Hancher helps Iowans bring the arts to town

A huge crowd had gathered, dotted with assembly workers in coveralls and gloves, security guards in uniform, and maintenance staff wearing loose smocks. People stood on every level of the manufacturing operation and lined the metal staircases. Many members of the audience had never before seen a live production–working third shift, they simply didn’t have time to drive to a larger city to see an 8 p.m. concert or play.

But on this night in November, six world-renowned musicians had set up right on the assembly floor of the Pella Corp. in Pella, Iowa, where the company’s trademark windows and doors are made. The space had been cleared of tables and tools. There were refreshments available at stands along the perimeter. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Sextet was performing a live, late-night show.

Before 1999, national arts companies rarely visited Pella, a town of about 10,000. Then Hancher Auditorium developed the Iowa Network Project and, as a result, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Sextet, the Taylor 2 dance company, and the Ahn Trio–a violin-cello-piano ensemble made up of three Korean sisters–have appeared in Pella and two other Iowa communities. Over the three years of the program, the artists visited each town twice and conducted weeklong residencies that included workshops, traditional concerts, and performances at a myriad community events and functions.

"Iowa Network gave us the means and opportunity to bring really fine artists to our area," says Sandie Nelson, general manager at the Pella Opera House. "And we had this tremendous team at Hancher, guiding us every step of the way. I can’t emphasize how important that piece was. The people at Hancher are nationally respected for what they do, so for me, it was like going to school with the best."

That is precisely what the Iowa Network Project was designed to do: forge ties with smaller communities around the state; bring quality artists into those areas for performances, residencies, and workshops; and collaborate with local presenters who may have little experience staging and promoting large acts.

"Our goal is to teach presenters how to develop adult audiences and help Iowans make the arts a part of their everyday lives," says Judith Hurtig, assistant director of Hancher Auditorium. "That is the primary mission of the Iowa Network Project."

The project began with a Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund grant earmarked for audience-building and education. Hancher proposed a collaborative, statewide effort–establishing partnerships with presenters at the Pella Opera House, the Burlington Civic Music Association, and the Center for Faith and Life at Luther College in Decorah.

"We targeted people aged 25 to 45–because they’re so busy with their children and careers, they tend to be very difficult to reach," says Chuck Swanson, associate director at Hancher. "These communities probably wouldn’t have been able to afford artists of this caliber without the program. We started with the basis of the program, which is audience development, taking artists into factories, places of business, civic organizations. We brought them right into the areas where our target audience was represented."

What began as an experiment quickly became a success, bringing together audience, presenters, artists, business partners, and community leaders.

The performance at Pella Corporation was a case in point. Third-shift workers responded so positively to the jazz concert, when the Ahn Trio came in late March, they, too, were invited to play on the factory floor.

"One of the best things to come out of this was seeing the investment the whole community was willing to make," Nelson says. "Pella Corporation made time and space; they even catered in food. It was an incredibly festive atmosphere. And I know that it was a very memorable experience for the employees. For some of them, our program was their first experience with the arts. But you just hope it’s not their last, and that it changed them in some meaningful way."