Drawing Resilience: Rural Road Trip
October 22, 2025
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Nhatt Nichols traveled through seven Western states, connecting with inspirational rural cultural changemakers along the way.
Illustrations and interviews by Nhatt Nichols
Nhatt Nichols traveled through seven Western states, connecting with inspirational rural cultural changemakers along the way.
Illustration and story by Nhatt NicholsMary Welcome is an artist whose medium defies classification. She doesn’t use oil paints or
We talk to leaders in Texas and Washington state about their experiences with disaster preparedness, mutual aid, and the ways they work to strengthen their communities.
Willmar and Winona, Minn., are two rural towns that welcome and celebrate the immigrant experience.
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.”
Caryl Hale is the executive director of the Norton Regional Health Foundation and amember of the Norton Arts Council in Norton, Kansas. Hale brings her experience in farming and foodsystems with her to both roles, helping to create rural health policies that center art and food production.