RIVER VALLEY RIPPLE (RVR):

A SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM

Department of Public Transformation (DoPT) and The YES! House present the 2025 River Valley Ripple (RVR) Artist Residency, a program focused on uplifting and supporting emerging and established Southwest Minnesota (SWMN) rural artists with time, space, and resources to further develop and/or expand their artistic practice. To be considered for the program artists must reside in the 18 counties of Southwestern Minnesota (map of the region here). The RVR Artist Residency program provides a unique, close-to-home opportunity for 4 emerging and/or established artists to dedicate time to their practice, connect with a regional network of creative people and programs, and share their work with friends, family, and neighbors in an “artist salon” public showcase. 

Each participating artist spends 2-weeks at The YES! House in Granite Falls, MN, where they are provided with a living space, studio space, a welcome-to-town meal at a local establishment, a downtown walking tour, introductions to other artists, community partners, and local residents, and support in promoting and hosting an ‘artist salon’ public event. In addition, each participating artist receives a $1,000 stipend to support their cost of living during their 2-week residency and up to $250 for supplies and materials.

The RVR Artist Residency is open to all artists and all disciplines. DoPT intentionally defines the term “artist” broadly, as anyone who is creative, resourceful, inspired, and driven to collaborate across all sectors of public, private, and civic life.  This includes mediums such as visual, performance, multimedia, literary, social/ civic, culinary, land, traditional, folk, textile, and more. We mean culture bearers, craftspeople, artisans, hobbyists, contractors, and handypeople. In the selection process, priority has been given to Native, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), and LGBTQ2IA+ artists and culture bearers, as well as artists for whom this would be their first residency experience.

Questions or Comments: Please contact Luwaina Al-Otaibi, The YES! House Program Coordinator, at luwaina@publictransformation.org

Applications are closed. Please find the Full Call for Artists Here.