T-R PHOTO AUSTIN CHADDERDON — Amber Danielson graduated from MHS in 2008. After completing her studies at MCC and UNI, she returned to Marshalltown where she served as executive director of the Marshall County Arts & Culture Alliance since 2016 Danielson has orchestrated the completion of more than 20 pieces of public art, including murals and sculptures.
There’s more to see in Marshalltown than there was a year ago.
Many residents and visitors who haven’t been here for a while might dispute that statement, as the tornado and derecho wiped out a staggering percentage of the city’s trees and turned buildings into piles of bricks.
But driving down State, Main, Center, 13th and West Linn streets, bright colors fill the spaces that those trees and buildings took with them.
The Marshall County Arts & The Cultural Alliance has acquired and overseen the completion of over 20 public works of art over the past two years. Under the leadership of Executive Director Amber Danielson, the Alliance has left its fingerprints in brush strokes across the city — and they’re hard not to notice.
“Marshalltown has faced a tremendous number of challenges over the last four years with the tornado, the derecho and the pandemic,” Danielson said. “It didn’t take long for the murals to provide hope and joy at a time when we needed them most.”
The Marshalltown mural project was just an idea two years ago, and sometimes there was pushback. People didn’t want to spend money on it or use time and resources they thought would be better spent elsewhere.
Some would tell Danielson, “I’m not an artist,” implying they see no value. Many didn’t think Marshalltown was ready for this type of program.
“The truth is that we are all artists and we all interact with art and culture on a daily basis — often without even realizing it,” she said.
The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the movies and series we watch, the music we listen to, the decorations of our homes and our traditions are prime examples.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTION — Ames artist Lauren Gifford painted murals for the Marshalltown Sidewalk Safety Project at nine Marshalltown schools: Franklin, Fisher, Woodbury, Rogers, Anson, Hoglan, Lenihan, Miller, MHS, Marshalltown Christian School and St. Francis. The murals were completed between Fall 2020 and Spring 2021.
Two years and 20 murals later, Danielson can breathe a sigh of relief and a sigh of gratitude and pride. It turned out to be a good idea.
Her team proved that not only was Marshalltown ready – it needed to be. One of Danielson’s mottos, borrowed from Grace Hopper, is, “the most dangerous phrase in the language (is) ‘We’ve always done it this way’.”
“Watching the program take off and grow has been one of the most rewarding journeys of my career,” she said. “We have heard from many who are filled with pride about the mural and how much it has affected the joy they experience every day.”
Some notable murals include “Marshalltown’s Postcard Mural” on the south wall of Thompson True Value, “The Starry Night of Marshalltown” at Finley Interstate Bank, 13th Street District/Chop Shop, and murals on the Tremont Building and Downtown Pocket Park.
These projects often grow in seemingly no time. One day on the way to work something suddenly appears that was not there before. Between meetings, pre-meetings, calls to artists, funding and approvals, Danielson has cultivated the collaborations that make it all possible.
“We are proud to have so many great partnerships around the community and in many cases our role is to facilitate, connect and build bridges,” she said.
The latest addition to the Alliance’s portfolio was the sculpture “Scherzo” installed in the Marshalltown Performing Arts Center. The project was a years-long partnership between the Alliance and the Auditorium Foundation, and resulted in a 17-foot-tall structure composed of colorful musical notes and shapes woven together.
“It was an honor to work with them to help make their vision a reality,” said Danielson. “It’s only been installed for a few weeks, and it feels like the piece has always been there.”
‘Scherzo’ sits alongside another large public art piece, the ‘Drills’ sculpture that stands outside the Roundhouse at Marshalltown High School.
Danielson graduated from MHS in 2008. She studied marketing, with an emphasis on distribution and logistics, as well as international business at Uni University. After gaining experience in production, she jumped into the Arts and Culture Alliance. She admitted that the pivot was a bit scary, but looking back, she can’t imagine doing anything else.
With an initial focus on global business, he now focuses on building art that makes a world of difference in a small town.
T-R PHOTO BY AUSTIN CHADDERDON — Kansas artist Stephen Johnson, pictured, designed the “Scherzo” sculpture that now stands outside the Marshalltown Performing Arts Center. Johnson has an extensive art portfolio and has designed public artworks from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
“It was completely outside of anything I’ve ever done, but it was an exciting opportunity,” she said. “It was life-changing and one of the best decisions I’ve made in my career.”
Judging by the community’s approval through responses on social media, the decision and her ability to follow through seem to be accepted as part of the way forward for her hometown. Danielson was also recently named board chair of the Iowa Arts Council, providing an opportunity to further expand her public art efforts.
There are a number of public art projects coming up this year and in 2023, including additions to the Orpheum Theater mural project, Sports Plus, VFW Post 389 and La Carreta. Next year, the Alliance offices will move to the Marshalltown Arts & Civic Center (formerly Fisher Community Center).
Prior to that move, in the next few months, the Alliance will launch a new Master Plan that is the result of facilitating focus groups and gathering community input. Danielson also connected with the city of Marion.
“They have a 10-year master plan that has led the way to completely transform their arts scene throughout their community, but specifically focused on downtown,” she said.
There are community and arts leaders across the state and country who Danielson said have been eager to share their experiences and offer advice. The alliance was inspired by other similarly sized communities like Dubuque, a city that Danielson believes has one of the most successful mural programs in the state.
“We knew very early on that we wanted to have a program like theirs,” she said. “Thanks to a great partnership with the arts leaders in Dubuque, we’ve had incredible support and guidance along the way.”
Through research, mentoring, and the gathering of data and opinions, the Alliance is focused on building arts and programs in response to the needs, needs, and desires of the people who live in Marshalltown.
“In all things we do, our core mission remains to connect our community with arts and culture by supporting, promoting and enriching existing communities, as well as seeking out new opportunities,” she said.
Ultimately, Danielson believes the people of Marshalltown are the Alliance’s greatest asset. He simply asks them to appear and speak in support of art and culture.
Few have the opportunity to see the results of their work on the walls of their city as they drive to work in the morning or pick up their children in the afternoon — perhaps an artist, architect or civil engineer. Danielson does a bit of each job for himself catalyzing a vibrant art-filled future.
Art is subjective. What one sees in abstract and geometric shapes will be a different experience for the person standing next to them. It might pull forward a seemingly unrelated memory and evoke nostalgia in them, or it might inspire them to discover the artist within.
“Arts and culture are essential to our lives, on a personal, professional and community level,” Danielson said. “Arts and culture in community development are key to making a place feel special and authentic to the people who live there.”
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