Sometimes an organization has to take a step back in order to eventually grow.

That’s the case with the Marshall Area Fine Arts Council. I read with interest a Deb Gau article in the Independent this month about how MAFAC plans to lease space at City Hall.

MAFAC can no longer afford the rent at its Third Street location. It needed a place downtown that would cost less yet still be accessible to the public.

Moving to city hall means giving some things up. There will no longer be a gift shop. They’ll have just an office instead of both an office and their own space for meetings. There won’t be nearly as much storage.

MAFAC also won’t have a storefront. There will be a need to get people into city hall and get them to use the elevator or stairs.

The move is necessary for the organization to remain sustainable. MAFAC receives appropriations from the city and county, but not nearly enough to cover expenses. There isn’t enough money to have a full-time coordinator, something that’s vital for both the Adult Community Center and the Lyon County Historical Society.

Being located at city hall should lead to benefits for both MAFAC and the city. An art gallery will be established in a commons area on the second floor that has had very little use. People will visit. They’ll become familiar with City Hall as well as the gallery.

There will be a guarantee that Marshall will still have a downtown Arts Center. It’s not a duplication of the Southwest Minnesota Arts and Humanities Council office and gallery on Third Street.

SMAHC is based in Marshall but it is regional in scope. Its time and money are divided among communities throughout southwestern Minnesota. Marshall needs it own arts organization, one that focuses on promoting visual arts, music, theater and dance at the local level.

At city hall, MAFAC leaders will have time to plan for future growth. They can make efforts to increase the number of memberships, generate more ticket sales for their yearly concert series and apply for grants.

The thing to remember about grants is that they’re almost a two-edged sword. They’re only temporary. There’s always the question of what to do when the grant runs out.

For that reason, it’s rare to find a grant that will pay for personnel. Usually grants go to pay for events or materials, something that will have a short term measurable payoff.

MAFAC might never get a storefront again or a full-time coordinator if it has to depend solely on memberships, donations and grants. It might take more of an investment from the city and possibly Lyon County.

It’s something that should be seriously considered. Maybe the city could support MAFAC in a way similar to how the county supports the Lyon County Historical Society. LCHS has a budget that allows for a full-time director and a part-time collections manager, plus a three floor downtown museum.

Another possibility could be a city and county partnership similar to what exists with the Marshall Lyon County Library. The city pays a share and the county pays a share.

The library arrangement has always been based on the idea that people throughout much of Lyon County use the library. The county benefits. Therefore the county should contribute.

The same idea could hold true for MAFAC. The artists who’ve exhibited at the MAFAC gallery often come from beyond the city limits. The annual Lyon County Art Stars exhibit for high school students involves more schools than just Marshall.

My hope is that something will be developed that gives MAFAC a solid base of funding. It’s needed if the city wants to truly reach its potential as a regional center for arts events and activities. What’s already being done is good, but there is a potential to accomplish much more.

The arts are important. They offer something people can enjoy throughout their lives, as participants as the grow old rather than just as spectators.

The city invests considerable time, effort and money into the Red Baron Arena. I favor that. The sports events and trade shows are enjoyable. They draw crowds. They bring people to Marshall who wouldn’t visit otherwise.

Arts events do the same thing on a smaller scale. Financial benefits from the arts could grow if an initial investment is made in the near future. It holds promise, enough promise to make it worth exploring.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent