MIDDLETOWN – To train commuters who pass by every day, it may be overlooked as just another building. But to local residents, the Middletown Arts Center (MAC) is a destination for vibrant art and culture in town.
“It’s really very unique and, I would say, a powerful collaboration,” said Maggie O’Brien at a township-hosted open house at the MAC Tuesday evening.
O’Brien, the executive director for both the MAC and the non-profit Middletown Township Cultural and Arts Council, has been at the helm since the beginning. Over the years, the fledgling arts program has grown to host art exhibits, lectures, performances, film festivals, classes and camps.
The organization has also changed with the community. In its early years, as it tried to find its place and purpose, the MAC suffered an “identity crisis.” But now people are better informed. “It has grown to where people recognize the arts center and know what we do here,” said O’Brien. “Every event brings a different constituent in.”
In 1998, under a vision of then-mayor Rosemarie D. Peters, the township acquired the Banfield Moving and Storage facility at 36 Church St. The facility overhaul began in 2001, with a 9,000- square-foot addition to the complex, bringing it up to 23,000 square feet.
When the building opened in 2007, Middletown Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger was serving his first term as mayor, and was proud to welcome this new asset to residents.
“A good portion of people from the town have come through,” he said of the MAC. “It’s a great resource.”
Scharfenberger has also benefitted from some of the programs offered. His wife Geraldine is a ballroom dancer, and he learned the steps himself downstairs in the dance studio.
Following those trends are what O’Brien hopes to continue doing into the next decade for the MAC.
While nothing is official yet, she and Scharfenberger both said a coffee shop-type of business may soon be welcomed to the arts center, in what O’Brien called “a natural fit for the right person or right business.” Aimed to serve those who use the facility, it could also bring in those drive-by commuters looking for a cup of coffee in the morning.
In an effort to attract different crowds, O’Brien said the MAC, through the non-profit organization, can apply for social affair permits from the state’s Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Popular for cocktail hours before an art exhibit, wine and beer offerings are a great fundraising vehicle, she said.
The four-and-a-half-acre property is also home to World Trade Center Memorial Gardens, a paved walkthrough with a reflecting pool and memorials for the 37 Middletown residents who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The site opened after a year of construction on Sept. 11, 2003.
O’Brien said the center is unique in its strong partnership between the organization and the township. While some municipalities throughout the county are struggling to find the balance between funding athletics and the arts, the MAC is a model for accommodating all citizens, O’Brien said.
While looking to bring in new acts or classes daily, O’Brien said her organization has in no way reached its potential, and aims for another successful decade of growth.
“We really have a long way to go – the sky’s the limit,” she said.
This article was first published in the April 30-27, 2017 print edition of The Two River Times.
