MCAD Rural Arts Initiative

MCAD Rural Arts Initiative: expanding education into the experiential realm, immersing students in outstate Minnesotan communities to form creative partnerships across the state. Partnering with Grand Rapids and Montevideo, MN, we worked as a team to develop innovative responses to community needs.


Group Blog
Bush Foundation Story: Grand Rapids
MPR Story: Montevideo

The Rural Arts Initiative is one of the best ideas I’ve had the opportunity to witness in my time as an MCAD student. I’m proud that my school took on this initiative, and I feel privileged to have been part of the first stages of what– I hope– will be an ongoing relationship between MCAD and the greater community. I’ve always been invested in using art and design thinking within the public scope, outside of the boxed-in institution, so when I first saw this new course offering I could not have been more excited. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I was optimistic that this would mark a change in MCAD’s approach to education.

While each of the two sessions (Montevideo and Grand Rapids) bore remarkably different experiences and results, I feel that each was transformative. For me, working within a rural rather than urban context was new, and I was amazed to find myself drawn to this new environment. The opportunities in these new spaces were overwhelming, and I feel I discovered new ways of measuring my success as an artist working within a community. In both locations, it was amazing to spend time with the people– getting to know them, their work, their histories, was truly inspiring. Even more inspiring was how welcoming the communities were to our group and how open they were to having a dialogue. In my eyes, it was the mutual respect of the needs and intentions of both groups that made these projects work.

I am excited that MCAD has chosen to continue supporting this project in the upcoming summer. I hope that the artists, designers, and community members involved will all keep their promises and continue to push these relationships and projects forward. The groundwork is laid out, and it’s time for the MCAD community to immerse itself in utilizing the experiential as educational.