By Rachel Buckmaster—
MUNCIE, IN – The David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA) at Ball State University will showcase a special collection of drawings, paintings, and sculptures recently added to the museum’s collection. On view Sept. 17–Dec. 18, 2026, Jan Petry’s Gift: Outsider and Folk Art in the Museum features 25 original works of art from the estate of Jan Petry, ’61, an advertising executive, collector, curator, and artist.
“Jan wanted to share her passion for collecting outsider art,” said Dr. Robert La France, DOMA’s director. “At DOMA, we made her wish come true by connecting her art and creative inspiration with generations of Ball State students and the public.”
The bulk of Ms. Petry’s bequest to DOMA consists of works by American self-taught artists who charted their own paths outside conventional academic and museum systems. Another portion comprises works by mainstream artists inspired by outsider art. She also collected folk art produced by people practicing established stylistic traditions without formal art training.
In addition, the donation highlights visionary or intuitive art, valued for its distinctive personal imagery and obsessive focus. The exhibition features regional and national artists, including Hannelore Baron, Roger Brown, Tony Fitzpatrick, Michael Hernandez de Luna, Louise Nevelson, and H. C. Westermann.
Ms. Petry also left a major bequest to Intuit Art Museum in Chicago, where she served as a longtime board member and steadfast champion of the museum’s commitment to celebrating artists outside the mainstream and conventional art worlds. DOMA will host a free public talk by Intuit’s chief curator and senior director of exhibitions and collections, Alison Amick, in the museum’s Recital Hall on Oct. 15.
During the lecture, Ms. Amick will discuss Ms. Petry’s impact and the current Intuit exhibition Life Is an Art: The Collection of Jan Petry. A 5 p.m. reception and opportunity to view DOMA’s exhibition precedes the 6 p.m. talk. Visit DOMA’s website for information and to plan your visit.
The exhibition of Ms. Petry’s gift is on the museum’s main level in the Brown Study Room. Related activities continue on the museum’s upper level, including an interactive project inviting community members to submit their own contributions to a rotating display of outsider art.
DOMA is located at 2021 W. Riverside Ave., in Ball State’s Fine Arts Building. It is open to the public from 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 1:30–4:30 p.m. Saturday. There is no admission fee. DOMA will be closed to the public Oct. 10–13 for Ball State’s Fall Break and Nov. 25–30 for Thanksgiving Break.
About the David Owsley Museum of Art
Free and open to the public, the David Owsley Museum of Art at Ball State University houses a world art collection with more than 11,000 original works of art representing all seven continents. DOMA cultivates lifelong learning and recreation in the visual arts through exciting interdisciplinary art exhibitions with engaging displays of the permanent collection in an educational environment that serves both the University and the East Central Indiana region. DOMA’s website.
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