A vibrant arts and culture environment is critical to enhancing the quality of life and driving economic development while nurturing a positive view of the community among residents and visitors alike. The mission of the Arts & Culture Alliance is to cultivate a community of arts and culture and we believe a community enriched in arts and culture will attract, retain and engage residents. A Marshalltown Mural Program provides an avenue for our community to make Marshalltown THE place to live, work, learn and play, as well as an opportunity to enhance quality of life and support economic development. The vision of the mural program is to add vibrancy to our community while celebrating our unique diversity, history and geographic location. The program will create an opportunity for an increased focus on quality of life, community pride, beautification and creative placemaking.
Murals impact communities in a variety of ways by providing opportunities for diverse stakeholders to collaborate, communicate a community’s identity, story or history, attract visitors and create a site for community gatherings. Murals have the unique ability to build and instill a sense of community pride and belonging as well as address public safety, infrastructure and/or social challenges, all the while increasing foot traffic and driving tourism. From planning to unveiling, murals provide opportunities for all ages, ethnicities and abilities to participate in community building.
Interested in a mural on your wall or have a great idea, contact us and learn more!
Murals impact communities in a variety of ways by providing opportunities for diverse stakeholders to collaborate, communicate a community’s identity, story or history, attract visitors and create a site for community gatherings. Murals have the unique ability to build and instill a sense of community pride and belonging as well as address public safety, infrastructure and/or social challenges, all the while increasing foot traffic and driving tourism. From planning to unveiling, murals provide opportunities for all ages, ethnicities and abilities to participate in community building.
Interested in a mural on your wall or have a great idea, contact us and learn more!
2021 Mural Walls
These three projects are currently in process and fully funded by our community partners! More info coming soon!
West wall of the Max Building, facing Center Street.
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East wall of the Orpheum,
facing 3rd Ave.
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North wall of The Chop Shop in the 13th Street District, facing Echo.
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MARSHALLTOWN SCHOOLS SIDEWALK SAFETY MURALS
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In an effort to increase the safety for students in Marshalltown, the Arts & Culture Alliance is partnering with the City of Marshalltown and the Marshalltown Community School District to create vibrant sidewalk murals at each of the schools in Marshalltown. In May of 2019, our community tragically lost an 8-year-old boy, Christian Maxon, after being struck by a car while crossing the street after school. We believe the arts provide hope, healing and are a creative way to address and solve community challenges. It is our priority to honor and pay tribute to Christian and his family by increasing safety, awareness, education, beautification and engagement in the arts through this project.
Murals will first be placed at three of the 11 schools this fall - Franklin, Rogers and Woodbury elementary schools. The remaining MCSD schools, as well as St. Francis Catholic School and Marshalltown Christian School, will be completed in the spring/summer of 2021. Franklin Elementary, the school Christian attended and where the accident took place, will receive the first mural. Each mural will measure approximately 10’ x 10’. |
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PROJECT GOALS:
1. Honor and pay tribute to Christian Maxon and his family!
2. Increased Safety and Awareness – through colorful and interactive sidewalk murals, outside the busiest exits of each school, our priority is to increase student and staff’s awareness as they leave the building and prepare to cross busy intersections, ultimately increasing safety. Additionally, we aim for this project to increase the awareness of drivers in the community as they travel through school zones.
3. Education – through the installation of each sidewalk mural, we will work alongside each school to engage students by learning more about street safety through their annual safety program. Staff will
be invited to incorporate the murals in their safety and art curriculum to increase the learning process through creativity and engagement of the murals.
4. Engagement in the Arts – students are offered the opportunity to engage with the arts on a daily basis and provide inspiration on how they can apply artistic abilities to solve problems in the world.
5. Beautification – with 11 different schools around Marshalltown, this is an opportunity to beautiful many areas around our community, many of which are located in residential areas.
To make a tax-deductible donation towards the Sidewalk Safety Mural Project:
Please make checks out to Arts & Culture Alliance – send to PO BOX 386, Marshalltown, IA, 50158
1. Honor and pay tribute to Christian Maxon and his family!
2. Increased Safety and Awareness – through colorful and interactive sidewalk murals, outside the busiest exits of each school, our priority is to increase student and staff’s awareness as they leave the building and prepare to cross busy intersections, ultimately increasing safety. Additionally, we aim for this project to increase the awareness of drivers in the community as they travel through school zones.
3. Education – through the installation of each sidewalk mural, we will work alongside each school to engage students by learning more about street safety through their annual safety program. Staff will
be invited to incorporate the murals in their safety and art curriculum to increase the learning process through creativity and engagement of the murals.
4. Engagement in the Arts – students are offered the opportunity to engage with the arts on a daily basis and provide inspiration on how they can apply artistic abilities to solve problems in the world.
5. Beautification – with 11 different schools around Marshalltown, this is an opportunity to beautiful many areas around our community, many of which are located in residential areas.
To make a tax-deductible donation towards the Sidewalk Safety Mural Project:
Please make checks out to Arts & Culture Alliance – send to PO BOX 386, Marshalltown, IA, 50158
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Online Donations Accepted by clicking the DONATE button
*be sure to designate the sidewalk mural project |
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LA SALUD - DOWNTOWN INTERACTIVE MURAL - more info coming soon!
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Location: The mural will be situated on the North wall in an alleyway located in the historic Downtown Marshalltown, on La Salud Mexican Restaurant and Grocery. It will be next to the parking lot of an iconic Downtown Building, the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which is currently being remodeled from tornado damage and is slated to open this Winter. The Coliseum is used for many community events and meetings, along with the space used for our Parks and Recreation activities. Once remodeled, it will be the largest venue in Marshalltown which will significantly increase foot traffic to this area in our Downtown.
Objective: The mural should have an element of engagement and be interactive, inviting residents and visitors to take pictures with the mural. Since July 2018, Downtown Marshalltown has been rebuilding from the destructive tornado and the recent Derecho storm in August. The goal of this mural is to assist in the continuation of rebuilding and revitalization of the Downtown District, while creating a location for gathering, community pride and engagement, ultimately drawing foot traffic to the heart of our community. Additionally, we see an opportunity for this mural to celebrate our community’s diversity and Latino culture (Marshalltown is approx. 30% Latino origin). This project is funded by Fauna Nord & Kelli Thurston Team |
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ROTATING GRAFFITI WALL IN DOWNTOWN MARSHALLTOWN
The wall is located on East State Street, on the corner of North 1st Ave (the back of Great Western Bank's drive through window).
UNITY - October 2020
MARSHALLTOWN STRONG - March 2020
As a symbol of hope, unity and strength during this difficult time, the Arts & Culture Alliance has partnered with Great Western Bank and Tama artist, Dye Davenport, to create a Marshalltown Strong graffiti piece in Downtown Marshalltown. As many of us remember, Dye Davenport and his son Darian created the iconic piece on the Marshalltown Skate Park Graffiti Wall, Stay Strong Marshalltown, in the days following the 2018 Marshalltown tornado. This artwork served as a constant reminder of the strength we have to come together and rebuild as a community in the months to follow.
During the tough times we are experiencing, the Alliance believes the arts provide hope, unity and strength to our community, and what better symbol than on a wall exposed as a result of the damage from the tornado. As we spend the weeks to come at a distance from one another, we hope you will be reminded of the ability of our community to be Marshalltown Strong. Together we have conquered the most challenging times and have come out on the other side better than ever. We have done it before, and we will do it again!
Artist's Facebook Page @The Art Shack
Full Press Release / Times-Republican Article 3/29/20
During the tough times we are experiencing, the Alliance believes the arts provide hope, unity and strength to our community, and what better symbol than on a wall exposed as a result of the damage from the tornado. As we spend the weeks to come at a distance from one another, we hope you will be reminded of the ability of our community to be Marshalltown Strong. Together we have conquered the most challenging times and have come out on the other side better than ever. We have done it before, and we will do it again!
Artist's Facebook Page @The Art Shack
Full Press Release / Times-Republican Article 3/29/20
