Katie Ronzio
Public Relations Intern

Students reading on the Quad. Organizations gearing up for annual events and projects. Faculty rushing to classes with coffee and papers in hand. College life at Ball State University is back in full-swing and the David Owsley Museum of Art is an inspiring and free cultural experience for members of the Ball State community to reenergize and center. DOMA features works of art from all over the world and every subject matter possible, so let us show you eight Ball State events seen through DOMA works of art:

1. Welcome Week: Migrants, Kurt Seligmann (1955)

Welcome week is bustling with new and returning students. Characterized by disfigured realities and a dreamlike state, Seligmann’s surrealist painting captures the struggle of immigrants coming to the United States from a war torn Europe in the late 1930s. Like immigrants coming to a new country in a tumultuous time, freshman are welcomed to campus for an exciting new chapter of their lives.

2. Formal Recruitment: Palace Support Columns, Unidentified West African artist from Camroon Grasslands (1900-1950 CE)

These support columns are two halves carved from the same tree trunk just as those who
go through formal recruitment find a bond within the sisterhood. Symbolizing family and joy, they exemplify the hundreds of sorority women on campus who build each other up.

3. Family Weekend: Family Group, Peter Thys (1640-1650)

The family gears up in “Ball State Mom” and “Ball State Dad” swag for a spirited weekend full of ceremonies, football tailgates, and dinners out. Portraits such as Family Group were often commissioned to show the dignity and social standing of the family, which is similar to families who show Cardinal pride at Ball State.

4. Watermelon Bust: Still Life with Watermelon and Grapes, Raphaelle Peale (1821)

Watermelon Bust, hosted by Alpha Chi Omega and Delta Tau Delta, is the largest
Greek philanthropy event of the year. Every fall, university students battle each other in a sea of watermelon guts and rinds to raise money for the American Red Cross and A Better Way, a local shelter for domestic violence victims. This still life by Raphaelle Peale is reference to the celebrated annual event.

5. Homecoming: The Death of the Dauphin, Louis Jean Francois Lagrenée (1767)

Lagrenée, appointed a knight by Napoleon I in 1804, was famous for portraying immortality. Homecoming draws those who left the university to return, and The Death of Dauphin demonstrates the closeness of the royal family and how those who leave us are never really gone

6. Dance Marathon: Attic Red Figure Column, School of Myson (480 BC)

Painted on the vase is Dionysus, the patron of dance,
and his followers drinking to celebrate life and death. Dance Marathon participants stand and dance for those who can’t, and celebrate to raise money for an important cause. Thousands of students pay homage to Riley Children’s Hospital just as these figures paid respect to their deities.

7. Spring Break: Landscape with Psyche Saved from Drowning Herself, Studio of Claude Lorrain (1665-1670)

Spring break is a time where students relax, recharge, and renew. In the story of Psyche and Cupid, Psyche betrays Cupid’s trust by attempting to reveal his true identity. Portrayed in the painting, Pysche is rescued by the river. Since Psyche and Cupid are reunited, this painting represents the reunion of heart and mind that all Ball State students experience after a relaxing spring break.

8. Graduation: Advancing Monuments, Stella Snead (1946)

 How fitting to begin and end college with surrealist works of art? Advancing Monuments is “ill-defined without a horizontal line but seemingly limitless.” This painting portrays the power of adventure and the unknown. As new graduates take their next steps into the world it reminds us all that the unknown doesn’t have to be so scary, in fact, it can be quite beautiful.

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