by Sebastián Encina
CURIOUS GEORGE
We begin the year with a beloved and inquisitive monkey.
Curious George™: Let’s Get Curious! opens in January and brings the imaginative world of Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat to Muncie. Complete with multiple activities to keep visitors entertained and engaged with STEM activities, the exhibition encourages children to use their math, science, and technology skills to explore the exhibition and carry that curiosity to the world around them. Visitors will follow Curious George as they visit a construction site, board a space rocket, work at a farm, and play mini golf, all while applying physics, engineering, and math knowledge to the tasks before them.
We are excited to share our 2027 exhibition schedule with you! We are always thrilled to bring new exhibitions and traditional favorites for our visitors to enjoy.
BOB ROSS TRAVELING EXHIBITION
Our biggest exhibition news for 2027 is the arrival of a brand-new exhibition celebrating Bob Ross in a whole new way. Long the dream of Minnetrista, we are developing an exhibition exploring Bob’s life, his impact on television, art, and American media, and his long-lasting legacy. The exhibition is being developed as a traveling experience, opening first in Muncie in June before it begins its long journey across the United States and eventually to other countries. Developed in partnership with Bob Ross Inc., the exhibition will bring even more of Bob’s life story and paintings into our galleries.
INDIANA WATERWAYS
In 2023, Minnetrista hosted Indiana Waterways: The Art of Conservation, a 60-work exhibition by five renowned Indiana artists depicting the beauty of Indiana’s abundant rivers, streams, and tributaries. We are proud to welcome the exhibition back in December with a new set of paintings, again drawing attention to the importance of Indiana’s waterways and how we can better protect them. The plein air artists will once again bring Indiana’s beautiful waterways indoors through an exhibition and accompanying publication.
WE ARE EARTH: SOIL, FOOD, COMMUNITY
Minnetrista is partnering with local author, journalist, and Ball State University faculty member Kelsey Timmerman to explore ways we can encourage not only sustainability, but regenerative agriculture. Through books such as Where Am I Wearing (2008) and Where Am I Eating (2013), Timmerman explores the interconnectedness of our world and everyday items. In his 2025 book, Regenerating Earth: Farmers Working with Nature to Feed Our Future, Timmerman collected stories that relay ways farmers around the world are working with nature to ensure plentiful and healthy crops in a manner that also promotes land health. This exhibition, opening in April, will bring these lessons to the galleries and spread the word on how we can be active caretakers of the earth and future generations.
BOB ROSS EXPERIENCE
Each year, we refresh the Bob Ross Experience with a new take on the exquisite works created by our favorite artist. Splendor of Winter, opening in October, will dive into the calm nature scenes as the snow falls on the landscapes. Through gentle strokes of the brush, Bob Ross created worlds where the fresh snow lay undisturbed, awaiting exploration by intrepid adventurers.
INDIANA ROOM EXHIBITIONS
This coming year, the Muncie Camera Club will delight us with their fine photography, the Muncie Artists Guild will thrill us with their amazing art, and the Indiana Wildlife Artists will share the beauty of the natural world captured in art. We value our partnerships with these groups and look forward to bringing their art to our visitors.
JURIED ART SHOW AND OPEN SPACE
Every year, Minnetrista celebrates the arts through two juried art shows, the annual Minnetrista Juried Art Show and Open Space: Art About the Land. The Juried Art Show, opening in March and marking its 37th year at Minnetrista, will be juried by local historian and museum professional Barbara Schafer. Barbara will bring her 25+ years of experience plus her eye for great art to this exhibition which is a testament to the high artistic levels found in our region. And we will again partner with Anderson Museum of Art and Red-tail Land Conservancy to bring Open Space: Art About the Land, opening in November and juried by Newfields' Associate Curator of Works on Paper, Anna Stein.
With so much planned, there will be something for everyone to enjoy at Minnetrista in 2027. We are excited to work on these offerings and continue exploring creative, new, entertaining, and educational exhibitions for the Minnetrista community to enjoy.