Before RAGBRAI came through Marshalltown, volunteers tackled various cleanup and renovation projects to help the city sparkle for the thousands of visitors who biked through. One initiative that took off on social media was repainting a large concrete M located in the 13th Street District near the futsal courts. After retired MCC professor and local artist Nancy Adams saw the condition of the M heavily discussed on Facebook (its red paint fading and cracks in the concrete), she decided she wanted to be part of the solution, and not merely a critic.
“I did post a photograph because it was in a sorry state, and asked who I should reach out to to try to help,” Adams said.
Almost immediately, Laurel-based artist Missy Sharer Pieters was tagged in the post, as she has painted murals and done public art displays in the area. As it happens, she was part of the initial efforts that got the Ms distributed as a “My Marshalltown” fundraiser, beginning in 2016.
“Kristin Polley took the leadership of it with the Assistance League of Marshalltown. I ended up on that committee and took it over as chair once she gave up her term,” Sharer Pieters said.
The large Ms (table top sizes were later offered) are approximately five feet by five feet in size and weigh around 900 pounds each.
“They were purchased by a business or individual. Proceeds benefited the Assistance League, which in turn, funds projects in Marshall County,” she added.
After 49 large Ms were circulated around town — 10 at school buildings and 39 at businesses, public spaces, parks and private residences — the project concluded in 2021.
The 13th Street M came to the district in 2020, having previously been displayed on Linn Street.
“This is my personal connected M, because that was the one Becky Deimerly had purchased for the Linn Street Market building when (my business) Messy Missy’s was located there,” Sharer Pieters noted. “I think it was great she had it moved to 13th Street (as a founding member of the 13th Street District board).”
But due to most of these Ms residing outdoors, the elements take a toll after a few years.
Adams and Sharer Pieters got connected with Heidi Draisey, president of the 13th Street District board, for permission to repaint the M. Draisey said the board was aware of the M’s state, and had its repair on the to-do list. But before it could be revamped, Draisey noted, the concrete had to be addressed.
“We were able to arrange within a week’s timeframe having Dick’s Concrete help. They were not only willing to fix it, but willing to donate supplies and their time to fix it,” she said. “We let Missy do her magic and we’re very happy that it was able to be done by RAGBRAI — we wanted to put our best faces forward.”
Previously, the M was painted red. Other Ms around town are also blue, as a nod to the Marshalltown School District’s Bobcat colors being those hues.
Sharer Pieters said the three women brainstormed the design.
“I think the coolest aspect is the M was damaged and the cracks and breaks were still visible. Nancy said ‘we need to make that part of the design.’ Then light bulbs just started going off in my head,” she noted. “I had to sleep on it overnight. It just was a natural fit for that flag to morph into the corner. Obviously we wanted the balls because we felt that was fun and playful. The rest of it turned into a pretty natural landscape.”
The “Echo” statue is featured in the middle, surrounded by yoga and bikes.
“We wanted to make it somewhat of a nod to RAGBRAI but not over the top, so it’s timeless,” she added.
The women recruited family to help do the trim work, including Adams’ husband Jeff Braddock and Draisey’s daughter Elisabeth.
“What’s been fun to see is how many people found joy on the back side of the M, with the black and white stripes. I’ll give a nod to Nancy on that,” Draisey said. “She noticed a lot of our infrastructure is black and the Lillie Mae awnings are black and white, and from a sports perspective too.”
An outdoor latex paint was used, plus some polyurethane.
“Public art has to be maintained. Anything outside is just not going to last, no matter what you do,” Sharer Pieters said.
She added that many of the Ms around town are in need of a facelift, be it a complete repaint, new design, or touchup work. She hopes other M owners will be inspired by their recent undertaking.
“Oftentimes you can get into those comments and it’s just an echo of people complaining, and in this case, it was an echo of people saying, how can I help and use what I know, everybody take a little part,” Draisey said. “I thought it was clever that they used the cracks in the concrete as representation of Braddy Creek that goes through the 13th Street District and incorporated all those other aspects. It really shines.”