Thoughts about art and community.
Last month, I was invited to participate in the Placemaking in Small & Rural Communities Virtual Conference hosted by the amazing Arts Extension team at the University of Kentucky. (They are the OG of community arts extension and rural placemaking.)
I thought I’d share a few key points from that presentation over the next few weeks, including 4 common themes that I’ve noticed in effective and inclusive rural placemaking efforts.
Read MoreA few weeks back, I had the opportunity to publicly talk shop about intersections of art and conservation in Iowa with two ISU Extension and Outreach colleagues: Catherine DeLong, program manager, Water Quality, and Adam Janke, assistant professor and extension wildlife specialist. As a once avid hiker, I’m embarrassed to say that I’d never really considered the parallels between natural resource conservation and art until meeting Adam and Catherine.
Read MoreIf you find yourself in need a off-the-beaten road trip, might I suggest the Porcupine Mountains in northern Michigan? Read on for a weekend’s worth of what to do, see, and where to stay as you head north.
Read MoreSay what?
Artist who?
In a sentence, Artist Relocation Programs attempt to lure artists to live and work in their communities, knowing full well that artists can transform places.
Read MoreI’ve found over the years that those communities making the most impactful, inclusive, and sustainable changes are those places that have a “yes, and” mentality and attitude. “Yes, and” is shorthand for being willing to seek out and listen to different perspectives and to experiment with different possibilities.
Read MoreLocated 20 miles from Oxford, Mississippi, in nearby Yalobusha County, Water Valley (pop. 3325) got its start in the 1800’s as a railroad stop for the Illinois Central Railroad. In the last decade, Water Valley has been home to one the first craft breweries in the state, Fat Possum Records, Violet Valley Bookstore (to date Mississippi’s only queer feminist bookstore), and Base Camp Coding, a free, non-profit software development academy for Mississippi high-school seniors.
Read MoreOn any given day, I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. Still. Seven years in. I’ve learned by doing, screwing up, changing, redoing. From watching other folks way wiser and more experienced than I am.
Read MoreA few weeks ago, I wrote 7 Signs of a Vibrant Community, which is a brief introduction to the concept of the Community Capitals Framework. As a recap, the CCF provide us with seven distinct areas to evaluate to see how healthy our places (and consequently our people) are. While all seven are necessary for having a high quality of life, I’ll defend social capital to my grave as really being the glue that binds everything else together.
Read MoreAbout a year ago, I lived in a lovely farmhouse as an artist-in-residence at the Whiterock Conservancy in Coon Rapids, Iowa. Established in 2005, Whiterock Conservancy (WRC) is a 5500 acre non-profit land trust that balances sustainable agriculture, natural resource protection and public recreation on the landscape.
Read MoreMany blogs ago, I rattled on about the basics of asset-based community development***, including why it’s been so influential to me as an artist and how it’s been the grounding nugget of The What’s Good Project. Each painting that I create is a testament to an asset shared with me by someone with strong ties to that particular community.
Read MoreA few weeks back, Paige Kappelman, Story County Conservation’s Outreach Assistant, reached out to me (did her job like a boss) for an informal interview after she saw some of my paintings of McFarland Park on Instagram. Naturally, I said yes and we invited Kyle Renell to join the party. Kyle’s not only my good friend and a terrific Ames-based artist, but she also was the person I interviewed for The What’s Good Project here in Ames. In other words, Kyle’s the reason I painted McFarland Park.
Read MoreI’m happy to report that I am contacted monthly, and increasingly weekly, by someone in Iowa who wants to begin a community mural project. The smallest community to date was a call from McIntire, Iowa (pop 122). The fact that more and more communities are finding value in community art projects fills me with joy.
Read MoreIn 2007, I moved to Ames from Greenville, North Carolina. I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t fall in love with Ames until 2012, when I met my husband, Aaron. PA (Pre-Aaron), I was more of a complainer (still one of my big flaws) and found fault with Ames like some people find buried treasure.
Read MoreGot 85 minutes to spare? Listen to me talking shop with friend and fellow artist, Earle Rock. I was delighted to be asked by Earle to participate in this artist interview series. We cover the gamut from my weirdo early life experiences, to painting practices, to the business of art, to asset-based community development.
Read MoreTo an Iowan, or at least to the one I’m married to, “pretty good” means outstanding, fine is “terrific”, and “okay” means pretty dire straits. (Aaron’s worst descriptive is “peachy,” translation: I want to kill someone immediately.)
Fortunately, in the 13 years I’ve lived in the Midwest, I learned that generosity is not understated, not in action anyway. Although, to be fair, Midwesterners definitely have a “it’s no big deal” attitude right after they’ve done something truly kind or generous or thoughtful.
This year, I decided to expand For the Common Good to include interviews with Community Arts Leaders, many of whom are also artists (but not always), as well as serving in more formal nonprofit or civic leadership roles. These folks have often done the arduous (and often thankless) work of fundraising, navigating local red tape, and building diverse partnerships within their communities, all while supporting and advocating for their local artists.
Read MoreI don’t often like to speak in generalities, but I would venture to guess that we all have that pull to some place, and that those emotional ties give us inklings about what we value.
Read MoreThis is little embarrassing to admit, but anytime I read, watch, or hear something that really resonates with me, I get an immediate and short-lived lump in my throat. In and out. Like my body’s way of saying “Yo, you need to pay attention to this.” The weirdo throat response has happened so often and for so long and in such unexpected ways that I’ve really learned to trust it. All that to say, each of these projects, organizations, and episodes elicited the two-second throat lump in 2020.
Read MoreIn 2019, I spent some good quality time learning about the ins and outs of Pine Lake State Park, thanks to Park Ranger Andy Place and my stint in the Iowa Art’s Council 20 Artists/20 Parks project. Here are a few more recommendations when planning a visit to Pine Lake. Special thanks to Andy for his input to this list!
Read MoreI’m late to the party in reading the Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. (Pro tip: get thyself a copy of this and read immediately. I don’t care your backstory. It applies to you too.)
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