Community leaders are stepping up in an effort to breathe new life into Muncie's downtown area -- offering visitors a fresh coat of paint, and then some.
Director of Downtown Development Brian Lough said that the project, which began with the revitalization of Walnut Street, is spreading out to the rest of the downtown area to help attract not only business patrons, but businesses themselves.
"It's about the quality of life. It's about living in a place that's not like McGalliard," Lough said. "If you find you like Muncie, you might stay. If a business moves in, they see something vibrant. It's what makes Muncie a good place to be."
Choosing to stay away from the commercialized look of Muncie's north side, developers began renovating some of the more rundown buildings along Walnut -- by fixing outdated facades and remodeling floor plans -- about five years ago. Since then, the area has begun attracting new restaurants, vendors, venues and galleries, changing the area into what Lough calls Muncie's version of Indianapolis' Massachusetts Avenue.
"A lot of people think that if you renovate the buildings downtown, then you renovate downtown," Lough said, "but it's what is in the buildings that make the life downtown."
A burgeoning art scene is helping add color to the new downtown. A total of 11 galleries running the gamut from pottery to mixed media have sprouted up thanks to the collective effort of Delaware County's artists and enthusiasts. Jenny Gordy, a local artist and part owner of Gordy's Fine Art and Framing, was a key player in helping local artists have their work shown in proper galleries throughout the downtown area, which would have been difficult a few years ago.
"There are a lot of artists in Delaware County, and they have a lot of recognition," Gordy said. "Those of us who have been here for a while lamented the lack of a gallery."
Gordy said that she contacted Lough and a group of local artists between four and five years ago in the hopes of starting up a gallery for local artists to display their works. The end result was Mitchell Place Gallery, a beautiful open space that has been adapted to a gallery's needs. Gordy said that the makeup and location of many downtown properties, not just Mitchell Place, lends them to becoming art galleries.
"Downtown is not just a good place for galleries; it's perfect," Gordy said. "It's much better than having art shown in a strip mall location. The exteriors of the buildings, the large open spaces and the hardwood floors make the galleries seem more like something you would see in SoHo."
The development of these galleries has given the art community a much needed outlet -- but there are still many more ways to give local artists exposure. Outside of the galleries, there is the Arts Walk, a tour of local galleries that takes place in the fall. To help visitors keep up with the latest showings and gallery locations, a printed arts guide has been produced.
"It's just caught on and on and on," Gordy said. "By this time, we're getting to almost critical mass. ... The time was right, the place was right, and viola! Muncie has an arts community.
"We've always felt that other things happen where art happens. What I like best about this is it is growing from the bottom up. It's started small and sturdy, and it just kept growing."
Coincidentally, the emergence of an art community with roots in downtown Muncie has been a parallel to the influence of Downtown Development, which has been steadily improving the area for nearly the same amount of time -- 5 years.
Downtown Development also orchestrates a number of events for those who don't have much of an eye for visual art. The End of Summer Jam features classic rock groups descending upon downtown Muncie for an arena-style outdoor concert every September -- with this year's event featuring Foghat and Lynard Skynard. The development group is also responsible for the annual Mardi Gras -- or as it is better known locally, Muncie Gras -- celebration every February.
So, how much development does the downtown area still have to look forward to? Lough did not give any specifics, but he says steady growth in event attendance, as well as the introduction of new businesses and the success of older ones, ensures that the sky is the limit.
"We're rounding second, and the ball is still in the air," Lough said. "It could be a home run."
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