Stories
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Aug 03, 2018
We’ve been working with The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking to produce Leadership summits all around the country. When we were in Charleston WV where we joined by attendees from as far away as Los Angeles, Canada, Alabama, South Dakota, Missouri, New York, and as close as down the street. The next leadership summit is happening in October in DC, please join us!... Read More
Jul 29, 2018
The words “artist” and “bureaucrat” can seem as opposite as the north and south poles. But poets, actors, musicians, dancers, and art-makers of all other stripes have been infiltrating our government’s ranks for years—and many are making great strides. In this story series, we’re visiting with accomplished artists who hold leadership roles in their cities about their... Read More
Jul 07, 2018
One of the oldest artist-owned ensemble theaters in the U.S. Double Edge Theatre, are getting ready to transform vacant and underutilized farm buildings on a 100-acre former dairy farm in Ashfield, MA into a vibrant arts campus, which aims to make Ashfield a destination that aggregates creativity, artistic expression, imagination, and culture alongside a rural identity; demonstrating how art is... Read More
Jun 27, 2018
I work at the Appalshop — originally short for “Appalachian Film Workshop.” We were founded in 1969, with funding from the federal War on Poverty and the American Film Institute, as a program to teach young people in the mountains to make films. A few years later, when the government money stopped, some of those young people took it... Read More
Jun 26, 2018
Dierdre Morrison is an Americorps member whose focus is community and economic development through creative industries, at Elsewhere Studios, —an artist-in-residence program in Paonia, Colorado. She spoke to us about a summer (2018) project called INSPIRED: Art at Work —which is designed to advance area dialogue and help shift some of the polarization in our community as they consider... Read More
Jun 21, 2018
Earlier this year we were lucky enough to sit in on a webinar run by The Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) in collaboration with Art of the Rural. They drew together experts in the field to talk about Creative Placemaking For the Next Generation in rural areas. Together they have created the Next Generation Theory of Change, a national collaboration that... Read More
Jun 19, 2018
The mission statement of Coalfield Development is “We believe in developing the potential of Appalachian places and people as they experience challenging moments of economic transition by unlocking people’s creative power to transform perceived problems into opportunities in the communities we call home. We empower people to have faith in themselves to learn and grow. People who have never... Read More
Jun 13, 2018
Every place is home to a mix of assets and challenges. Much of rural America is blessed with close-knit communities, long-held traditions, and historic architecture, but shrinking employment opportunities, small tax bases, and unbalanced development can threaten residents’ quality of life. No two communities’ recipes for success are the same, but all have the potential to leverage... Read More
Dec 21, 2017
In Hindman, KY, the Appalachian Artisan Center will be expanding work with youth and adults to address the community’s opioid epidemic through workforce programs in traditional craft and music. These programs will also contribute to an increase in economic opportunity through the creation of jobs to meet an increasing demand for handcrafted instruments in the region. This project is... Read More
Nov 29, 2017
In July of 2015, I was approached by Perry Stokes of Libraries of Eastern Oregon, and the Director of the Baker County Library District, about an arts program that was being funded through ArtPlace America. My first question was not about the program, but about the budget. Most of you in the library world know too much... Read More