Located on the southwest edge of campus, the Marilyn K. Glick Center for Glass opened its doors in 2011. The building, funded by Marilyn and Eugene Glick, supports and promotes the practice of contemporary glass arts at Ball State University. The facility offers students studio space, equipment, faculty, and staff to support undergraduate and graduate students in their work, as well as community outreach and education about glass arts.
Most Ball State students never step foot in the Glick Center. However, this hidden gem holds rich storytelling and teaching potential, not only for current Ball State students, but for alumni, prospective students, and the general public.
The Glick Center Virtual Reality Tour shares the experience of the Glick Center with a larger audience. This tour allows anyone to explore the Glick Center and follow a guided tour of the space. During the tour, virtual visitors encounter information about how glass art is made through multimedia interviews and embedded video. As users virtually walk through the Glick Center, they can explore locations and artifacts and select hot spots that reveal student narrators who guide visitors through the glass art creation process. The experience teaches about glassblowing tools and the glassblowing process. It also allows visitors to interact with student artwork.