Small Town Big Arts

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  • 5.0 (12)
  • ARTS

www.smalltownbigarts.com

  1. 11/13/2025

    The Department of Public "Transformation"

    In this episode of Small Town Big Arts, host Geoffrey Kershner talks with Ash Hanson, Founder and Creative Executive Officer of the Department of Public Transformation (DoPT) — a groundbreaking organization that uses creativity as a catalyst for civic engagement in small towns across America. From their base in rural Minnesota, Ash and her team have helped communities reimagine public spaces, build trust across divides, and celebrate local identity through the arts. In this conversation, Ash shares how DoPT activates local leadership, nurtures collaboration between artists and civic systems, and helps residents see their towns through a new creative lens. https://www.publictransformation.org/

    52 min

  2. 09/11/2025

    Free Access to the Arts in Southwest Virginia

    Founded in 1961 and now a fully accredited partner of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the American Alliance of Museums, Piedmont Arts in Martinsville stands as one of the few cultural non‑profits serving Virginia’s Southwest region—acting as a vital nexus for visual arts, performing arts, and education in a community with limited comparable resources. At the helm of this mission is Heidi Pinkston, the organization’s Executive Director, whose leadership has been instrumental in guiding Piedmont Arts through ambitious initiatives such as the $1 million Growth and Restoration Campaign to fortify infrastructure, expand programming, and enhance sustainability Piedmont Arts. Our conversation explores how Piedmont Arts, under Pinkston’s stewardship, is not only preserving regional cultural heritage but also envisioning a dynamic, inclusive future for the arts in Southwest Virginia.

    34 min

  3. 08/05/2025

    How Virginians Power Rural Bath County’s Cultural Ecosystem

    In this episode of Small Town Big Arts, we travel to Bath County, Virginia—one of America’s most arts-vibrant rural communities—to explore how Virginia funding, local and statewide, fuels creative life in a small town.  Host Geoffrey Kershner sits down with leaders from the Garth Newel Music Center and the Bath County Arts Association to discuss the powerful role of the arts in education, economic development, tourism, and community connection. You’ll hear how modest investments from the Virginia Commission for the Arts help sustain year-round programming, nurture local talent, and turn small grants into big impact. From chamber music in the mountains to new community art spaces in Hot Springs, this episode highlights why rural arts matter—and why public funding is essential to their future. 🔗 Learn more at vaforarts.org

    1h 10m

  4. 07/01/2025

    Pizza Huts and the American Dream

    What do old Pizza Huts, small-town entrepreneurship, and the American dream have in common? In this episode of Small Town Big Arts, we sit down with filmmakers Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker, creators of the documentary Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts. Traveling across the country—from Texas to Illinois—Salleh and Tucker uncover how communities breathe new life into familiar spaces, transforming once-iconic red-roofed pizza parlors into churches, dispensaries, community hubs, and more. Together, we explore how reuse becomes a form of storytelling, how entrepreneurship echoes artistic practice, and what it means to represent small towns on screen with honesty and respect. Whether you’re an artist making work about a small community or simply fascinated by the ingenuity that defines small town America, this conversation explores how "outsiders" can explore how smaller communities build, adapt, and dream. Join us for a thoughtful look at place, identity, and the creative spirit that turns empty buildings—and entire towns—into canvases of possibility. You can find the film on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0DZY4M1XF/ref=msx_wn_av

    51 min

  5. 05/22/2025

    The RiffRaff Arts Collective- Princeton, WV (pop. 5,872)

    The RiffRaff Arts Collective is a dynamic creative hub located in the heart of Princeton, West Virginia. Since its founding, RiffRaff has reimagined what arts-led revitalization can look like in an Appalachian town navigating post-industrial challenges. With a bold vision for community transformation, the organization has anchored a vibrant downtown renaissance—bringing together visual artists, musicians, performers, and civic leaders to activate public spaces, support local talent, and cultivate a thriving cultural ecosystem. I had the privilege of speaking with founder Lori McKinney, whose unwavering belief in the power of creativity has shaped RiffRaff into both an arts collective and a movement for community healing. Her insights offer a compelling look at how sustained artistic investment can build pride, belonging, and opportunity in places too often overlooked. To learn more about RiffRaff Arts Collective, visit their website at: https://riffraffartscollective.com/

    55 min

  6. 10/08/2024

    Reporting from Radically Rural: MAXT Makerspace

    Geoff takes his annual September visit to Keene, NH for the Radically Rural Conference. At the conference he took the opportunity to interview two of the conference panelists. The second is Roy Schlieben of the MAXT Makerspace in Peterborough, NH (pop. 6,418). Their vision is that by unlocking the community’s creative potential we feed community vitality and drive innovation in the region.

    44 min

  7. 09/30/2024

    Reporting from Radically Rural: Lupinewood Collective

    Geoff takes his annual September visit to Keene, NH for the Radically Rural Conference. At the conference he took the opportunity to interview two of the conference panelists. The first is Andrew Huckins of the Lupinewood Collective. This queer and trans community of artists have been living and working collectively since 2017 when they moved in to a falling-apart mansion with a dream to transform it into something beautiful and lasting. Out of this sprang the Lupinewood Collective, part collective living community and part arts organization, this unique org saught a space to live and work together and found it in Greenfield, MA (pop. 17,768).

    49 min

  8. 08/27/2024

    Two Year Anniversary- Checking in on Second Stage Amherst

    Celebrating two years of Small Town Big Arts! Small Town Big Arts is collaborating with the University of Lynchburg on a new online course called Thriving Community Arts: Strategies for Sustainable Success. A limited number of discounted seats will be available to those who work at a nonprofit organization.  Please email pdi@lynchburg.edu from your nonprofit account to receive a discount code. This month we are continuing a tradition. In 2022, Small Town Big Arts was formed out of a strategic planning process Geoff facilitated at Second Stage Amherst in Virginia. Geoff discovered there were few online resources for an organization like Second Stage, a community arts space in a town of 2,200 and a county of 31,000. We check in with Second Stage's Executive Director, Jessy Shipe and see how they are doing. Spoiler: They are doing well.  m

    58 min
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