All great places have one thing in common: great people.
For many people driving past it, the first impression of Peoria is of the venerable peaks and spires of the historic architecture downtown. But, as residents know, there’s more to the city than just that pretty, old smile. Look closer, and you’ll see a thriving community filling the city with art and life, while working to maintain that historic beauty.
Two of the people breathing a lot of that life are dynamic duo, Maggie and Mark Misslehorn.
“Public art makes Greater Peoria a home,” they say of their endeavors. “It shows you care. It allows you to represent yourself in your surroundings.”
Briefly tempted by the thought of big city jobs, Maggie and Mark are Peoria natives who left for college, but always knew they wanted to come back. The glittering lights and dazzling sounds of places like Chicago lacked the tight-knit community feel that, they felt, Greater Peoria always had.
“People ask ‘if your family wasn’t here, would you stay here?’” says Maggie, Mark nodding in agreement. “But family, for us, is not just the people that are related to us.”
“Public art makes Greater Peoria a home. It shows you care. It allows you to represent yourself in your surroundings.”
To hear them tell it, they’ve got a great, big family in Greater Peoria they can call on for anything they’d ever want or need. And they’re always looking for ways to be on call for their community in return. Once, after a random lunch stop at a restaurant in Springfield, Mark emailed the owners: “If you’re looking to expand, think about Peoria.” A week later, the owners and the Misselhorns connected, and after a beautiful renovation of a historic building, Obed & Isaac’s is attracting residents and visitors to Peoria’s downtown.
“The best part is that we ended up becoming great friends through the process,” the couple laugh.
What truly drives the Misslehorns, though, is art. Prior to retirement, Maggie was a co-owner of Simantel, Peoria’s riverside marketing agency. And Mark, an architect, practiced in the Peoria area for over 30 years and served for many years on several City of Peoria commissions. Their goal? To make Peoria a national arts destination.
“Think about how many times you go to a city and you’re blown away by the public art. That’s really what we’re striving for.”
Both Maggie and Mark are board members for Big Picture Peoria, an organization that supports the arts in the community and strives for more public art and local artist support.
“With the arts community, we’re making sure that we’re all collaborating and connecting,” they say, beaming with pride. “Because we’re all crazy about this place, and we want other people to know that public art makes this a home. It creates a dialogue that makes people want to visit.”
But Maggie and Mark’s efforts to support the arts haven’t just been a personal passion for Peoria. It’s sparked a cultural movement to capitalize on what the city already has today, and impact its growth for the future. The public art that local folks like Misselhorns push for help to make our city vibrant, and that attracts more residents and visitors alike.
HERE, YOU GET TO BE MORE.
