Rural Arts and Culture Summit
Rural Arts and Culture Summit
2017 Rural Arts and Culture Summit Scholarship
John White: writer, photographer, retired journalist; Georgette Jones: literature teacher, theatre actor/director/teacher; Marilee Strom: musician, former art teacher, business owner; Kathy Fransen: musician, theatre, Rhythm of the River coordinator; Janet Olney: visual artist, Willmar Area Arts Council coordinator; Joyce Meyer: photographer, retired art teacher, Canby Arts Council; Pam Blake: retired art teacher, visual arts, Tyler Arts Council, Southwest Minnesota Weaver's Guild; Michele Knife Sterner: theatre actor, Southwestern Minnesota State University Associate Director for Access Opportunity Success program; Tom Wirt: artist, owner of Clay Coyote Gallery, Hutchinson Center for the Arts, past member of Hutchinson Public Arts Commission; Joyce Aakre: visual arts, writing, Discover Dassel committee, Board member for Litchfield Community Education, Exhibit committee for Dassel Area Historical Society; Kelly Muldoon: graphic artist, Prairie Music Association, Prairie Oasis Players; Dan Wahl: writer, visual artist, director, adjunct English instructor at Southwest Minnesota State University; Anne O'Keefe-Jackson: human resources director, bead and quill work; Cindy Reverts: visual artist, Rock County Fine Arts Association treasurer, Council for Arts in Humanities in Rock County; Brett Lehman: Worthington International Festival, Worthington City Band, Worthington Concert Association; Reggie Gorter: vocalist, theatre, voice and dance teacher; Dana Johnson: producer/filmmaker; Claire Swanson: visual arts, arts teacher, Meander Art Crawl Committee.
Janet Olney: Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Board, visual artist, Willmar Area Arts Council coordinator; Joyce Meyer: Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Board, photographer, retired art teacher, Canby Arts Council; Great Murray: Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Executive Director.
ACHF Arts Access
Artists and arts organizations build relationships with members of, or organizations that serve, groups that have traditionally been underserved by the arts or by the applicant organization. Anecdotal responses, contacts made, relationships built, ideas generated.
First of all, I plan to touch base with a number of the contacts made at this summit. I'm glad they included contact information in the booklet, as it will be handy as I further the conversations with these new contacts. I gained valuable insight into a few potters in Minnesota that I should connect with. As I learned in Chicago and am new to the area from an artist’s perspective, I look forward to connecting with the greater pottery community to see the ways others are operating, marketing, and designing their businesses. Lastly, as I continue to write for my blog and for other publications and organizations, I have a fresh outlook on the nature of rural arts and culture. I will use this experience as material for my narrative about life in rural areas and remain focused on celebrating the advantages that we do have. Too often we focus on how we're different than urban culture - I believe we need to dispel the myth that we have to measure up. We need to do what we do best, in our style, and one day the urban areas will realize that we, in fact, have the better of the "dueling" worlds.