Who should speak at the 2013 National Rural Assembly?

Mark your calendars! We’ll be in the D.C. Metro area, June 23-26, for the 2013 National Rural Assembly.

The planning for the next Assembly is officially underway, and this month, we’re asking for your ideas about keynote speakers. Be creative. Tell us why you’re suggesting this person and what they will contribute to the rural conversation.

Over the next few months we’ll use this bulletin to invite your suggestions about programming for the meeting. We’ll pass your suggestions on to the working groups that will design the agenda for the 2013 Assembly. Also in this month’s bulletin are updates about the Rural Transportation Policy Group and the Rural Arts and Culture Group. As always, send your stories and comments to whitney@ruralstrategies.org.

Thank you for all you do,
Whitney Kimball Coe
on behalf of the National Rural Assembly and Center for Rural Strategies

Keynotes: Who should speak at the 2013 Assembly?

 Mignon Clyburn addresses the 2011 National Rural Assembly Gathering
Mignon Clyburn addresses the 2011 National Rural Assembly Gathering

The Rural Transportation Working Group of the National Rural Assembly continues to have an impact on the discussion about U.S. transportation policy.

The American Public Transportation Association cited the working group’s transportation policy paper in its publication “Rural Communities Expanding Horizons- The Benefits of Public Transportation.”

The report used information from the Rural Transportation Working Group’s policy paper, which was endorsed by organizations across the United States. And it quoted to the working group’s members, Kathleen Moxon (Redwood Coast Rural Action in California) and Billy Altom (Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living.)

The Rural Transportation Working Group continues to promote accessible, affordable, and sustainable transportation systems for rural Americans. Currently, the group is working on the implementation of the federal transportation bill passed in 2012, MAP-21. More information on the group’s activities and how to get involved are on their website.  

What about the rural arts?

Since the first meeting of the Rural Arts and Culture Working Group in Ashfield, Massachusetts, we’ve been tracking articles and essays produced by group members that advance a new frame about the role of the arts in rural communities.  Check out some of the latest:

If you are interested in joining this conversation, contact whitney@ruralstrategies.org

Drawing Resilience: Maureen Hearty

Maureen Hearty transforms objects, space, and community, seeing art as a tool for action, education, and opportunity. The majority of her community-based work today is on the eastern plains of Colorado, considered one of the most sparsely populated areas in the United States. In Joes, Colorado (pop. 78), she is activating space using art, music, and the collection of story. In 2020, Maureen and her friend Kristin Stoltz were awarded an NEA grant for a project titled “Arts for a Prairie Seas: Farming Fluxus.”

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