Department of Public Transformation has selected 5 rural Minnesota communities to participate in a 2-year Learning Lab for cultivating welcoming and creative places.

The Department of Public Transformation (DoPT) believes in working with artists, cultural workers, and connectors to strengthen rural places by supporting the role of community assets—social, cultural, and built—as a lens to help communities investigate and celebrate their collective story: past, present, and future. From creative taprooms and gathering places to multi-use community hubs and knowledge centers, Activate Rural supports creative building activation projects that inspire, motivate, and open up possibilities for rural communities across Minnesota.

The Activate Rural Learning Lab is a cohort-based peer network, workshop series, and resource hub which supports community leaders and artists in cultivating welcoming and creative physical places of connection in rural communities. Activate Rural’s artist-led asset activation framework, provides an accessible, replicable, and scalable approach to building design and development for those who have a passion and vision for working with their community.

Five building activation projects in Minnesota communities with a population under 10,000 have been selected. Ideal projects (1) are creative and community-focused, (2) are ready to try something new, and (3) demonstrate the potential to build local capacity for creative approaches to building activation. The application is open to all eligible projects. Applications related to issues impacting Native, BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ2IA+ communities are encouraged to apply. Applications are closed for the 2023-2025 program.