Rural Assembly focuses on ‘building an inclusive nation’

More than 300 rural leaders from across the United States met in St. Paul, Minn., June 28-30 for the 2011 Gathering of the National Rural Assembly.

The event kicked off Tuesday, June 28, with nine rural leaders speaking their “Rural Truth to Power.” Expanding on the conference’s theme of “building an inclusive nation,” the speakers provided a range of perspective about the top concerns of America’s 60 million rural people. 

The 2011 Gathering created work sessions, roundtables, networking opportunities, and panel presentations on a wide range of rural topics. It brought together a group of stakeholders representing the diversity of rural America in geography, race/ethnicity, and public policy interests. The common focus was how to create a nation where rural communities thrive and contribute to the nation’s success.

Complete coverage of the 2011 Gathering is available on the Gathering  website and at the Daily Yonder.

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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