By Robin Insley—
CHANTILLY, VA —A rare original Bob Ross painting, Mountain Summit from Season 13, Episode 10 of The Joy of Painting, will be auctioned on June 30th with 100% of net proceeds to directly benefit WIPB-TV(Ball State PBS) in Muncie, Indiana. The auction carries special significance as Bob Ross filmed 30 of 31 seasons at WIPB, making it the birthplace and long-time home of one of the most beloved television series in public television history.
“Bob came to Muncie because WIPB welcomed him like family, and he gave them the key to sharing his special way of painting, now more abundantly over the airwaves,” said Joan Kowalski, President of Bob Ross Inc. “These relationships produced 31 seasons and a body of work that continues to inspire people around the world. Mountain Summit is Bob’s painting returning home, and its proceeds will help ensure that the station he loved continues to serve the community that first believed in him.”
WIPB’s origins are as American as the programming it has long championed. In 1971, a group of determined Muncie mothers founded the station – now known as Ball State PBS – after learning their children could lose access to Sesame Street when Indianapolis launched a PBS station and the program would no longer air on a commercial station serving Muncie. What began as a grassroots effort to keep quality educational children’s programming on local airwaves became WIPB, a cornerstone of the Muncie community for more than half a century.
It was this same spirit of community and purpose that drew Bob Ross to Muncie. When Bob came to film the second season of The Joy of Painting, he met Jim Needham, WIPB’s General Manager at that time, and Linda Needham, one of the heroic Muncie moms. Bob said yes immediately and The Joy of Painting never left. WIPB became the production home, the place where Bob painted his happy little trees, majestic mountains and iconic landscapes and convinced millions creativity belonged to everyone.
WIPB is among the many public television stations across the country facing financial strain following the 2025 federal budget reductions resulting in the dissolution of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) which has historically provided essential support to local educational broadcasters.
“Bob Ross made WIPB his home and in doing so made all of us part of something extraordinary,” said Angie Grimes, General Manager and Director of Audience Development at Ball State PBS. “We are deeply grateful for this opportunity. It’s a testament to what public television means and we know our viewers, and Bob Ross fans everywhere, will appreciate the significance of this moment.”
The June 30th auction will take place at Bonhams, offering a rare early-series painting with an irreplaceable connection to the station that made The Joy of Painting possible. Mountain Summit is among Bob Ross’s earliest works in his television series. The auction on behalf of the Muncie station offers collectors and Bob Ross admirers a rare opportunity to acquire a work with direct, documented links to the place where Bob created his art and built his legacy while ensuring WIPB can continue to serve the community.
Since November 2025, three auctions of original Bob Ross paintings on behalf of public television have generated extraordinary results, achieving just over $2 million in total sales with each work selling well above its pre-sale estimate. Across all sales, 100% of American Public Television’s net proceeds have been directed to support public television stations nationwide. The June 30th auction of Mountain Summit continues this series and Bob’s legacy of giving back to the community he loved.
For updates and to stay informed, please visit Bonhams or follow Bob Ross Inc. @bobross_joyofpainting. Detailed information about individual paintings and bidding will be available through Bonhams auction house closer to the auction date.
About Bob Ross
Bob Ross, beloved American painter, and instructor who popularized the Bob Ross Wet-on-Wet Technique®, introduced painting to millions of people all over the world through his instructional television show, The Joy of Painting. Born and raised in Florida, Ross dropped out of high school and worked as a carpenter for his father. At 18 Ross enlisted in the United States Air Force, during which time he saw the mountains that would eventually become recurring images in his work. He developed his quick painting techniques during U.S.O. art classes and work breaks and sold his paintings to tourists to supplement his Air Force income. After learning the wet-on-wet technique from German painter William Alexander, Bob Ross went on to launch his own company and in 1983, premiered The Joy of Painting on public television. The show continues to air uninterrupted from that very first episode and Ross remains as famous as ever for his gentle and humorous demeanor, visit BobRoss.com.
