Built in 1958, the Fisher Community Center lies in the middle of Marshalltown and houses an art collection unique to a city this size. The Impressionist Gallery was donated by the late Bill Fisher and features paintings from artists like Mary Cassatt and Camile Pissarro.

The foundation, which oversees the Fisher Community Center, and other community partners have wanted to make something more of the collection for years, knowing the cultural and economic impact it might have. Since 2014, leaders have been finding ways to do just that. Karn Gregoire, who serves on the Fisher Governor Foundation Board, announced the initiative to the public in July.

“Art and culture in Marshalltown has continued to evolve and grow,” Gregoire said. “It provides the community with economic growth, with an identity. It’s a draw for people to live in a community with art and culture.”

The project’s first phase focuses on restoring and preserving the art collection. The Fisher Governor Foundation used a grant from the Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation to hire a consulting team from

T-R FILE PHOTO
The Fisher Community Center has not seen major renovations since it was opened in 1858.

Western Illinois University led by Pam White, who formerly served as the director of the Museum Studies Program at the University of Iowa. The team is charged with developing policies and procedures, digitizing collection documents, setting up the software management system and establishing the restoration process for the collection. Private fundraising is needed to cover the restoration costs.

In the days after the public announcement, the consulting team was on-site to evaluate each piece of art in the gallery. The team pulled out of town the day of the tornado. After the storm, project leaders and the community at large had to shift their focus. But after the most immediate recovery needs were taken care of, leaders got back to work.

Restoration needs

The Conservation Center of Chicago’s restoration efforts are the first conservation efforts in the decades the collection has been in the building. The team found restoration and preservation needs will cost approximately $200,000.

“While a work of art can be timeless, the materials used are vulnerable to age and environmental conditions,” according to The Conservation Center’s website. “Many types of damage occur to paintings including: paint losses and flaking, tears, discolored varnish, degradation of previous restoration campaigns and accumulation of layers of grime and dust.”

The support and structure of a painting is also important. For example, paintings are supposed to be rested and not continually hung up, Gregoire said. The team will help put the best conservation practices into place.

Public fundraising for restoration will begin this fall. Once money is secured, the collection will be sent off to be restored hopefully this time next year. High-dollar pieces will be sent first as fundraising continues. Its estimated restoration would take a year.

Gregoire said the collection is significant. On a trip to Paris, France, she saw very similar works in museums.

“As someone who studied art history, I remember thinking how unbelievable it was that the collection existed in Marshalltown when I first discovered it almost 14 years ago,” said Heidi Dalal, who co-chaired the Fisher Art Collection Advisory Council. “The collection is a tremendous community asset unlike any other and the potential it has for Marshalltown is limitless.”

In the restoration process Gregoire has learned many neat nuances about art made at that time. One of the Henri Matisse pieces had two signatures on the back — one real and one fake. It was popular to add the signature as paintings faded so that the artist wouldn’t be lost. After restoration, only the original signature will be kept and restored.

Security upgrades have already been put in place. For the time being, the collection is not open to the public, but a tour can still be arranged with Val Ruff, director of tourism at the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce.

Once restored, the gallery will be reopened. The hope is to eventually have it evolve into a certified museum.

“It’ll definitely put us on the map,” Ruff said at the time the project was announced. “There is a big economic impact in all of this.”

The average tourist who comes to an arts event will spend $31.47 per day beyond the cost of admission, according to Americans for the Arts.

Facility upgrades

The second phase of the project will focus on facility upgrades. The building has not seen any major renovations since it opened.

It currently houses the Chamber of Commerce, a community theater and gathering spaces. The Senior Citizen Center also has a two-year lease to be in the building, but its uncertain at this time if it can stay there after that period with the potential upgrades.

“The general consensus is the Fisher Community Center is tired,” Gregoire said.

FEH Design completed a utilization study and facility condition assessment in November. The committee is taking additional steps to ensure the plans going forward will be sustainable and financially wise.

“We want to keep this here for a very long time,” Gregoire said. “We’re taking our time and not rushing into anything because we want to make sure we’re making the right decision.”

This phase of the project will require a more significant amount of fundraising than the restoration phase. Once research is complete, the leaders will announce it to the public.

“Bill Fisher, in his entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit, gave this building to the community and it’s our responsibility to take care of it,” Ruff said.

Contact Gregoire with questions or interest in donations at karn@marthaellentyefoundation.org