MACC Board of Trustees President Karn Gregoire said the usage has been on an upward trend, and the building hosted its first wedding last weekend. She envisions outdoor weddings in the future and of course, Gregoire is happy to report that the Fisher Art Museum, the pride and joy of the late Bill Fisher, continues to draw visitors from both near and far.

“The tourism is picking up for the museum and then the usage of this facility,” Gregoire said. “(In) Marshalltown, we’ve always said we’re centrally located and this should be a gathering place. What we’re finding is that people are doing that… We’ve got people traveling from northern Iowa, from southern Iowa and they meet here for conferences, for meetings, and that is growing.”

One idea that gets her especially excited is bringing in a guest lecturer to discuss the artwork along with a mixologist to serve drinks from the era or specific to the painting in focus. Beyond more formal events, the MACC is being utilized for parties, showers, educational outings and about any other type of gathering one can imagine, and Gregoire is especially excited to see that it’s become multicultural.

“We have gotten every ethnic background in this community that’s using this place, which is super cool,” she said.

A sign outside of the MACC directs visitors to the nonprofit organizations housed inside the building and the Fisher Art Museum.

Marshalltown native Nancy Vellinga Burke returned to her hometown just over a year ago to take on the executive director role, and so far, she’s been thrilled with the decision. Her main goal is one that’s easy to articulate but can often be more difficult to execute: creating a place for everyone.

“One year ago, one of my biggest goals was to make sure that everyone who lives in Marshall County knew that this building, this space was for them. I am really excited about the cultural diversity of those who rent space for events at the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center. We have had some incredible receptions and parties here,” she said. “Another goal was to connect with the local school districts. I believe that every student in Marshall County should have at least one chance to visit the MACC and the Fisher Art Museum at least once during their education. I am pleased to announce that the MACC will host author Elise Broach in December, and local third and fourth grade students will be visiting with her at the MACC and also touring the Fisher Art Museum.”

One of the biggest — and, initially at least, most controversial — changes at the MACC is the name. For decades, it had been known as the Fisher Community Center as a tribute to Bill Fisher, but Gregoire explained that the Fishers are anything but forgotten in the new building. Of course, the art collection and museum still bear Bill’s name, and the as-yet-unfinished Martha-Ellen Tye Playhouse is named in tribute to his sister.

“We did this to put Marshalltown on the map. People from California, if you say ‘Have you been to the Fisher Art Museum,’ (they may not know it), but if you say ‘Have you been to the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center to see the (art museum),’ it’s Marshalltown, Marshalltown, Marshalltown,” Gregoire said. “And that’s what we were hoping for. People didn’t realize that. As we start to realize it, we’re (winning over) more and more people who were opposed to it. And I understand, and Fisher was fundamental to this community. What this family gave was phenomenal. So I understand. I truly do, which is why we talked to the family first to get their input.”

When the ongoing playhouse renovation project — the trustees are still attempting to raise money to make those improvements a reality — is finally complete, Gregoire sees it as opening another avenue for plays, musical performances and guest speakers to the MACC. The main wing of the building cost around $7 million to fix, and the playhouse is estimated at around $2 million more on top of that.

“It’s a matter of raising all the funds and then being able to move forward. When we did this building, we had to move forward without having all the funds. I will never do that again,” she said. “That was just scary as all get out, but we did it.”

In addition to hosting all sorts of events, the MACC has also become something of a hub for local nonprofits with the Arts+Culture Alliance, Marshalltown Area United Way, the Community Foundation of Marshall County and the Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation all utilizing office space. If someone walks through the door and one nonprofit can’t help them, there’s a good chance another one can — especially now that the United Way has hired a bilingual staff member.

“They’re constantly working in unison for the community, and it’s so much easier for community members,” Gregoire said.

Like many other business and government officials post tornado and derecho, the leaders of the aforementioned organizations worked out of temporary office spaces, but the synergy they’ve found at the MACC has benefited all of them.

“The cool thing that happens is if someone is coming in and starting a nonprofit or has a project, we all meet with them at once so they don’t have to go to the Tye Foundation, to the United Way or to the Community Foundation. We’ll sit down with them all around a table,” Community Foundation of Marshall County Executive Director Julie Hitchins said. “Conversely, they’ll come to Kendra (Sorensen) because they think she’s the funder of everything, and their mission may not fit the United Way’s three pillars. She’ll bring them down here and I’ll introduce our grant program. So it’s kind of that soft handoff between the agencies… We can really be efficient with their time and our time.”

Sorensen, who serves as the executive director of the United Way, shared a similar sentiment.

“As we all know, not one single person has the knowledge and expertise when tasked with ever changing community needs, but when there’s a group of mission focused leaders together in a single building, we have an efficient and effective opportunity to collaborate, lean on, and support each other in our efforts,” she said.

Employees of Emerson, which now owns Fisher Controls, have adopted the grounds, and Gregoire is proud of the way the community has embraced the MACC in general. The future is bright for the facility and the surrounding Linn Creek District, and the fun is just getting started.

“The economic driver of this place and how it’s feeding into our local economy is really very important,” she said.

The MACC is located at 709 S. Center St.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611

or rmahrry@timesrepublican.com.