In 2021, David Letterman approached us with a wacky idea. After recently becoming interested in the process of how glass art is created, Dave proposed that the next David Letterman Learning Experience focus on the collaborative development of an original documentary set in one of Ball State’s most treasured facilities: The Marilyn K. Glick Center for Glass. Led by School of Art professors Brent Cole and Jon Reese, the Glick Center is a premier glass facility, emphasizing simple, easy to maintain spaces that are not over-engineered and are ultimately flexible.

To create the documentary, we put together a team of undergraduate students from the Department of Media, who served as directors, writers, videographers, and editors. Graduate students from the Center for Emerging Media Design & Development in the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication also developed a transmedia campaign that included social media, a documentary website, a virtual tour of the Glick Center, and more to promote the documentary. Finally, students in the School of Art studying glassblowing starred in the documentary alongside Dave, Glick Center faculty, and historians familiar with the history of glass in Muncie, which began with the founding of The Ball Company in 1888, which eventually became a world leader in the mass production of glass canning jars. 

The documentary and transmedia campaign represent Ball State’s and Dave’s commitment to providing BSU students with meaningful learning experiences that allow them to practice what they’re learning in the classroom in a real-world project.