The What's Good Project
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THOUGHTS

Thoughts about art and community.

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A Quick 48 Hours: Tallahatchie County, Mississippi
A Quick 48 Hours: Tallahatchie County, Mississippi

Located right on the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta, Tallahatchie (meaning “rock river” in Choctaw) County was originally inhabited by the Choctaw Nation before they were forcibly removed by the US federal government to Oklahoma. In late 2019, I interviewed Benjamin Saulsberry, Public Engagement and Museum Education Director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center (ETIC) in Sumner (pop. 310). I wholeheartedly encourage you to visit their website if you can’t make it to Sumner anytime soon, and support this work anyway you can. And when you do make it to Tallahatchie County, here are a few recommendations for your trip.

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A Quick 48, civil rights, community, Mississippi, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
For the Common Good: A Community Artist Interview with Akwi Nji
For the Common Good: A Community Artist Interview with Akwi Nji

I’m so delighted to feature my friend (and one of my favorite artists, period) Akwi Nji in the community artist interview series, For the Common Good, as she truly encapsulates the essence of what this series celebrates. Each participating artist responds to a series of questions about how their personal and community creative practices align. It’s my hope that these interviews provide insights into how and why artists work with communities, both to artists aspiring to do this work, as well as to communities who strive to engage more creatively with their residents.

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artist insight, community, creativity, For the Common Good, tips, interviewJennifer Drinkwaterblog Comment
POW! A Plan of Work Template for Community Art Projects
POW! A Plan of Work Template for Community Art Projects

We often don’t know what we don’t know, which can be paralyzing when starting something new. This POW will prompt you to have necessary conversations with yourself, your collaborators, and your community, such as: “What are we really trying to do here? Why does it matter? What is our timeline/budget/materials? Who’s doing what by when? How do we know if this has been a successful effort?”

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community, artist insight, creativity, toolkit, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
A Quick 48 Hours in Marks, Mississippi
A Quick 48 Hours in Marks, Mississippi

A small town of 1800 residents in Quitman County in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, Marks played a big role in the histories of Civil Rights and American music. In June 2019 (which seems like a lifetime ago), I spent time with Mrs. Velma Benson-Wilson, the former Quitman County Administrator and current Director of Tourism and Economic Development for Quitman County, to hear her stories and the history of the area. She also gave me a wonderful list of what to see and do while in Quitman County for a weekend.

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A Quick 48, ABCD, civil rights, community, MississippiJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
Marks Mule Train & Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign (Marking the Mule Train Cultural Trail)
Marks Mule Train & Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign (Marking the Mule Train Cultural Trail)

“On May 13, 2021, history was made once again in Marks, Mississippi. After three years of planning and hard work… the Civil Rights Marks Mule Train Interpretive Trail was unveiled to commemorate the 53rd Anniversary of the 1968 Mule Train & Martin Luther King, Jr’s Poor People’s Campaign.

This historic trail showcased eleven markers, displaying the history and activities, which took place fifty-three years ago of Dr. King’s visit to Marks/Quitman County, and earned Marks the duly distinction of being known as the ‘Home of the Mule Train.’ ” Text by Velma Benson-Wilson and Cynthia Goodloe Palmer

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civil rights, community, creativity, MississippiJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
The Power of Artist-in-Residence Programs for Artists and Communities
The Power of Artist-in-Residence Programs for Artists and Communities

If you’re a civic leader, or part of a community organization, you may consider the benefit of inviting a local artist to be a part of what you’re doing. Or you could invite a non-local artist to live in your community for bit. We creatives thrive on transforming a set of challenges into a new possibility. Our brains are wired to see potential, to see something better.

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community, creativity, artist insight, tips, toolkit, AIRJennifer Drinkwaterblog Comments
Behind the Scenes: Interviewing Folks for The What's Good Project
Behind the Scenes: Interviewing Folks for The What's Good Project

A big part of The What’s Good Project involves traveling around to different communities and convincing folks - many of whom have never met or heard of me - to tell me stories about inspiring aspects of where they live.

My mother is a journalist. My father is a trial lawyer. I majored in cultural anthropology. I’m also a Southerner. I come by asking strangers personal questions pretty naturally.

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artist insight, community, interview, personalJennifer Drinkwaterblog Comment
A Quick 48 Hours: Rolling Fork, Mississippi
A Quick 48 Hours: Rolling Fork, Mississippi

In early November 2019, I spent a lovely afternoon with Julia Rodgers Clark and Drick Rodgers on their family farm outside of Rolling Fork in Sharkey County, Mississippi. I loved on horses, rode in a cotton picker, peeked into Mont Helena, and listened to remarkable family stories and histories. At 15 people per square mile, Sharkey County is the second most rural county in Mississippi, and is the birthplace of both Muddy Waters and the teddy bear. Read on for a list of what to do, where to stay, what to eat, and where to visit.

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A Quick 48, community, Mississippi, tipsJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
How Can Community Arts Help People Feel Like They Belong in Your Town?
How Can Community Arts Help People Feel Like They Belong in Your Town?

Recently, I co-facilitated How Can Community Arts Help People Feel Like They Belong in Your Town?, a Small City Workshop for the Iowa League of Cities.

This workshop is part of the Rural Shrink Smart initiative, a interdisciplinary team funded by the National Science Foundation that's exploring how to increase the quality of life in rural communities with shrinking populations.

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ABCD, artist insight, community, creativity, tips, toolkitJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
Work with What You Got
Work with What You Got

When I first started working for Iowa State Extension and Outreach, I learned to focus on the assets a town has and not on their deficits. I’ve found this to be so helpful and so effective. I grew up in Mississippi and I’ve lived in Iowa for the last 15 years. In both states, I spend a lot of time driving around and listening the stories. It’s the best part of my job. In each new community I visit, I inevitably meet hear about someone doing some really creative thing to make their community better. These folks are scrappy – pulling together local resources and assets and talents together that’s grassroots, creative, and locally impactful.

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ABCD, artist insight, creativity, community, TipsJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
Gathering Spaces: The How Matters
Gathering Spaces: The How Matters

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.

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ABCD, artist insight, community, creativity, tips, toolkitJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment
Artists Who Teach: The Why and the How
Artists Who Teach: The Why and the How

Most of you know that I teach. A majority of my artist friends teach. We for many reasons, in many ways and in many roles. We teach K-12 with a rolling cart, we teach in colleges and universities, we teach in community spaces, we teach in our studios, we teach online. Today I’d like to focus on how two fabulous artists who teach: painter Annie Guldberg and fiber artist Jean Haley.

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artist insight, community, creativity, interview, tipsJennifer Drinkwaterblog Comment
Marks Mule Train & Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign (Marking the Mule Train Cultural Trail)
Marks Mule Train & Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign (Marking the Mule Train Cultural Trail)

“Without the foundation of the wheel, it would be difficult to produce movement. It was the wheels of those wagons that propelled the Poor People’s Campaign forward, and those wagon wheels will now be parted permanently along the Mule Train Interpretative Trail”, Katrina Rankin, Emmy Nominee, “The Mule Train: Poor People’s Campaign Continued” Documentary.”

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civil rights, community, creativity, MississippiJennifer DrinkwaterblogComment