Preliminary Research Proposal

Contemporary + Rural + Community

Art as a catalyst for creative innovation in rural communities

Preliminary Research Proposal_Contemporary+Rural+Community

Too often we characterize rural places as “behind the times”, disconnected from metropolitan centers that are the “real” hubs for creativity, innovation and advances in technology and industry. Too often we separate urban and rural, forgetting that while have their differences, they are also the same. What could happen if we permitted ourselves to think about rural place and rural communities in the same way that we think about a metropolis? Maybe we would find that the country could be just as inspiring as the city, or that it might actually generate more divergent and creative thinking by being physically separated from the grid.

My intent is that this research might serve as a sort of field guide for progressive social art practices in rural communities, specifically demonstrated through artist collectives. There is very little research analyzing these types of practices and how they might benefit communities. I hope that this work could build on the foundation for others to consider relationships between progressive experimental art projects and rural place, further diminishing boundaries between traditional “urban” and “rural” art and culture concepts.