State Awards $470K for Destination Development
Bob Ross hosted the PBS show "The Joy of Painting" from 1983-94. (photo courtesy of Minnetrista Heritage Collection)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Office of Tourism Development is doing its part to help keep the memory alive of famed TV host and artist Bob Ross. The award is part of a $470,000 Destination Development Grant.
The Indiana Tourism Council, as part of the IOTD, has awarded a $250,000 grant to the Muncie-based Minnetrista Cultural Foundation. The foundation is creating a permanent exhibit to honor the former host of the PBS television show “The Joy of Painting.”
Ross died in 1995, but the show lives-on in reruns.
The foundation is raising funds to develop the Bob Ross Experience at the historic L.L. Ball home on Minnestrista’s campus. The organization wants to create a museum exhibit to showcase Ross’ work by creating an “immersive” experience for visitors.
Leaders of Minnetrista want to recreate his painting studio inside the historic L.L. Ball home. The how-to painting show was filmed for several years at the Ball home.
The council also awarded the Evansville Zoological Society with a $162,000 grant for Mesker Park Zoo. The zoo intends to create Indiana’s first Humboldt penguin habitat which it thinks we’ll be a big draw for tourists.
The Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau received approximately $58,000 in matching grants for the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course. The money will be put towards the construction of a medical building and other safety improvements used during races.