MUNCIE — Chyan Gilaspy, Ball State University anthropology major from Greenfield, is bringing the history of Indiana’s Delphi Opera House to the public eye with a museum exhibit design for the facility.
Through a public history practicum class this semester, Gilaspy has been working with a team of nine other students under the direction of Ronald V. Morris, professor of history, to showcase the history of both the opera house, and the community of Delphi through exhibit design and research. The students in the group designed the space by working with historical artifacts found at the site, providing context through historical research and writing and by filming interviews to display within the museum space.
“I became part of this project due to my desire to work in a future museum career,” Gilaspy said. “Being able to work with a diverse array of students from a variety of majors and experience levels, and being able to come together to create a cohesive project, has been by far my favorite part of this project. All history, no matter how big or small, is important and should be shared with the larger community.”
To provide historical context, students researched various areas of Delphi’s history that coincide with the history of the Opera House, like Delphi’s early transportation systems of the town, and important figures to the town, such as James Whitcomb Riley, who was a regular performer at the Opera House.
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The Delphi Preservation Society was founded as a non-profit organization in 1994, who set out to “preserve the historic architectural integrity of Delphi, Indiana”, according to their website. The public history practicum is a class dedicated to developing practical skills for a variety of historic applications and careers after college.
For more information on the Delphi Opera House, visit delphioperahouse.org.
