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Author: Mia McGill

  • Ten children in traditional Hmong clothing dancing in front of a wall with flags of various countries.

    Supporting Parents and Newcomers in Southern Minnesota

    December 7, 2022

    Care and community love are at the heart of Austin, Minnesota’s Parenting Resource Center (PRC), who continue to meet community needs through their recent merger with the Welcome Center.

  • Two people browsing wares on a table at an art market.

    New York Mills Cultural Center Casts Wider Artistic Net

    December 7, 2022

    Bringing arts and cultural enrichment to nearly 1,300 people living in their Minnesota town, the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center is a small organization with big goals.

  • Many people gather in a well lit art gallery, observing artwork on the walls and talking to one another.

    The Matthews in Spearfish Embraces Change, Uplifts Creativity

    November 21, 2022

    The Matthews, originally known as Matthew’s Opera House, opened in 1906, just shy of 30 years after the Black Hills Gold Rush. The Matthews still stands in its original location on Main Street in Spearfish, South Dakota. Since its inception, the building has gone through various program changes to better serve its community.

  • Two people perform on the lawn as part of The Missouri River Water Walk in May 2021. People sit in lawn chairs in a circle around them and watch.

    Building a Home and a Community Through Theater

    October 6, 2022

    Pangea World Theater works hard year-round to create a space that connects people from all backgrounds and builds a covenant with the surrounding Lake Street community.

  • A smiling person stands behind a table with open cardboard boxes on it, facing two people who have their backs to the camera and are reaching into the boxes. In the background there's a banner that reads "Sprout," and two barn quilt designs hanging on the wall.

    Cultivating Solidarity and Sustainability in Central Minnesota

    September 21, 2022

    Rural communities are often misunderstood and underserved. Organizations like the Region Five Development Commission (R5DC) exist to fill that gap and improve economic development in rural areas. Learn more about how this organization is co-developing strategies to improve quality of life for all residents in Central Minnesota.

  • Mural at the Visitor Center, painted by Standing Rock artist Sunshine Claymore. It depicts vibrant plants and flowers, with a stream running through the center and a buffalo skull above.

    Not Just Any Kitchen: Sharing Knowledge at Sitting Bull Visitor Center

    August 25, 2022

    A space is truly of the community when it is shaped by the needs of the people it serves. The Sitting Bull Visitor Center in Fort Yates, North Dakota, the tribal headquarters of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, is recognizing and addressing its community’s need for holistic education around food sovereignty through their proposed Open Kitchen. This initiative complements their rich portfolio of offerings related to Indigenous knowledge and tradition.

  • Three children sit in a line on the grass with notebooks. The child in the center holds her notebook up to show a wildflower that she's stuck to the page.

    In Smalltown Sisseton, Art is a Connector

    July 20, 2022

    Sisseton, South Dakota is a unique place. This rural town of 2,400 is located on the Lake Traverse Reservation: about half the town is Native American, and the other half is mostly white. But it is not only the residential makeup of the Sisseton that makes it unique. It is the survival and persistence of art in the area, and new movements that are bridging a historically separated community.

  • A person in a suit stands and talks in front of room of students.

    How Community Reading Programs Inspired a New Book About Untold Stories

    February 7, 2022

    Community reading programs can inspire discussion, connection, and community—and in the case of author, educator, and Russian literature scholar Andrew D. Kaufman, a new book.