Art inspires major gift

It has been nearly seven decades since Max McCauslin of Tucson, Arizona, lived in Creston, but his connection to the community holds strong.

McCauslin was about seven years old when his family moved from Creston in the late 1950s. He doesn’t remember much but still remembers his childhood home on North Division Street and going to 10-cent movies at the library. He remembers fishing contests at McKinley Lake and flashing his first grade identification card when he was part of Mrs. Carlson’s class at Irving Elementary. Down the street from his home sat the White Way Dairy on the corner of North Division and West Howard streets. He doesn’t remember the building, per se, but he vaguely remembers when he and his twin brother Mark were featured in an advertisement.

“I have very fond memories of Creston even though it’s many, many years ago,” said McCauslin.

While living in Minnesota in his early adult years, McCauslin said he recalled the times he and his brother would drive through Iowa to visit an aunt and uncle in Mount Ayr or his family would travel to Arizona. He said they always stopped in Creston en route and enjoyed observing the town as time went by.

McCauslin, who retired from the international accounting firm Ernst & Young in 2009, said his career moved him all over the world. Throughout his life, he lived in Iowa, Minnesota, Arizona, New York, Spain and Argentina.

“Every once in awhile, I’ll Facebook or Google places I’ve lived before to see what’s going on,” said McCauslin.

A recent internet search of Creston showed a project that excited him – the restoration of the former White Way Dairy he remembered from his formative years.

Creston Arts

McCauslin said when he saw Creston Arts was restoring the former White Way Dairy and turning it into an art center, he thought, ‘Gee, what a great idea.” He liked the idea of a creative after school program for area youth, open mic nights and community workshops.

“It seemed more than an art center. It involves the whole community,” he said.

After learning that Iowa State Savings Bank and principal shareholders and former Creston residents Karl and Jan Knock gifted the building to Creston Arts along with an initial investment of $50,000 toward renovations, he said it influenced his decision to float a “small donation” to Creston Arts.

“That was critical for me,” said McCauslin. “Obviously somebody was willing to sink a lot of money into this project and must have believed it was worthwhile.”

McCauslin believes its a worthwhile venture, too.

“The arts are important to me,” said McCauslin, who donates to a number of arts organizations, sits on the board of directors for an arts council in Tucson, supports a number of concert venues and holds memberships in a variety of museums in New York, which he considers his “real home.”

In McCauslin’s early research of the project, he learned about the Knocks’ personal donation of $25,000 toward Creston Arts’ fundraising efforts for the Art Center and a $100,000 matching grant from the Knock Family Charitable Fund.

“I was really impressed someone was willing to do that,” McCauslin said. “To me that was a real turning point toward deciding to give any money at all.”

Shortly after he made his initial donation, McCauslin said he received a phone call from Jesse Bolinger of Bolinger Solutions, who is spearheading the fundraising efforts. It was Bolinger’s quick and personal response that triggered McCauslin to make an additional larger donation.

“I like the fact that they are organized enough to do that,” said McCauslin. “That’s a real key point for my decision about giving.”

He said Bolinger has done a good job and those involved with Creston Arts have been very responsive.

“I think that is a good sign of how the money will be spent,” he said.

To date, Creston Arts has raised a total gift amount – inclusive of paid and pledged donations – of more than $151,000, of which approximately $98,000 is eligible to be matched by the Knock Family Charitable Fund matching grant.

As a donor, transparency is important to McCauslin, who said the social media presence has played a critical role in his gifting decisions.

“It’s rewarding to everyone that you’re able to see the progress being made as being opposed to just getting a paragraph or something,” he said. “That Facebook connection is really critical to other donors who might want to see how the money is being spent.”

A catalyst for change

As he’s traveled around the globe, McCauslin has observed how art can be a catalyst for economic development.

“It happened in New York a lot,” said McCauslin. “Each area of our area of Manhattan that was gentrified usually started off as that kind of development.”

The art attracted commerce and industry, which eventually priced out the artists living in the city’s burroughs in the 1980s and ‘90s, but McCauslin said it was a real catalyst for change, attracting retail, restaurants and residents.

“If you don’t do it, it won’t happen. You can’t guarantee it will happen, but (by doing it) you have a distinct chance something good might happen,” he said.

McCauslin said had the same donation been made in New York, it might not be considered significant, but by gifting it to Creston, he feels it is.

“The smaller the town the more significant the donation,” he said.

Matching grant

This week, it was announced by Creston Arts that the matching grant deadline established by the Knock Family Charitable Fund has been extended to December 31.

“At this time Creston Arts is in the fortunate position of carrying forward several trains of positive community engagement,” the Knocks said in a statement.

According to the statement, Creston Arts has been a contributor to the Creston social and cultural community for nearly half a century.

“As with all things, Creston Arts has evolved as interests in the community wax and wane and as long-time contributors are succeeded by new individuals with new ideas that refresh the organization and community,” the Knocks’ statement said. “Currently Creston Arts is in the midst of one such revival. As things sometimes happens, this period of renewal for Creston Arts happens at moment when an opportunity is presented to reuse and renew a beloved space in uptown Creston. That space is variously known to one generation as White Way Dairy, to another as the Huff Bakery and to yet another as a space for community-created art.”

“We believe strongly in the community art center project and in the future of the community of Creston,” said Jan Knock on why the family chose to extend the matching grant challenge.

The matching grant contribution will apply to investments in the building renovation project of $25.00 or greater, with the Knocks’ matching contribution applied as $10,000.00 incremental steps are achieved.

“We wish to thank the numerous individuals and businesses who have pledged their support for this worthy project,” Jan Knock said.

For more information about the Creston Arts Center, visit crestonarts.com.