Reason #4 - We bring the world to Decatur - Top 10 reasons why the Madden Arts Center is a vital part of downtown Decatur

July 5, 2004, when the Decatur Area Arts Council moved into the Madden Arts Center, the dream of a lively active arts center in a very visible downtown location became a reality. Now, ten years later, we have compiled a list of the top 10 reasons why the Madden Arts Center is a vital part of downtown Decatur.

#4 - We bring the world to Decatur.

The first thing you experience when you walk into the Madden Arts Center is the beautiful Anne Lloyd Gallery.  As a major part of the original vision, the gallery has become the crown jewel of the Center.  Folks who have never seen it are often struck by the size and elegance of the space.  They are surprised to find something like it in downtown Decatur, Illinois.   Exhibiting artists from Chicago, St. Louis, and beyond are impressed by and grateful for the opportunity to display their work here.   It is through these artists that the Anne Lloyd Gallery brings the world to Decatur.

The range of exhibits in the Anne Lloyd Gallery has been mind-boggling, with something for everybody’s taste, including street art, comic books, and recycled art.  Even after ten years, Gallery Director Sue Powell and the selection committee continue to find prominent local and even international artists to feature in a different exhibit every month. 

Supporting home-grown talent has always been a focus of the gallery.  Lots of local artists have had solo exhibits, like watercolorist Rob O’Dell, painters Don Guber and Cindy Lewis, and sculptor Peter Smith-Phillips, to name just a a few.  Annual shows, like the Barn Colony Artists show in May, Gallery 510’s October National, and the Xmas ARTicles Holiday Shoppe in December, also give Decatur-area artists the opportunity to display and sell their work in the gallery.  Even creative young students get a monthly exhibit with the Young Artists Showcase in January. 

But the Anne Lloyd Gallery offers up its share of national and international art and culture, particularly through the annual International Arts Experience exhibits each summer.  These exhibits don’t just have beautiful examples of art and artifacts from cultures as diverse as Japan, Brazil, India, and Native American.  They combine traditional visual displays with astonishing performances of music and dance, compelling storytelling, and mouth-watering samples of food. 

The Anne Lloyd Gallery serves as a centerpiece for the arts experiences of the citizens of Decatur.  Hundreds of people come together in the gallery for the opening events on the first Friday of each month.  Kids on field trips see and learn things on their visits here that they may not get in their regular school lessons.  Every day, downtown visitors and shoppers stop by this oasis of creativity in the heart of our city and leave refreshed and inspired. 

But, maybe the most impressive fact about the Anne Lloyd Gallery is that all of the things it has to offer are provided to our community free of charge... thanks to the generosity of those who support the Decatur Area Arts Council. 

Thanks,
Jerry Johnson
Executive Director
Decatur Area Arts Council

Reason #3 - Preserves a historic downtown building - Top 10 reasons why the Madden Arts Center is a vital part of downtown Decatur

Ten years after the Madden Arts Center began its role as a community arts center, we have compiled a list of the top 10 reasons why it is a vital part of downtown Decatur.  I’m addressing these reasons in a series of posts as the Decatur Area Arts Council gears up for events celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Madden Arts Center in August 2014

Reason #3 - Preserves a Historic Downtown Building

Since being transformed into the Madden Arts Center in 2004, the building at 125 N. Water St. has become a hub of activity in downtown Decatur.  Every month, on average 1,000 people pass through our doors on their way to a gallery show, class, meeting, or performance.

Built in 1902 by wealthy clothing businessman John Race,  a number of businesses have come and gone at this location, including jewelers, opticians, a beauty school, and a variety of clothing retailers.  If you stand back and look at the architecture, you can see that the buildings at 125 and 131 N. Water St. are actually two halves of the same structure.  Over the years, much of the building has been vacant.  Most of the time, the upper floors were vacant.  In 1991, Theatre 7, Decatur’s community theatre, purchased the northern half of the building.  This was one of the reasons the Arts Council chose to buy the southern half of the building.  The idea that these two organizations could potentially be the beginning of an arts district in downtown Decatur was very appealing, bringing new life to an aging structure.

There was one particularly successful business in the building’s history that seemed to defy the odds and became synonymous with outstanding service and quality merchandise at a reasonable price, Sam Loeb’s clothing store.

In 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression, Sam Loeb bought the Bright Brothers clothing store at 125 N. Water St.  Though he was only 23 years old, Loeb went on to run the store for 55 years, 1933-1988.

Lots of folks in Decatur have fond memories of shopping in Loeb’s store.  They remember not only the efficiency and knowledge of the staff, but their kindness and good nature.  Which was no doubt the secret to the store’s longevity.

Sam Loeb once said, “I feel about the business of downtown Decatur this way: businesses that have a good reputation and have built up a strong following over many years will be able to continue to flourish.”

We at the Decatur Area Arts Council are proud to continue this tradition of dedication and service to our community.  We are particularly proud that we can do it in a historic downtown building that has such a rich history.  While some buildings have given way to fire or the wrecking ball, 125 N. Water St. continues to thrive in the heart of our city as the Madden Arts Center.

Thanks,
Jerry Johnson
Executive Director
Decatur Area Arts Council

Reason #2 - We’re Connected to the Community - Top 10 reasons why the Madden Arts Center is a vital part of downtown Decatur

Ten years after the Madden Arts Center began its role as a community arts center, we have compiled a list of the top 10 reasons why it is a vital part of downtown Decatur.  I’m addressing these reasons in a series of posts as the Decatur Area Arts Council gears up for events celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Madden Arts Center in August 2014

Reason #2 - We’re Connected to the Community

When you come to the Madden Arts Center for a gallery exhibit, a drawing class, or a performance, you may notice offices on the first, second, and third floors.  Some really important work is being done for our community in these offices by the Community Foundation of Macon County, the Education Coalition of Macon County, and, of course, the Decatur Area Arts Council.

A major goal that these three groups share is improving the quality of life in our community.  Quality of life can mean a lot of things, but shouldn’t be confused with the idea of standard of living, which is based mainly on income.  The quality of our lives has to do with our personal goals and the ability to make them happen.

The Decatur Area Arts Council’s office is on the first floor.  DAAC introduces and promotes the arts, enhances arts educational opportunities, and increases the impact of and access to the arts to improve the quality of life in the community.  Over the past 10 years, an average of 1,000 kids and adults every month have enjoyed exhibits, classes, performances, meetings, and more, in the Madden Arts Center.  But we don’t just coordinate the activities inside the MAC.  The building also serves as our home base when we reach out into the community with great programs like the Performing Arts Series for Students (PASS), community arts grants, and Arts in Central Park.

On the second floor, the Community Foundation of Macon County is the center for both philanthropy and nonprofit groups working to improve the quality of life (there it is again) in Macon County.  The folks at the Community Foundation help generous people in our community identify important needs, educate them on how they can help, and figure out how their giving can have the greatest impact.  Being downtown in the Madden Arts Center puts them close to many of the businesses, banks, attorneys, and non-profit groups that are part of all this.

The Education Coalition of Macon County is on the third floor.  EdCo was created by the Community Foundation to improve the (you guessed it) quality of life in our community by helping our kids learn at higher levels and prepare for their futures.  Involving educators, parents, business, and others outside the school room is the key to making this happen and having a place in the middle of town to meet and plan is a big plus.

Having these three organizations under one roof is a powerful thing.  Our programs compliment and reinforce each other, increasing our ability to (say it with me) improve the quality of life in our community.  The fact that we can just walk up or down the stairs to coordinate our plans, share some new information, or get a bit of advice makes that a whole lot easier.


Thanks,
Jerry Johnson
Executive Director
Decatur Area Arts Council

Reason #1 - It’s the Place the Arts Call Home - Top 10 reasons why the Madden Arts Center is a vital part of downtown Decatur

Ten years after the Madden Arts Center began its role as a community arts center, we have compiled a list of the top 10 reasons why it is a vital part of downtown Decatur.  I’m addressing these reasons in a series of posts as the Decatur Area Arts Council gears up for events celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Madden Arts Center in August 2014.

Reason #1 - It’s the place for art to call home

Lots of people get involved in the arts because they love to sing or paint or act or play music.  For them, it’s more than just a hobby.  It’s their passion.  They often seek out people with the same passion and band together to share know how and practice their art.  That’s how many of our local arts groups were born.

A group of artists began meeting in the carriage house/barn at the James Millikin Homestead and became the Barn Colony Artists.  A few actors decided to start their own troupe over drinks at a local establishment and called themselves Theatre 7.  Some local residents banded together to support and promote the music they loved and founded the Symphony Orchestra Guild of Decatur.

But being a local arts organization isn’t easy.  You need people to keep things on track, recruit members, plan activities, and raise money.  You also need a place to meet, rehearse, display their work, and store your stuff.  Moving from one temporary place to another just doesn’t cut it.  You need a home.

Many of these local arts groups have found that “home” at the Madden Arts Center.  The 150-year-old Decatur Municipal Band went from rehearsing in church basements to the spacious third floor of the MAC, where they even store some of their equipment and most of their music library.

The Barn Colony Artists meet weekly in the second floor Barnett Studio, which has the equipment and space for them to share and practice their talents.  They also proudly fill the elegant Anne Lloyd Gallery with the artwork they’ve created each year during their annual show,

Another group of local artists, the Gallery 510 Arts Guild, holds meetings and offers programs at the MAC, along with hosting exhibits by artists ranging from talented kids to juried professionals.

Several performing arts groups, Theatre 7, Juvae Jazz Society, Opus 24 Choral Society, and the Symphony Orchestra Guild, don’t have a box office, so they sell tickets to their events out of the MAC.  Business and historical records for several of these groups are even stored in the building rather than risk being lost as they pass from member to member.

The Madden Arts Center is an inviting, secure, centrally-located building dedicated to supporting the arts in our community with space and resources for storage, meetings, programs, and rehearsals.  The fact that all of this is offered to arts groups, at a very low cost, only adds to the peace of mind they get knowing that they have a place to call home.

Thanks,
Jerry Johnson

Executive Director

Decatur Area Arts Council

Reason # 0 – A Dream into Reality - Top 10 reasons why the Madden Arts Center is a vital part of downtown Decatur

Ten years after the Madden Arts Center began its role as a community arts center, we have compiled a list of the top 10 reasons why it is a vital part of downtown Decatur.  I’ll address these reasons in a series of posts over the next few months as the Decatur Area Arts Council gears up for events celebrating the 10^th anniversary of the Madden Arts Center in August 2014.

This is the first in the series.  It gives a brief history of the discussion, planning, and development of the Madden Arts Center.  I have labeled it “#0” because it is not one of the “official” 10 reasons.

#0 – A Dream into Reality

Art and culture are important to a community.  They fuel the city’s imagination and allow it to gaze into the future with hope and enthusiasm.  In 1967, a group of local artists, teachers and Millikin University staff understood this when they began sponsoring children’s arts education programs.  Thanks to them, the Decatur Area Arts Council was born.  It started small – like many things do – and as the DAAC grew, it would focus on fulfilling the promise of providing “Arts for All.”

In 1992, the DAAC led an effort to develop a Community Cultural Plan for the city of Decatur.  That plan later inspired DAAC Executive Director Susan Smith to dream of a highly-visible, downtown arts center.  A center that could offer the community a gallery, art classes, and shops, and even serve as an arts incubator to help local arts groups grow and network.  But big ideas require big resources.

Over the next eight years, the DAAC worked hard to get all the pieces in place.  The search for the ideal location ended when DAAC board member Ritchie Barnett looked out his office window one afternoon and realized the answer had been there all the time.  Across the street, at 125 N. Water St., was a historic three-story building that even had an arts neighbor with Theatre 7.  This building dated back to 1902 and, though it had seen lots of shops and businesses come and go, it would now be the place the arts could call home.

Once the building was purchased in September 2000, the real work began.  Local business leaders and volunteers, from bankers to architects to contractors, rallied around the dream, and so did the people of Decatur.  Through their generosity, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, $2 million was raised and the redesign and renovation of the building was completed.  On July 5, 2004, the Decatur Area Arts Council moved into the Madden Arts Center and the dream of a vibrant community arts center became a reality.  Now, ten years later, the arts continue to inspire dreams in the citizens of Decatur.

Thanks,
Jerry Johnson

Executive Director

Decatur Area Arts Council

Community Theatre Musicals... A Lot of Work, but Definitely Worth It!

I recently had the privilege of directing the Theatre 7 production of the musical Cotton Patch Gospel.  The experience was extremely rewarding, but it was also a roller coaster ride getting there.  The demands of staging a musical can be struggle for a mostly volunteer organization like Theatre 7.  The things that make musicals a positive experience for a community theatre group can also create difficulties.  

Musicals usually require larger casts.  They are a great way to give more people an opportunity to be involved, especially those with less experience.  They can get onstage experience and learn theatre skills without taking on too much responsibility.  It may seem obvious to state that musicals require not only quality actors, but performers who can sing, and often dance.  Finding folks with these skills who also have the interest and time can be difficult.  The time commitment is significant, six to eight weeks of rehearsals.  Filling a cast with a good balance of newbies and veterans to both offer opportunities and ensure a high quality show is always the goal, yet can be a real struggle.

Because musicals have big casts and are filled with singing and dancing, they always attract larger audiences. Just about everyone loves a fun musical and family and friends love to come out to see folks they know. Larger audiences, of course, mean more money to keep the organization going.  But financially, musicals are much more expensive to stage.  More elaborate sets and costumes and much higher royalty fees drive costs up and make them riskier.

One of the biggest issues when putting together a local musical is assembling a team of talented, experienced people who may not appear on stage but are key to the success of the show, including director, musical director, choreographer, musicians, costumers, sound director.  There are a limited number of people in the Decatur area with the expertise and experience to take on these roles and they are in high demand. 

But the benefits of staging musicals far out weight the difficulties.  For me, the greatest thing about being involved in a musical is the sense of family that develops within the group over the weeks it takes to put the show together.  I’m always inspired by the talent, team work, and dedication of everyone in the cast and crew.  Closing a show is a bittersweet experience.  You’re glad to have your free time back, but you’re sure going to miss those wonderful people.  

Thank you again to the cast, crew and band... family... of Cotton Patch Gospel.

Here is a sample of the ups and downs of Cotton Patch Gospel:

• Auditions for the show were scheduled for a Monday and Tuesday evening.  A small group of people tried out on Monday, not nearly enough to fill the cast.  The next day a snow storm hit Decatur and the Tuesday night auditions had to be rescheduled for the following Monday night.  In the mean time, phone calls, text messages, and emails went out to as many potential cast members we could think of.  Some folks were interested, but simply could not find the time in their busy schedules to be involved.
• We held the second audition and still didn’t have everyone we needed to cast the show.  More phone calls, text messages, and emails, were made, contacting friends of friends and talented people we remembered from years ago.  
• Finally, we had a cast for the show.  
• The night we met to read through the script for the first time, we learned that a key actor had a sudden family crisis and was no longer available.  More calls were made and another actor was found.  We were now almost two weeks behind schedule.  
• Within the first two weeks, we lost three members due to the demands of the rehearsal schedule. The responsibilities of those actors had to be redistributed to other actors.  
• Another snow/ice storm caused rehearsal cancellations.
• After a lot of dedication and hard work, and despite a shortened rehearsal schedule, the cast was ready for the stage and a live audience.
• The show made it to the theatre just in time for cold and flu season.  Virtually every  cast member caught some sort of bug but did their best not to cough and sneeze during performances.  On the second weekend, one actor’s laryngitis was so bad the director (me) had to fill in for him during one performance.
• No one complained and everyone brought tremendous enthusiasm to the stage every performance.
• Did I mention that the bluegrass band was awesome!?

Thanks,
Jerry Johnson

Executive Director

Decatur Area Arts Council

(I've been involved with Theatre 7, Decatur's community theatre, since 1983.)

A New Blog for the Decatur Area Arts Council

This blog has been established to create a new connection between the Decatur Area Arts Council and the folks in our community interested in the arts. 

It adds to the many ways we use to deliver information to you and to get your feedback about what's going on in our arts community.

This blog will allow us to discuss arts topics in a more timely manner than our newsletter and in a longer format than a Facebook post.  We can offer insights into the exhibits, artists, classes, and other programs offered by the DAAC and you can tell us what you think.  We hope you find this new connection informative and engaging.

Check out other ways to stay connected to the DAAC.

• Our website is comprehensive and up to date with valuable information about our many programs, from gallery exhibits to bus trips to arts classes for all ages.
• Our e-newsletter is sent each month to nearly 1,000 DAAC members. Send us an email and we'll add you to the list.
• Our ARTSbeat newsletter is mailed four times each year to thousands of arts-minded people in our community.  Check out our current and back issues.
• Our Facebook page is updated almost daily with the latest upcoming arts activities throughout our community, in addition to DAAC activities.

Thanks,
Jerry Johnson
Executive Director
Decatur Area Arts Council