Activate Rural Storytelling Project: Manoomin Arts Initiative
Members of the Manoomin Arts Initiative team in front of a youth-led mural project in downtown Mahnomen.
The Community
Located in rural northwest Minnesota, Mahnomen is the largest incorporated town within the White Earth Nation (WEN). Mahnomen (or “Manoomin”) means wild rice, the sacred grain that has been harvested in the region for many centuries. Over half of the population of Mahnomen identifies as Indigenous, with a strong and growing focus on Native art and the value that artists bring to the community.
Take a tour of Mahnomen during the Activate Rural team site visit in 2023.
The Context
Manoomin Arts Initiative (MAI) grew from a multi-year collaboration between the City of Mahnomen, Mahnomen County Economic Development Authority, and Gizhiigin Arts Incubator, a program of the White Earth Nation Economic Development Division. In 2019, these partners secured funding from the Artists on Main Street Program and began a series of projects to build capacity for the arts economy. This collaboration laid the groundwork for many artist-led initiatives (like the mural project featured in the video below!) and created momentum for MAI to apply for the Activate Rural program.
One of the Artists on Main Street projects was the creation of downtown Mahnomen’s iconic mural. Ten youth artists (who became the “Manoomin Mural Gang”) spent a week planning, designing and creating the mural with visiting artist Matt Litwack and local Native artists Kent Estey and Penny Kagigebi.
The Opportunity
MAI started their activation journey in the Animikii Print Club space, a studio and gallery social enterprise designed to give Native Artists collective ownership of the means to produce print products for wholesale and retail markets. The collective transformed an old community building into a vibrant arts space for workshops, exhibitions, and performances. Elders came to share their wisdom, teaching young artists traditional techniques in beadwork, birchbark crafts, and storytelling. Each gathering was not just about art—it was about passing down histories, strengthening bonds, and reclaiming cultural identity through creative expression. With ever-expanding ideas for new programming, MAI wanted to harness the momentum, engage their growing number of stakeholders, and create a plan for thoughtful growth.
A video capturing the Activate Rural team’s site visit to Mahnomen in 2023.
The Activation
After joining Activate Rural, MAI expanded programming significantly, starting quarterly artist gatherings to support the creative economy of the region. Through MAI’s quarterly gatherings, local artists shared a desire for studio, printmaking, retail, art gallery, workshop, and classroom space, and the search began for a larger, more permanent space.
While navigating Mahnomen’s tight real estate market in search of a space, MAI continued to carry out programming with its organizational partners throughout the White Earth Nation. They held exhibitions of Native art, classes and workshops, and strategic partnership initiatives at both the Animikii Print Club space and the Gizhiigin Arts Incubator space. MAI was also a partner in producing the WEN’s first-ever Drag Show in 2024, with over half of the performers being Native; this event drew over 350 attendees the first year, and the second annual event took place in early 2025.
The Transformation
During their time in the Activate Rural Learning Lab, Manoomin Arts Initiative accomplished a number of organizational milestones. They applied for and received their own 501c3 status, transforming from a partnership of many entities to a formal organization. They began a property search process and toured many potential buildings for their expansion, ultimately identifying a space that offers commercial space as well as residential space for artists-in-residence or short-term rentals. They put together a plan for a capital campaign, and have raised $100,000 so far.
Check out this video to experience Manoomin Arts Initiative’s vibrant community of artists.
The Future
In 2026, the MAI team will continue fundraising for their capital campaign. They hope to partner with a tribal CDFI to secure the financing needed to purchase the new space and move into their permanent home.
Manoomin Arts Initiative will continue on their journey while keeping their community and culture at the forefront. As said by MAI member Joseph Allen, “It's not about the building—it's about the need for our community to access resources. We are helping to create this movement of artists and making our own rules.”
Follow along at www.manoominartsinitiative.com