Eggs and Issues focuses on arts and culture

Feb. 13—OSKALOOSA — Oskaloosa got a chance to show off its creative side at Saturday's Eggs and Issues event which featured a panel of the Iowa Great Places: Arts and Culture Roundtable.

The panel, broken up into two sections, consisted of Fine Arts and Cultural Events of Mahaska president Brant Bollman, Oskaloosa Art Center director Sarah Kargol, William Penn University film director-in-residence Max Leonida, Mahaska County Historical Society director and curator Margaret Spiegel, Oskaloosa Public Library director Marion Gaughan, George Daily Community Auditorium executive director Andy McGuire, Pam Blomgren of the Oskaloosa Write Club and Kathy Geren Christy of Oskaloosa Ink Stains.

The event focused on showcasing all of the opportunities to engage with arts and culture in Oskaloosa.

"When I was looking at Oskaloosa as a place to relocate, it was a sign to me that this is a creative place, when there's abstract art that makes you think in the middle of the square," Bollman said. "We have murals that we've been adding, and we're always looking to add more, both murals that tell about our past, and murals that celebrate art. It's just a sign to others that this is a creative place."

One of the entry points to Oskaloosa's art scene is the city's art center, which offers both children and adult classes.

"The art center has been in Oskaloosa since 2014 or 2015," Kargol said. "We do homeschool programs, we have public classes ... Our programming is constantly growing and changing, so stay with us."

The panel not only discussed artistic opportunities in the local community, but ways to dig into Mahaska County's history and culture as well.

"[The Mahaska County Historical Society] is the keeper of the history and heritage of Mahaska County," Spiegel said. "We do that through public programs. We do that through museum exhibits. We preserve the historic buildings. On our site we have 15 historic structures, we maintain a genealogy that is available for all to use ... We've really pushed ourselves to the next level the last few years to grow and to renovate."

Spiegel said the historical society is in possession of more that 15,000 historic artifacts that tell the story of Mahaska County.

"We're excited to continually get new donations, so those [artifacts] rotate on and off so people can see what those stories have to tell, because we have a very rich legacy here in the area," Spiegel said.

Her fellow panelists agreed.

"You need to get out to the Nelson Pioneer Farm," McGuire said. "The stuff that they are building, especially in the last six years, is jaw-dropping."

McGuire also spoke to the audience about the renovation project at Vennard Amphitheater, an outdoor venue located on the former Vennard College Campus in University Park. The renovation project began just after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, when local artists were looking for a way to continue engaging with the arts in spite of social distancing. The outdoor theater presented the perfect opportunity. Since then, the project has included giving the theater power, internet access and security cameras.

Last August, the amphitheater was used to host Oska Lucid's production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night."

For more information about the Oskaloosa Art Center, visit their website at faceofmahaska.com More information about the Mahaska County Historical Society or the Nelson Pioneer Farm can be found at nelsonpioneer.org or by calling 641-672-2989.

The next Eggs and Issues event will be held at 8:30 a.m. at Smokey Row on Feb. 25. The panel will include Sen. Ken Rozenboom of Iowa's Senate District 19 and Reps. Barb Kniff-McCulla and Helena Hayes of Iowa's House Districts 37 and 88.

Channing Rucks can be reached at crucks@oskyherald.com.