— Daily Freeman-Journal photo by Chris Anderson Cord McMahon works on a portrait of dog in his downtown Webster City art space. McMahon is working as an artist in residence in the community, working with Legacy Learning Boone River Valley.

Since March, Webster City has been the home to a young aspiring artist, Cord McMahon.

McMahon is in Webster City as part of the artist in residence program sponsored by the Legacy Learning Boone River Valley.

Maureen Seamonds, a local artist and owner of The Produce Station on Seneca Street, is a founding member of LLBRV was the driving force behind getting Webster City its own resident artist.

The mission of LLBRV is to celebrate the arts and the environment, while creating learning opportunities aimed at adults. Seamonds shared that the group also plays an economic role in the community by encouraging people to come visit Hamilton County.

Seamonds said that they initially saw a need for an artist program when a community survey showed a lack of opportunities and mentoring for young people in the community. With that need in mind the group started writing a grant to support a resident artist program.

Around this same time Seamonds ran into a former student from her days teaching at Iowa Central Community College. The student, Cord McMahon, was graduating from Grand View University that year and was planning to continue working his non-art job.

“I just said when will you be the artist if you’re graduating in art now? When are you going to do art? Just kind of teasing with him,” Seamonds said.

Later on, Seamonds called McMahon and offered the position of being a resident artist. After debating with himself and speaking to other students and professors at Grand View, McMahon decided to accept the position.

“He took a risk on us, I applaud that, that’s a very brave thing to do,” Seamonds said.

McMahon is a native Iowan, growing up and graduating from high school in Fort Dodge. He later attended Iowa Central and then Grand View where he received his BA in Studio Arts in 2017.

As resident artist, McMahon has been settling in working on his art, which is primarily collage based. The floor of McMahon’s studio is scattered with vintage magazines he’s acquired from people in the community. McMahon flips through these old magazines looking for pictures that inspire him and then cuts them out creating collages, which adorn shelf space in the studio.

He has also been filling his time doing commissioned portraits of pets. Dogs are a big part of McMahon’s life and art. As a student in Des Moines, he worked for a veterinarian where he supervised the day care of dogs. People in town have sent in pictures of their pets and McMahon has drawn commissioned portraits of them for their owners.

Teaching classes will also be part of McMahon’s responsibilities. Through LLBRV he will be teaching classes on topics ranging from printmaking to drawing.

McMahon’s studio can be a great place for people in the area to experience fine art. In addition to his commissioned work and collages, McMahon also has displayed other pieces of visual art he’s created while going to school.

McMahon’s studio, located on 531 2nd St., is open to the public for all interested. Tonight from 4 to 6 p.m., there will also be a “Meet the Artist” event at the art space, open to the public.

“I think the whole purpose of this thing is just to get culture and enrich the community,” McMahon said.

Seamonds shares this sentiment, and hopes the artist in residence program can help define what kind of community Webster City is.

“I think it shows we’re a progressive community. I also think it shows we welcome young people and support them in their careers so they can maybe make this place a home,” Seamonds said.