This is my fifth year at Indiana University—I’ve returned for a master’s program—and I can confidently say there are some spots at IU that get all the love. Think of the Indiana Memorial Union, the Student Recreational Sports Center and the not-sinking Herman B Wells Library. I love them too, hard as it can be to find an open table at the IMU or a weight machine at the SRSC.
There are some spots that get the hate, too, like Ballantine Hall. I overheard someone in the IMU say incredulously, “you like Ballantine?” to their friend. But it’s not that bad! The patio is nice, and the classrooms on the west side of the building have a lovely view of the woods between Ballantine and the Chemistry Building.
We’ve got spots that get the love, spots that get the hate and then there are the spots that don’t get much attention. How many people have been to the IU Campus Farm at Hinkel-Garton? How many people know there’s a Campus Farm? Case in point. These places deserve a little bit of love, too.
The Makerspace
On the first floor of the West Tower of Wells Library, 1320 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 47405
On the first floor of Wells Library, right across from Writing Tutorial Services, is the Makerspace. I didn’t set foot there until more than halfway through my final semester as an undergraduate, and that’s a shame.
The Makerspace holds more supplies than would be expected from a small room. They’ve got sewing machines, two 3-D printers, glue guns, sequins, vinyl, and more. With a reservation, equipment can be borrowed.
I used Makerspace supplies to glue dozens of pearlescent beads to my graduation cap using tweezers they had on hand. While I was there, someone was painting and bedazzling a pair of sneakers.
The Atrium at the Eskenazi Art Museum
Eskenazi Museum of Art, 1133 E. 7th St., Bloomington, IN 47405
I hesitate to broadcast this one, because it’s my favorite place to study. There are circular tables and, in the nearby café, two-seaters in a light-filled space. If you need a break from staring at your homework, walk around the galleries. My favorite is the European and American art section. “Armistice Day” by Gifford Beal might be one of my favorite paintings in the museum. There’s something about the brushstrokes and the lighting that makes me want to linger in front of the canvas.
Plus, a painting takes on a special significance when you’ve learned about its painter in class, as I did with "Valley of Mexico from the Tepeyac” by José María Velasco. I remember being almost starstruck when I realized we have a Velasco at IU. That was before I realized we also have works by Monet and Degas.
There’s much more at the art museum to appeal to various types of aesthetic and historical-cultural interests: ancient Etruscan art, pieces from Mogul India and a Senufo mask.
The IU Campus Farm at Hinkle Garton
451 N. Pete Ellis Drive, Bloomington, IN 47408
This is another place I missed out on as an undergrad. A friend of mine from freshman year worked on the Campus Farm, but it wasn’t until this August that I finally visited. Going east on 10th St., it’s on the other side of State Road 46, near the post office. You can reach the farm via the number six bus, getting off at Scholar’s Quad Apartments and walking up the hill.
It’s a spacious, peaceful place full of crops and flowers. I can see myself going there to disconnect from the stress of schoolwork. It’s hard to be wound up when listening to bleating goats — there is a herd, including kids, that roam around a wooded area on the other side of the fence from the high tunnels.
According to its website, the Campus Farm features “10 agricultural acres, a late 1800s farmhouse and four historic barns.” Two of those acres are for pasturing, hence the goats.
Students can get involved with the farm in multiple ways: buying from the farm stand, which is currently selling fresh produce from 4-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, joining the Farming Club at IU or interning as a Farm Hand during the summer.
