Ignite Rural: Where Are They Now? is a storytelling series featuring alumni of the Ignite Rural Artist Residency, capturing a snapshot in time of what they’ve been up to since completing their residency. Andrea’s interview was conducted in Autumn 2025.
Read MoreDoPT hosted in-person and virtual end-of-year holiday parties for our friends in urban and rural Minnesota, and further afield!
Read MoreBeyond the Clock Resident Artist Eliza Blue reflects on November 2025’s Beyond the Clock with Kyle Mesteth.
Read MoreDoPT's CEO, Ash Hanson, was honored to be one of the invited guests brought together by the Academy's Local Democracy Working Group.
Read MoreBeyond the Clock Resident Artist Eliza Blue reflects on September 2025’s Beyond the Clock with Viktor le. Givens
Read MoreIn October 2025, Ignite Rural Program Director Holly Doll and Creative Executive Officer Ash Hanson presented at the 2025 Grantmakers in the Arts Conference in Minneapolis, MN.
Read MoreActivate Rural’s first virtual Summit brought together creative third place leaders, organizers, artists, business owners from across the state of Minnesota and the country over three days of insight, inspiration and connection.
Read MoreAsh co-presented a session called Rural Ritual with our friends Taneum Fotheringill from Rural Assembly and writer/artist Mai’a Williams, and one called Cultivating Civic Participation along with our friends from CivicLex and New Hampshire Listens!
Read MoreHosted in partnership with Rural Assembly Everywhere, Pie, Place, and Possibility brought together neighbors, artists, land stewards, organizers, storytellers, and dreamers for a full day of conversation, reflection, and, of course, pie.
Read MoreIn September, DoPT staff Sarina and Benjamin traveled to Spring Grove, MN (pop. 1,202) to facilitate an in-person Activate Rural Workshop. It was an inspiring full day with artists, community leaders, and business owners from 14 Southeast Minnesota communities connecting and exchanging ideas, resources, and stories.
Read MoreIn this reflection, Ignite Rural Program Director, Holly Doll, Anpao Win (First Light Woman), shares what she’s learned guiding three cohorts of rural artists through an eight-month residency.
Read MoreIn May, the 2023–2025 cohort celebrated two years of transforming, learning, and connecting. Reflecting on the activation routes each team navigated reveals lessons and alternative paths for individuals and organizations looking to activate their own creative places. Read on to explore the full blog post!
Read MoreMellon Foundation Awards $1.5 Million Grant to Department of Public Transformation to Support Creative Rural Places
Read MoreBeyond the Clock Resident Artist Eliza Blue reflects on June 2025’s Beyond the Clock with Siricasso.
Read MoreBeyond the Clock Resident Artist Eliza Blue reflects on April 2025’s Beyond the Clock with Lacy Hale.
Read MoreBeyond the Clock Resident Artist Eliza Blue reflects on February 2025’s Beyond the Clock with Nancy X. Valentine.
Read MoreBeyond the Clock Co-Host Anna Claussen reflects on her time with Beyond the Clock Co-Host Ash Hanson and 2025 Beyond the Clock Resident Artist Eliza Blue during the Offal Fashion Show at the Denver stockyards.
Read MoreIn addition to our regular virtual learning exchanges with rural rockstars, Beyond the Clock is introducing... A PODCAST!!
Read MoreFor each Beyond the Clock season, we invite a Resident Artist to capture high-level themes in a creative format; this year we are elated to be welcoming Eliza Blue as Beyond the Clock's 2025 Resident Artist!
Read MoreNhatt Nichols is a poet and graphic journalist living on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. She uses drawing, poetry, and comics to explore human/animal relationships and how they fit into bigger political and environmental issues. You can find her work in High Country News, Edible Magazine, Civil Eats, and The Daily Yonder. Nhatt is a 2023 Literary GAP Grant recipient. Her first book, This Party of the Soft Things (Bored Wolves, 2022), is in its second printing, and Morels, an illustrated novella, is forthcoming from Bored Woles.
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