We’ve been back out in the field this month locally and at gatherings with Partners for Rural Impact, the authors of the New Civic Future letter, and Sioux City Art Center! Check out updates from our programs and upcoming gatherings below, plus new opportunities for support.
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On Friday, April 17, we were honored to host Spillway Fellow Cole Redhorse Taylor in Winona and debut his powerful new ledger artwork “Ipsica.” The artwork takes its inspiration from a piece that the Winona County Historical Society is currently in the process of returning to the Dakota community. “Ipsica” will be on view as part of new, Dakota-led exhibitions launching at the History Center this summer.
We are grateful to be with friends such as Honoring Dakota Project and an ever-expanding circle of local/regional partners for their continued collaboration as we all collectively nurture intercultural exchange toward building responsible and durable relationships between the Winona region and Dakota people.
This Spillway Fellowship artwork was made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
We are so excited to host Fire in the Village for a spirited night of connection and community on Thursday, May 14, 6:00-8:00pm Central, at the Winona County History Center.
During this free-to-attend gathering, make and take a printed fabric patch, and hear music and stories from Anishinaabe artist Annie Humphrey (Leech Lake Reservation), who will also share her thrifted and upcycled clothing designs, modeled by local community members. Always be brave!
Fire in the Village is a collective of artists and cultural organizers that build and sustain spiritual fires of connection where they live in Anishinaabe territory or rural northern Minnesota, and with arts and music communities around the region.
Additional support for this gathering is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
A little bird (maybe a loon) told us that more folks wanted another chance to get this beautiful t-shirt, with design donated by Cole Redhorse Taylor. All proceeds benefit our partners, the Honoring Dakota Project, who are dedicated to creating community engagements, projects, and events that provide education to discover our shared stories, bridge our communities, and create a space for healing for the people of Red Wing and Prairie Island, and the surrounding area.
RUX’s new programmatic offering has begun with member-hosted meetups, called Rhizomes, hosted in regions across Kentucky! Inspired by our partners at Alternate ROOTS, we’re transplanting the concept of “rhizomes” to Kentucky. Instead of self-propagating networks of plants, we’re using the term as a metaphor for member-led organizing of RUX experiences in regions across the state.
Our first Rhizomes included a native plant walk at Alberta O. Jones Park in Louisville and a meetup at the WAVE Foundation in Newport. Upcoming events include an open mic night in Frankfort, a meetup at Lower Town Arts & Music Festival in Paducah, and RUX Homecoming at Seedtime (see below!).
RUX rhizomes offer network members the chance to connect with other alumni, members, and partners in their home regions through meetups and experiences organized by and for their fellow network members. We’re also in the process of onboarding Regional Coordinators across six regions to help facilitate this distributed program. We hope you’ll join us soon at a Rhizome near you!
We’re excited to invite you to two statewide gatherings with RUX coming up soon:
June 5-6: RUX Homecoming at Seedtime! Join us at Appalshop’s 40th annual Seedtime on the Cumberland for a weekend of music, dancing, and local exploration!
Register by May 29! September 25-27: Network Weekend! Join the RUX alumni, partners, members-at-large, and their loved ones for a weekend of connection & community-led activities!
View the full calendar at artoftherural.org/gatherings.
Thursday, May 14, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Central
Winona County History Center (160 Johnson St, Winona, MN 55987)
Free to attend
Join us with Fire in the Village for an evening of printmaking, music, and a fashion show!
Thursday, May 21, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. Central
Sheldon Theatre (443 W 3rd St, Red Wing, MN 55066)
Free to attend
Join us for a talk with the He Mni Čan Wakpa (Jordan River/Creek) on remapping & remembering river relationships. Facilitated by Kachina Yeager, this event is presented in partnership by Red Wing Arts, Art of the Rural, City of Red Wing, Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Honoring Dakota Project, and Sheldon Theatre.
The Sioux City Art Center 2026 Biennial Interstates celebrated its opening earlier this month! Guest curated by our Executive Director Matthew Fluharty, the exhibition invited artists to create new work that reflects on movement, connection, and distance as they shape life in Iowa and the Siouxland region. While this part of the country is sometimes seen as unchanging, the interstates tell a different story, reminding us that this region has always been about movement: of rivers, people, products, and of history. Thank you to the Sioux City Art Center curator Christopher Atkins and the whole team for their trust, collaboration, and vision.
In an article by Alex V. Cipolle last week in The New York Times, our Executive Director Matthew Fluharty reflects on Grant Wood’s 1926 “Corn Room.” The series of murals was sent for cleaning and conservation to the Midwest Art Conservation Center last year.
“[The Corn Room murals] are portals through which we can understand the dynamic and complex forms of change that have always been present in the lands and cultures and economies of the Midwest,” says Matthew. The murals will return for permanent display in honor of their centennial this year at Sioux City Art Center.
The first episode features 100 Rural Women founder and podcast host Teresa Kittridge. Join Teresa as she sets out every week to interview 100 women who have made a difference in rural communities and beyond.
Sipp Culture’s Rural Roots Design Lab & Studio seeks Mississippi’s rural artists, creators, leaders, and cultural organizers who are transforming their communities through creativity and imagination. Apply by May 31
Springboard for the Arts’ 2026-2028 Rural Regenerator Fellowship is an 18-month fellowship that brings together regional rural artists, creatives, and culture bearers to deepen their relationships, grow their work, and support rural exchange and solidarity across the Upper Midwest. It includes a $15,000 award and $3,000 travel support. Apply by June 18
Don’t forget to join our staff at AFTACON 2026 (June 2-5, Albuquerque, NM), Radically Rural (October 6-8, Keene, NH), and Othering & Belonging Conference (October 9-10, Louisville, KY)!
Art of the Rural is a collaborative nonprofit organization that resources artists and culture bearers to build the field, change narratives, and bridge divides. Our initiatives are long-term, trust-based efforts that co-create spaces for exchange and impact across the traditional dividing lines of place, practice, and lived experience.
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