A Gathering for Creative Third Places
By: Sarina Otaibi, Activate Rural Program Director
Activate Rural’s first virtual Summit brought together creative third place leaders, organizers, artists, business owners from across the state of Minnesota and the country over three days of insight, inspiration and connection.
Activation (Day 1): Start small, storytelling, and talk to people
“What is the smallest version of this?” shared Molly Johnston, Springboard for the Arts Rural Program Manager & Co-Director of DanceBARN Collective, during the opening talk when asked about starting a project or in transition due to loss of funding or capacity.
“The story is the thing that is going to bind us together,” said Mary Welcome, Rural Cultural Worker & Civic Designer, while describing the impact of storytelling when a community is creating something together.
“We started having open houses with people coming in and introducing what we were planning on doing, having a vision board and note cards as to what they’d like to see happen,” shared Renee Loeffler, Buhl City Council Member & Rusty Rock Community Guild Team Member, with their first step in activation.
“I set up a booth at their vendor fair, and I offered a whole bunch of free art for kids to participate in,” said Nicole Cross, Artist & Bauman Hall Arts Board Member, about the beginning of their activation journey, “I just met people and talked to them.”
Impact (Day 2): Depth vs. breadth, expertise, relationships, and process
“Depth rather than breadth,” shared Bethany Lacktorin, Executive and Artistic Director of Little Theater Auditorium, when describing the generational impact and memories that give a place longevity.
“You are the expert in your own experience and your own stories,” said Leah Rathe, Filmmaker and Freelancer, around the importance of rural communities sharing their stories.
“We have a pretty big impact because of the relationships we have with our community of artists,” shared Joseph Allen, Manoomin Arts Initiative Executive Director, as a way of moving past barriers to measure impact.
“Everybody knows this on some level, that doing that relationship building and doing that evaluation is an invisible and huge part of the project and very much is work,” said Heidi Eger, Founder and Farmer at Radicle Heart Farms, when sharing the importance and meaningful role of the process.
Future (Day 3): Return without, humanity, seen, roots
“The risk of not taking action is a thousand times worse than taking an action that might have a problem going forward,” stated Scott Marquardt, Southwest Initiative Foundation President, when describing how lenders and funders need to step up their support of creative third places in rural communities, “if all we are worried about is return on or return of, what about return without?”
“When you step into a third space that is well designed, thoughtful and open, a part of your humanity shines through and feels seen,” shared Benya Kraus, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation President & CEO, as she explained there is still work to be done when translating what belonging and inclusion looks like in a rural context.
“As I sit across from my seven year old daughter, I think about really having a space in town where she is seen, where Native kids in our community can come and be seen as artists and culture bearers,” said Anne O’Keefe Jackson, Mni Sota Arts Director, when reflecting on the future impact and vision of Mni Sota Art’s new space.
“We have been really focused, especially in the last 5 years or so, about really being that place for connection and belonging, where everybody can come and have a space,” shared Betsy Roder, New York Mills Cultural Center Executive Director, when describing the role of the Cultural Center in shaping the future of their community.
“Places give ideas roots,” shared Melissa Wray, Artist and Rural Arts Program Director, as a part of her closing words for the Summit.
During the Summit, we announced the release of the Activate Rural Atlas and the 2026–2028 Activate Rural Learning Lab opportunity (more information coming soon).
You can learn more about the Atlas and download it here.
Thank you to our guest speakers for sharing their stories, experiences, and knowledge with Summit participants and thank you to the Beyond the Clock team for hosting a Summit happy hour conversation.
Stay tuned for details about the 2027 Activate Rural Summit next year!