PLACEMAKING THEME #5
heritage of innovation
The engineers and manufacturers that chose Marshalltown as a home for their companies established a local culture of innovation. Continuing to fuel this spirit will yield new approaches to public interaction with art, and symbiotically, infuse technological development with creative design principles.
Catalysts for success
CONSIDER ADOPTING A STEAM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ART, AND MATHEMATICS) APPROACH TO CULTIVATE WELL-ROUNDED, FLEXIBLE-THINKING FUTURE ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS.
Marshalltown School District’s connections with Iowa State University Marshall County Extension and Emerson continue to produce excellent STEM career opportunities for young people. Arts and technology together have the power to democratize and broaden creative impact.
Inspiration Spotlight: Marshalltown can follow the lead of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, which offers resources to students, teachers, and parents with the goal of maintaining Iowa’s legacy as a leader in education and economic empowerment.
MAKE SPACE FOR MAKERS.
Develop a physical space (potentially the Orpheum Theater) where people can interact with projects and ideas, and have hands-on access to materials and equipment. Include space to showcase work.
FUEL THE GROWTH OF IMMIGRANT-OWNED BUSINESSES THROUGH SMALL BUSINESS INCUBATORS AND MICROLOANS.
Immigrants own one in five small businesses in the United States, and an immigrant has double the likelihood of starting a new business compared with a native-born person. Their presence is especially impactful in small towns struggling to compete with larger municipalities.
Inspiration Spotlight: Microloans are a tool in the creative economy that provide low- or no-interest loans to artists who are not well-served by traditional financial institutions. Kiva, Springboard for the Arts, and Native Women Lead are examples of successful arts microloan models.
