections, Traces, and other publications. He is the author of Forging the Bee Line Railroad, 1848–1889: The Rise and Fall of the Hoosier Partisans and Cleveland Clique (Kent State University Press, 2017). In 2024, he received the Indiana Historical Society’s Willard C. Heiss Family History and Genealogy Award.

Join us for the Graphic Design Senior Showcase at The Clubhouse on Walnut Street, featuring the culminating work of Ball State’s senior graphic designers! Explore their senior design campaigns alongside a range of projects developed throughout their time in the program. Enjoy food and drinks, music, and a relaxing evening as you meet the designers and celebrate their work. Free and open to the public.

Art in Bloom 2026 logo

Visit the David Owsley Museum of Art from 5pm to 7pm on Friday, May 15 for a public reception featuring music, hors d'oeuvres, and a cash (only) bar. This Preview Party will kick off Art in Bloom weekend, an annual springtime celebration featuring floral creations inspired by works of art in the galleries!

(On May 16 and May 17 from 1pm to 5pm on both days, visitors can enjoy the arrangements, guided tours, music, and activities for all ages.)

There is no admission fee for this event, and weekend parking at non-metered spots on the Quad Circle is also free.

Save the date and visit bsu.edu/doma/artinbloom for the latest schedule of activities and programs.

The weekend also provides an opportunity to see the special exhibition Nora Krug: Belonging, which closes on June 13.

Visit bsu.edu/doma for more information, and contact Rachel Buckmaster with any questions.

Visit the David Owsley Museum of Art on May 16 and 17 for Art in Bloom, an annual springtime celebration featuring floral creations inspired by works of art in the galleries!

From 1pm to 5pm on both days, visitors can enjoy the arrangements, docent-led tours, music, and activities for all ages. 

(An evening reception from 5pm to 7pm on Friday, May 15, will offer music, hors d'oeuvres, and a cash [only] bar.)

There is no admission fee for this event, and weekend parking at non-metered spots on the Quad Circle is also free.

Save the date and visit bsu.edu/doma/artinbloom for the latest schedule of activities and programs.

The weekend also provides an opportunity to see the special exhibition Nora Krug: Belonging, which closes on June 13.

Visit bsu.edu/doma for more information, and contact Rachel Buckmaster with any questions.

Visit the David Owsley Museum of Art on May 16 and 17 for Art in Bloom, an annual springtime celebration featuring floral creations inspired by works of art in the galleries!

From 1pm to 5pm on both days, visitors can enjoy the arrangements, docent-led tours, music, and activities for all ages. 

(An evening reception from 5pm to 7pm on Friday, May 15, will offer music, hors d'oeuvres, and a cash [only] bar.)

There is no admission fee for this event, and weekend parking at non-metered spots on the Quad Circle is also free.

Save the date and visit bsu.edu/doma/artinbloom for the latest schedule of activities and programs.

The weekend also provides an opportunity to see the special exhibition Nora Krug: Belonging, which closes on June 13.

Visit bsu.edu/doma for more information, and contact Rachel Buckmaster with any questions.