Students enrolled in my Psychology of Creativity (Psych 2462) course work together to investigate the people and spaces in the Marion community that spark creativity. Here’s what the students in my Spring 2021 course learned about Marion’s creative spirit.
Larry R. Yoder Prairie Learning Laboratory
The Marion Ohio area was once home to massive prairies that were as beautiful as they were vast, but as the years have passed, urb
anization has taken its toll and slowly reduced their size drastically. In 1977, Professor Larry R. Yoder and his team sought to preserve Ohio’s biodiversity by collecting various seeds and planting them on an 11-acre plot of land(Prairie Learning Lab History, n.d.). With this in mind, Larry didn’t pick any seeds from any plant in Ohio, but thought long and hard about how to achieve his goal in a way that would create a sustainable environment. This type of creative thinking is called the reason brain set in which someone has a single end goal in mind, but needs to find the correct path to reach it. In this case, the end goal was to create a representation of Ohio prairies and the paths were the right plants he needed to use. If Larry had chosen a plant that would dominate the entire prairie, everything would die out, if he introduced a plant that would take up too much room, everything would die out, if he chose a plant that soaked up too much water, everything would die out, and so on. Because of this, Larry went to nearby prairies and picked plants that were doing well, but weren’t killing other plants and began the process of creating the Larry R. Yoder Prairie Learning Laboratory. Over the years, many additions have been made to the prairie such as a windmill to pump water into the pond and a shelter with picnic tables so that people can enjoy the space. Many new and old plants have either been introduced or remain such as Elderberries, Scaly Blazing-Star, and Bottle Gentian which are three of some of the most beautiful plants found on the prairie (Bob’s Botany Website, 2020). The prairie is not only the magnificent work of a passionate man and his team, but a serene and quiet location for anybody to enjoy, students and people who simply enjoy nature alike.
Marion Palace Theatre
History & Architecture
The Palace Theater is a nearly 100 year old theater for the arts in downtown Marion that welcomes over 60,000 guests each year. One of 200theaters designed and built by architect John Eberson in 1928, it remains only one of 16 still standing. The Palace is a stunning theater 
with exceedingly unique architecture. Eberson took the Palace in the direction of a Spanish courtyard, furnished with stucco walls, crawling vines, and a ceiling depicted by a starry night and puffy clouds. Along the walls stand statues and crests line the Palace’s grand stage. Construction of the Palace took only 8 months, and in the grand opening on August 30th, 1928,it welcomed over 3,200 guests. The Palace has also gone through various renovations over the years with multiple owners. In the late 70’s, after a period of changing hands, the Palace found itself in desperate need of repair. This is when the “Palace Guard” was born; a group of seven local businessmen crowdsourced the funds with the help of the community to bring the Palace back to its former glory. After this renovation, it was operated by the Palace Cultural Arts Association, which is still at the helm. In early 2016, the Palace underwent a second renovation, but this time to its exterior. This renovation was funded again by the community, as well as from the State Capital Budget. It brought to the Palace authentic terra cotta, historic brick and a state-of-the-art energy efficient marquee and an updated “PALACE” sign.
Community Involvement
Over the Palace’s rich history, its stage has welcomed touring artists, local plays, and even second screenings of movies. Typically, before the pandemic, the Palace would hold events for local schools to help expose younger childrenite the arts, this is through a program called the “School Matinee Series. ”This program explores the importance of literacy, science, math, social studies, and helps explain even complex topics such as conflict resolution, kindness, and relationships with family and peers. Each of these programs is performed by professional touring groups. The Palace also offers venue space for corporate meetings, weddings or receptions, and reunions. Having been restored as recently as early 2016, the Palace is a welcoming beacon for the greater Marion community. The palace also offers classes to involve young people in the arts. These classes include acting and improvisation, playing an instrument, and even yoga classes and workshops. These classes are designed to engage a younger audience in the craft of stage acting, and allow them to explore their interests at an appropriate age level.
Charleston Place
Located in downtown Marion
Charleston Place is a building that houses several small businesses in one area that support each other. When you first walk in, there is a welcoming, friendly ambience. It includes a street layout with signs labeling the stores and a fountain greeting you in the middle. On the left you will find Dottie McGinty’s bookstore “H
ope Crossing Christian Books and Gifts”, and to the right is Brenda Gilliam’s clothing store “Southern Accents Boutique”. From the street, you can look up and see a seating area up in the mezzanine. As you walk further down the street, you will see art lining the walls for sale by William Obernour, who owns the Art Guild downtown. At the end of the street is a stairwell that takes you up to the mezzanine where “The Candy Shack” offers lunch, candy, coffee, and snacks.
The creative idea behind the Charleston Place started with Brenda Gilliam, the owner of the building, and her husband after loving their experience at Charleston. They wanted their building to resemble a street in Charleston to promote their love of that area in Downtown Marion. They also wanted to bring support to the downtown area, which helped in the selection of the building. Brenda stated that she wanted to improve downtown by adding more small businesses that can support each other and result in less parking lots. Their creativity behind the layout of the building helps improve their day to day business because the aesthetic makes it personal and draws attention to the small businesses.
The collaborative environment allows for a close relationship between the store owners which in turn helps their businesses. This alliance they have formed allows them to share new ideas with each other, learn from one another, and look out for each other. Brenda Gilliam stated, in reference to the creative structure of the building, “It was all worth it”. Following that the owners collectively agreed that the majority of the customers say they loved the style and layout of the place. Each business has stated that they have acquired long term customers who have become a part of the Charleston Place family. 
Overall, the decision to go through with their creative endeavors has improved business for Downtown Marion as well as creating a tight knit community.
The Charleston Place Businesses
Dottie’s business “Hope Crossing Christian Books and Gifts” is a bookstore that specializes in religious books, decor, and small gifts. Her shop can be found on the left of the street in the Charleston Place! Her hours are 10-5pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Saturday from 10-2pm, they are closed on Sunday or Monday.
Brenda owns the “Southern Accents Boutique” which sells high end women’s clothing. She has sales in her shop that she posts on Facebook and a $20 rack that she updates every few weeks! Her shop can be found on the right of the street in the Charleston Place. Her hours are 10:30-6pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. 10:30-5:30pm on Thursday, and closed on Sunday and Monday.
Jody owns “The Candy Shack” which is on the upper mezzanine of the Charleston Place. There is also a side entrance where you can enter the mezzanine. At the candy shack you can get Amish-made sweets and candies along with seasonal treats! She offers food such as soups and sandwiches as well as daily specials! The hours are from 10-5pm on Monday through Friday and 10-2pm on saturday. She is closed on Sundays.
Charleston place is an open and welcoming environment that all should experience. We highly encourage you to come to Downtown Marion and partake in the Charleston Place adventure.
https://www.facebook.com/charlestonplacemarion
https://www.facebook.com/Hope-Crossing-Christian-Books-Gifts-125642224141992/
https://www.facebook.com/Southern-Accents-Boutique-415068548621658/
https://www.facebook.com/CandyShackMarion/
The Marion Area Humane Society
For our project, we decided to focus in and shed some light on the Marion Area Humane society. To start, we believed this was something worth learning and talking about considering the mission that humane societies strive to follow and the good that they have to offer animals. Animals are very near and dear to the hearts of us and millions of others as well, so it is very important that establishments such as these get the proper recognition and resources, they need in order to continue their gracious work. 
Some of this work includes informing and educating the public on humane ways in which animals are to be treated, rescuing and caring for animals and allowing for them to have the chance of being put in a brand-new loving home. All of which have the ultimate goal of ensuring that our beloved animals get the support that they need to live a happy and healthy life. Furthermore, while doing our project, we believe that we were able to tie in the humane society and the work that it entails along with our class material that focuses on creativity and how we create. In class, a lot of emphasis was put on learning about the different “brain sets” which are essentially states of mind we get in that enhance our creative processes, and our group noticed how several of the different brain sets could have been used by the individuals working at the humane society. For example, one brain set known as the “evaluate” brain set would have been very useful for the workers as a means of deciding what they should or should not post on their website in regard to the animals. This brain set involves judging our ideas and deciding whether or not they are useful and or appropriate to take on and move forward with. So, knowing this, I definitely believe that the evaluate brain set plays a huge role in the decisions of the workers. One of their goals is to find the animals a good home, so it is important that they are able to properly showcase them to the community by using their best ideas to do so. Another brain set that we thought about was the “stream” brain set. In this brain set, the individual is taking part in an activity that they are skilled at, they are not self-conscious, they get lost in the activity and the activity itself is a reward to them, and there is no need for any other reason to motivate the individual to take part in the activity. We believe that the workers at the humane society get into this brain set which allows them to do their work and tasks with ease, considering their love for and enjoyment of caring for their animals. Also, we believe that humane societies as a whole are also very creative in the sense that they are a way of dealing with the problems that we and our pets may face. A lot of creativity is rooted in the need to address a problem or fix something, and we believe the creation of humane societies was born as a result of that. The desire to provide all animals with the care they might be lacking.
Wyandot Popcorn Museum
Have you ever thought about what it’d be like to visit or even work for a popcorn museum? There are only two of them in the entire world, and one happens to be located in Marion, Ohio! There is such rich history to be told about how a man with a deep love for his craft conjured up the Wyandot Popcorn 
Museum in 1981. In the US alone, 70% of popcorn is consumed by American families, and Ohio happens to be one of the largest consuming states. Hoover and Ava Brown opened Wyandot Incorporated in 1936 where they showcased artifacts like original popcorn makers. In 1980 during the company’s plan for expansion, they decided to combine these artifacts with an outlet selling popcorn along with other snacks. Right before the ’90s, in 1989 the company was able to purchase an old postal office [169 East Church Street which is the museum’s current location] which started the partnership between the museum and the Marion County Historical Society.
After learning about the museum, we decided to interview a historian currently working at the museum to better understand their passion for creating rotating exhibits and displays in this incredible space. We first want to thank our interviewee for taking time out to speak with us about the creation process, some of her favorite parts of the museum, and how she began working in her current position. For anyone wondering which current exhibit they should visit, her personal favorite is the Prince Imperial. Before working here she was employed in the photo department of a store. However, after meeting a few people she learned about the museum and applied when a position opened. Community donations determine whether or not they’re able to create displays. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness of this establishment’s existence makes receiving donations a bit more difficult. They close every November to create all-new displays in time for their March re-opening; And, this three-person team (an educator, curator, and director) makes it happen.
After visiting the museum, she hopes that any visitors would leave with more knowledge of the history of popcorn creation. And she hopes to be able to spread more awareness throughout the community and be able to get more items for their displays. Right now if you choose to visit, you will be welcomed with a 1920’s theme exhibit. They hope to be able to curate spaces where individuals across different learning styles can come and enjoy the space. Every single display ties back to Marion in some way because they enjoy adding personal touches that will remind everyone of home in all of their creations.
It was such an honor to learn more about this creative concept and how deeply those who steward over this museum care for the exposure and preservation of the Wyandot Popcorn Museum. Learning about history for some can feel difficult to connect with or personalize. But with the addition of creative ways to express and educate as this museum does, people of all backgrounds can appreciate and leave with so much knowledge about our industrial past.