How do I love thee, Macomb? Let me count the ways … at least 31 ways, but that's just the tip of the "Forgottonia Floe" (aka an iceberg).
As Amanda Dean, the creative director and dreamer behind the Macomb Creative Collab (MC²), said it best in her 'love letter' to her newly-found hometown … it's a place to live 'deliberately.' When Dean, who came to Macomb in February 2022 from the hustle-and-bustle of Albuquerque, NM, she originally came to pursue a fine arts degree; however, her priorities quickly shifted, and the licensed social worker took her love for the arts and all things collaborative and began MC². The collab has a four-pronged approach, which includes 'No Place Like Macomb' and the 'Macomb Love Letters Project' within; the Macomb Arthouse Project, or MAP (more on this acronym later); The Macomb Artisans Guild, and the Macomb Arthouse Café & Folk School.
While "No Place Like Macomb" was the first 'egg' in the basket of MC², the "Love Letters Project" was a direct result of a fairly recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article that painted the community and the region in a negative – and dying – light. Dean said she remembers reading the story after a friend forwarded it to her, and feeling her face get 'hot.'
"What was described as a dying town that was suffering in that WSJ article was nothing like my day-to-day experiences here. I read it and thought 'this is not a lived experience for so many here," Dean shared. "I see nothing but a ton of potential in Macomb. We have so much leverage and opportunity to do things here we might not be able to do in larger cities."
When Dean was reading that original article, she was housebound due to her back going out, so getting out and hitting the streets to drum up support for her community wasn't exactly in the cards. So she put pen to paper, or rather fingers to a computer keyboard, and penned the first 'love letter' to Macomb, where she's purchased properties and is putting down roots.
"It was such a defeatist and pessimistic angle, and painted us in a helpless light. It removed the true narrative about this place, and I felt like I had to do something, so I just started writing," she explained. "This turned into inspiring others to write, so I started the 'Love Letters Project' which allows us, the residents of Macomb, to define our own narrative rather than letting others do it for us."
Dean wrote the first love letter, and ended the series – 31 in all – with her final love letter. Letters have been written from individuals from various professions and walks of life, explaining what they love about Macomb and why. The complete set can be found at noplacelikemacomb.com/ love-letters.
"This has really created a ripple effect and countered that negative narrative," Dean added. "It's true that there are real impacts to the layoffs at WIU, loss of students and other topics mentioned in the article. However, we are not helpless, and these happenings are making us redefine this community. We are doing a lot here and we will thrive; we can no longer rely on the university as the driver of this community. It's taking more than that."
And while the "Love Letters Project" serves as an homage to Macomb, it's part of a bigger project that Dean, along with others, including another new 'transplant,' Nancy Hall, who actually lived in Macomb during her younger years and returned. Much like Dean, Hall returned because of its affordability and opportunity. In an effort to make Macomb even better, Dean and Hall have both purchased older homes in Macomb and are renovating these places to serve as arthouses (short-term and longer-term rentals), places for artists to gather and work and to enhance the sense of community among creative – and maybe-not-so-creative – types.
Dean and Hall actually met at another creative venue: the Western Illinois Museum, when Dean was hosting a 'Crafternoon' event in conjunction with the museum.
"Amanda is really good at what I call community facilitating. I'd moved back here and I hadn't found my people yet, or made a lot of friends, so I attended the event at the museum," Hall, who works for Key Realtors and is also a WIU Admissions records officer, said.
"We just clicked, and I feel like we became instant best friends.
"I really love being here. The opportunities that are available are massive. I lived in California and Ohio, and other large cities. Being a homeowner in those places was unattainable, but here, I can make that work," Hall explained.
"And I'm not alone. In both of my jobs I see people who deliberately seek out Macomb."
Dean, Hall and their counterparts involved in the collab are working to make Macomb an art destination, not just for the artists, but for residents and guests. As Dean said, this is an ideal community to learn, grow and thrive. No Place Like Macomb, which is expected to launch in September, is an e-newsletter that includes all of the events and happenings taking place in Macomb, along with stories about the people who make these events happen, she noted. She calls it Macomb's version of 'Yes' magazine.
"We're putting together stories of the changemakers in our community. The people who are making things happen and changing the narrative," Dean discussed.
NPLM will showcase what's happening, and the Arthouse Café & Folk School, which will be in one of the homes she is renovating, will support the region's creative community by hosting social events, gallery shows, and classes & workshops loosely based in the Danish folk school tradition (read more at macombcreativecollab.com). Slated to open its brick & mortar location on West Adams Street in 2027, the folk school and café will serve coffee and locally produced goods.
The Macomb Arthouse Project includes arts-related homes for gathering, renting, and living. The list of future arthouse themes runs the gamut from Frida Kahlo to patchwork quilts to gems & minerals and beyond (see a fuller list at macombarthouseproject. com). Dean says she aims to complete 100 arthouses in the next 20 years.
Remember the acronym MAP mentioned earlier? That's intentional, as the project is about putting Macomb on the map, Dean stressed.
The final "prong" in the collab, The Macomb Artisans Guild, is a collective of artists and creators in the area who gather for gallery shows, classes, and co-crafting sessions and support. Dean says that in addition to practical assistance in a variety of media, she hopes to host workshops about product photography, web design, grant writing, and other aspects of creative entrepreneurship. Currently, Dean is renting office space on the second floor of the Masonic Building on the east side of the Macomb Square, which will offer a creative space, including a recording/ podcasting studio, for others to use.
"At this point, we're really letting things happen organically, and we want to collaborate and work with others. There's really so much to do and share here," Dean said. "And I've never lived anywhere before where there is such a high ratio of artists and creative people." Hall, whom Dean good-naturedly calls her "co-conspirator" and "amplifier of awesomeness," is working on the "media" side of the house, getting a YouTube channel set up, along with planning the podcast, "Forever Forgottonia," and more. She's all in for the community she deems "incredible."
"We are amplifying what we have right here," Hall added. "And it doesn't seem like it takes much to get people to Macomb, and to stay in Macomb. Some even come to this community, sight unseen, just based on what they've found online in terms of housing, education, safety and more. There's good stuff and there's something special here. I feel very lucky and excited about the future."
Dean echoed Hall's sentiment, noting that once people get here, they quickly seem to fall in love with the community, what it provides and its people. With her MAC and the projects within, as mentioned earlier, she foresees Macomb as the art destination, which complements other initiatives already in place, such as community art projects (murals, statues, etc.), the Macomb Arts Center, Western Illinois Museum and its many projects and exhibits, Macombopoly, Looking for Lincoln, the Underground Railroad history, entertainment and more.
As Dean makes her dream a reality, she is pouring her own funds into the collab, and she has a few investors, including family members, who believe in the project. She's also applying for grants through such agencies as the Illinois Arts Council. There are also opportunities to donate to the cause at macombarthouseproject.com, where she's already offering half-price 'pre-sale'arthouse stays, which can be redeemed by Macomb residents and visitors once the first renovation is completed. Dean stresses that pre-sale vouchers can be used as early as next year, but that they will never expire.
"We're of the age where we want to plant roots. We want to own a home. We want to call somewhere home," she said. 'We want to invest in our community and make it even better. We're using this space and our life here to build what we don't have and build on what we do."
"I saw a wedding video online recently that an influencer was sharing on his first anniversary. Part of his fiancée's vows were an expression of gratitude for a partner who both loves her as she is and inspires and helps her to be better," Dean concluded. "That's part of the answer for Macomb too. Accepting this place for what it is and what is has, and encouraging it, with love, to be even better. I'm excited about Macomb's future."
