ABOUT THE PROJECT The Department Public Transformation is an ongoing, cross-country documentary art project highlighting the work rural-based artists and arts organizations are doing to make their communities a more vibrant, healthy, connected place to live. A collective of artists seeks to document and share stories of the great work being done in rural communities with a national audience and to further connect rural practitioners across the country to each other.
Collaborations with the Department of Public Transformation:
THREADS: a series of watercolor linens and zines weaving together conversations and reflections at the intersection of creativity + community in rural America. YES! HOUSE: a creative community space located in Granite Falls, MN
DETAILS
Gallery Exhibitions
OCT - DEC 2017PUBLIC TRANSFORMATION: Art in Rural America, OutPost / Art of the Rural, Winona, MN
MAR - MAY 2018PUBLIC TRANSFORMATION: An Artist Inquiry, George Stout Fellowships for Art in the Public Sphere, Rush Hall at Wilkins, Des Moines, IA
Presentations
JUN 2017PUBLIC TRANSFORMATION: A Cross-Country Tour of Rural Arts and Culture, Rural Arts and Culture Summit, Springboard for the Arts / Center for Small Towns, Morris, MN
PRESS
Throughout the weekend — whether during the presentations and panels, or informally over homemade soup or local beer — conversations followed threads like the relationship between a place and its people, the role of artists in small towns and rural areas, and the value of connecting rural places around the U.S. despite their differing cultures and needs. - Colleen Powers, Creative Exchange(OutPost 2017)
At each stop, the artists discussed knotty topics. The growing rift between urban and rural, of course, but also the tension between tradition and transformation. “How do we honor our traditions and keep them and preserve them,” [Ashley] Hanson said, “but also keep them alive?” - Star Tribune(OutPost 2017)
“We’re stronger when rural and urban folks can work together,” he said. “One takeaway I hope people get in this is that rural communities are profoundly creative and resilient.” - Matthew Fluharty of Art of the Rural,Winona Daily News(OutPost 2017)