The late Helen Fitz of Melbourne may have passed away in 2017, but her legacy lives on in the form of her artwork. An art exhibition of her two- and three-dimension works will debut October 17 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Arts + Culture Alliance (ACA) headquarters, 126 W. Main Street. The night will feature a showcase of Fitz’s art, accompanied by live music by Buz Owen, with light appetizers and snacks provided, along with beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic).

Fitz was born in Marshalltown in 1940, the daughter of Mickey Donaldson and Irene (Coulter) Bunting. She was raised in and graduated from the Marshalltown School District. She married James B. Fitz (Jim) in the fall of 1959 in Marshalltown and had four children: Michael, Margaret, Eric and Mary.

Members of her family will attend the reception, including her daughter Mary of Des Moines and her sons Eric of Colorado Springs and Mike of Melbourne.

“Mom was a dedicated patron and participant of the art community and would have been thrilled that people will continue their enjoyment of her work,” said Eric Fitz.

The idea to spotlight Fitz’s work came from three local artists: Nick Beard, Nancy Adams and Shel Buzbee.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity for Marshalltown to honor Helen, as her work deserves to be seen and celebrated,” Buzbee said.

Adams said back in 2013, Beard discovered several of Fitz’s paintings in a local thrift store. He and a group of area artists purchased them, for display in their homes. A few months ago, Adams was at Buzbee’s house and noticed one of Fitz’s paintings, which got the conversation going about how to honor this local artist in the present-day.

“I said, maybe we could just all get together and have her paintings hang together again,” Adams said. “It just kind of went from there because everybody was on board. We so love them, and they’re so unique. We thought maybe there’s more in Marshall County.”

They went in search of additional works by Fitz. Adams then got connected with Eric.

“Since then, we have met three of Helen’s four children, and each of them has loaned us, for purposes of the exhibit, a number of works of art of hers, as well as sister-in-law Susan Donaldson in California mailed a box full. Her niece from Maryland mailed some three dimensional pieces. So they’ve really come together, they’re very, very supportive of this,” Adams said.

Approximately 40 pieces of art will be on display, ranging from portraits painted with oils, acrylics, and watercolor, plus woodcarvings and painted porcelain. The earliest painting on display came from Susan Donaldson, and it dates to 1964. Mary loaned the exhibit one of Fitz’s smocks.

Fitz had some of her pieces shown at the New York Folk Art Museum in New York City. Locally, she was a member of the Central Iowa Art Association. Adams said the ACA came to mind as a potential venue for the show.

“Honoring Helen Fitz means honoring the spirit of local artists whose innovation and creativity continue to inspire and pave the way for future generations,” said Amber Danielson, executive director of the ACA. “Helen’s legacy reminds us how the passion of artists past sets the stage for the vibrant arts community we celebrate today and tomorrow.”

The exhibition will be on display through Nov. 10. A limited number of pieces are for sale. This event is free to attend and open to the public. For questions, contact Danielson at director@artsandculturealliance.org.