New Offerings Launch in 2026!
Engage Rural provides resources, guidance, and connection for rural community leaders as they develop creative strategies for civic engagement. Such strategies can break down barriers to civic participation and strengthen local leadership.
Through the Discover, Connect, and Design tracks, Engage Rural is designed to support communities with a population of 20,000 or less, offering services that will benefit participants at various stages in their arts-based civic engagement journey.
Available February 2026
The Discover Track is a free, low-stakes place to begin exploring how to work with artists and utilize creative strategies for increased civic engagement in your rural community. These are publicly available resources for anyone interested in arts-based rural civic engagement.
Quarterly virtual sessions that provide a live introduction to arts-based civic engagement and the Engage Rural program.
Next intro session: February 25, 2026 | 2 – 2:45 PM CST
Three short webinars, available for viewing on your own time and for sharing with leaders in your community.
The first webinar will be available in February, and the second two will roll out in the months following.
Examples, tools, and recommendations for getting started on arts-based civic engagement with your community.
Available in late 2026, pending funding
Engage Rural: Connect is a community of practice for rural leaders beginning to explore arts-based civic engagement initiatives. Fees for participation will be on a sliding scale. Participants can sign up on a rolling basis and will have access to: in-depth resources and a menu of workshop offerings, curated consultations with DoPT staff, and a bi-monthly gathering that will connect them with a peer network. More details coming soon!
Available now! If you want to set up a contract to work with us, please email engage@publictransformation.org
The Design track is for communities, municipalities, or organizations who want to work directly with our team, on a contract-basis, to design and implement civic arts projects.
Participants in the Design track will develop a unique contract with DoPT staff that can include resources such as:
DoPT staff facilitate a collaborative visioning session, virtual or in-person, with your project team.
DoPT staff support your community’s initiatives with curated consultations.
DoPT staff provide feedback and recommendations for your project or program design.
DoPT staff offer additional support for your civic arts design efforts, such as fundraising strategies or site visits.
…And More!
DoPT staff work with you to develop a contract that includes the services and support that will most benefit you and your community!
Check Out the Rural Civic Arts Learning Lab!
Through the 2022 Rural Civic Arts Learning Lab, DoPT piloted some of the Engage Rural offerings. After participating in the Learning Lab, one civic leader shared: “We thought civic arts were something big towns did—it just seemed out of reach for us. The program has been huge. We now have a budget line for civic arts.”
Check out the Impact Report to learn more!