Erika Nelson is an independent artist and educator, exploring contemporary art forms in the public realm. She investigates the nooks and crannies of the United States seeking out the odd and unusual, gathering stories of people who build immersive elaborate art environments, as well as roadside vernacular architecture known as World’s Largest Things.
Read MoreRae Garringer (they/them) is a writer, oral historian, and audio producer who grew up on a sheep farm in southeastern West Virginia, and now lives a few counties away on S’atsoyaha (Yuchi) and Šaawanwaki (Shawnee) lands. They are the founder of Country Queers, a multimedia oral history project documenting rural and small town LGBTQIA2S+ experiences since 2013.
Read MoreIn this conversation with Melissa, we explored themes of archiving the stories of one's community and the trust and reciprocity required to do so, considering questions like: in rural communities, where humility often reigns, how do we invite humble leaders to document their stories and archive their own journeys?
Read MoreDonna Neuwirth is the co-founder and executive director of Wormfarm Institute in rural Sauk County, Wisconsin, a nonprofit dedicated to integrating culture and agriculture through public programs and artist-led initiatives.
Read MoreAnd, we were reminded, yet again, no matter where you are, if you pause the rush of life to be present (and stick around for a bit after the “main event!”), you’ll likely find cosmic magic with the people that call that place home.
Read MoreSavannah works as the Exchange Director for Art of the Rural and co-founder of the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange. She has two decades of experience in cultural organizing and arts administration, beginning with a local arts agency she helped to found in high school, and, more recently, as National Programs Director at the Rural Policy Research Institute.
Read MoreWe have compiled these tunes into a BtC Spotify Playlist for your listening pleasure! Come with us on a musical journey! Be transported through the songs inspiring rural practitioners, which are as diverse, moving, and vibrant as the landscape itself.
Read MoreNe-Dah-Ness Rose Greene was a featured Rural Rockstar guest for the November 2023 Beyond the Clock online event. Beyond the Clock is a monthly digital learning exchange and happy hour for rural connectors and cultural workers hosted by Department of Public Transformation and Voices for Rural Resilience, in partnership with the Rural Assembly.
Read MoreEarlier this month, DoPT visited the Mississippi Delta, along with our partners at the Center for Rural Strategies. During this time, we visited with Tim Lampkin, Founder of Higher Purpose, Co. in Clarksdale, MS! Tim is the October Beyond the Clock Guest and he will be sharing a bit about the work of Higher Purpose, whose mission is to build community wealth with Black residents in Mississippi by supporting the ownership of financial, cultural, and political power through solutions based organizing. Check out this brief interview with Tim!
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