Grantee Spotlight: Q&A with Minnetrista President & CEO
Get to know Minnetrista’s new President & CEO
In January of this year, Minnetrista Museum & Gardens welcomed Brian Statz as its new President & CEO. Since its establishment over 30 years ago, Ball Brothers Foundation has provided annual funding to help support the Museum & Gardens’ operations. Ball Brothers Foundation sat down with Brian for a Q&A to learn more about his initial feelings about Muncie and what he finds exciting about his work with Minnetrista so far.
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I worked in the museum field for 15 years in Indianapolis, but my job went away as a result of the pandemic. After that, I kept my eye out for another museum opening that might fit my interests and abilities, as well as my desire to stay in Indiana. I knew of Minnetrista’s reputation, so when I heard about a job becoming available, I jumped at it.
I visited Minnetrista before I submitted my application—the first time I had been here in a while—and my head started swimming, not only with the beauty of the campus but with the possibilities of what it could become. I remember speaking with the recruiter in the parking lot after a long day of interviews, and she asked me why I was interested in Minnetrista. I pointed around us and said “just look at this place—everyone should have a Minnetrista.”
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I will be moving to Muncie later this year—my youngest son will be graduating from high school this year, and I didn’t want to uproot him during his senior year. However, I have been spending a lot of time in Muncie, and I am amazed by the community’s sense of civic pride and the desire to continue to improve. I have met some incredible people who devote their time to helping other community members. I am impressed with the vitality of Muncie’s arts and nonprofit communities, and I am thankful there are friends like Ball Brothers Foundation, who help make good things happen. I definitely feel that I have come to Muncie at a time of growth and improvement, and I am grateful for that.
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Minnetrista offers exhibits and programs about our region’s history and its prominent members (including the Ball family, of course), art, science, industry, and the natural world. Minnetrista brings in national touring exhibits to the Muncie area and we produce exhibits that focus on our region and its history and interests.
Apart from our exhibits and programs, Minnetrista’s gardens and historic homes offer a unique environment for learning, reflection, and relaxation. A number of Muncie residents have told me they enjoy visiting Minnetrista’s campus when they need to unwind and recharge. It really is a place where the community is invited to forget about their problems for a while and just enjoy time spent in nature with family and friends (and dogs!)
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There’s so much I am excited about, but I will limit my answer to a few things.
In June, Minnetrista will be the premiere venue for a traveling exhibition created by the Smithsonian, entitled Girlhood (It’s Complicated). The exhibition will explore the diversity of girls' experiences and how girls have changed American history. It’s a large exhibit that will take up all of our galleries in our main building, and we are planning programs, speakers, and other events around it.
I also am excited to see Minnetrista events that are already widely known. In addition to our Garden Fair on Mother’s Day weekend, this July, we will host our annual Faeries, Sprites and Lights event, a multi-day event in which children and families can enjoy games, crafts, a theater show, live music and dancing, a bubble garden, and more. In December, we will host our Enchanted Luminaria Walk, which has become a holiday tradition for the Muncie community. These are events that are sewn into the fabric of the Muncie area, and I look forward to seeing them for the first time.
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With the free time I have, I have been exploring Muncie and meeting members of the community. I still have much to learn about Muncie’s neighborhoods, history, and culture, and I intend to use what I learn to make Minnetrista an indispensable part of life in Muncie. In the near future, I intend to identify volunteer opportunities with other Muncie nonprofits, and help them where I can. I tell the Minnetrista staff that we need all the friends we can get, which means we need to be a good friend to others too.
