Episodes

  • Reporting from Radically Rural: Lupinewood Collective

    Reporting from Radically Rural: Lupinewood Collective
    Sep 30 2024
    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).
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    49 mins
  • Two Year Anniversary- Checking in on Second Stage Amherst

    Two Year Anniversary- Checking in on Second Stage Amherst
    Aug 27 2024
    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
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    58 mins
  • The Cultivator: Woods County, OK

    The Cultivator: Woods County, OK
    Jul 9 2024
    Sometimes the catalyst for artistic output isn’t an artist or an arts organization but an economic development office or a community development corporation. I call this "The Cultivator."
    I had the good fortune the last couple of months to colaborate with SMU DataArts as they released their Top 30 Most Arts-Vibrant Rural Counties study. This collaboration involved taking a deeper look at these fantastic communities and put me touch with Kay Decker with the Freedom West CDC in Woods County, Oklahoma, one of the top 30 most arts-vibrant counties identified in the study.
    Kay opened my eyes to another category of organization that can thrive in a small community. In this month's podcast, we talk about how a non-arts focused organization can be the catalyst to arts vibrancy in a community.
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    57 mins
  • The Authors of 'Rural Arts Management'

    The Authors of 'Rural Arts Management'
    Jun 18 2024
    As we move through the summer and many look to the 2024/25 academic year, Small Town Big Arts wants to put a new textbook on your radar. The book, Rural Arts Management, written by Elise Lael Kieffer and Jerome Socolof, provides a valuable resource for scholars, advanced students and reflective practitioners at the intersection of the arts and rural studies.
    From the book's description: "The arts and arts management exist in every corner of the world, from the largest city to the smallest town. However, just as a metropolis and a hamlet bear little resemblance to each other despite similar basic needs, arts organizations in the former frequently bear little resemblance to those in the latter, and many foundational arts management texts give little attention to rural settings. This book combines insights from research and practice to fill that knowledge gap and help readers understand arts administration in rural communities."
    Geoff sits down with Elise and Jerome to discuss the goals of the book, their findings, and the importance of rural arts. To order the book (starting June 19th) follow the link below:
    Rural Arts Management: Routledge and CRC Press
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    1 hr
  • Small Town Secret Sauce

    Small Town Secret Sauce
    May 28 2024
    This month, we are sharing another and fantastic podcast about small town life.

    Small Town Secret Sauce is a show all about empowering you to create the life you want in a small town. Join Barton Quigley as he explores the joys of living a simpler life while succeeding in your business or community organization and overcoming the unique challenges of a smaller population. With inspiring interviews and stories of entrepreneurial success, you will be motivated to take charge and thrive in your small town community.

    In Episode #16, Barton inteviews Small Town Big Arts host Geoffrey Kershner.

    Make sure to subscribe to Small Town Secret Sauce on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and share!
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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • Strategic Planning: Essential and Now Free

    Strategic Planning: Essential and Now Free
    Apr 25 2024
    Strategic planning is not merely a bureaucratic exercise—it's a vital tool that small town arts organizations can use to define their future and ensure their relevance and resilience in their community. With all this said, strategic planning can be extremely difficult for small organizations in small communities. Bandwidth is at a premium and this includes bandwidth of time, finances and people. Strategic planning facilitation can be expensive and time consuming.
    This month we welcome back Virginia Commission for the Arts Executive Director Margaret Hancock. The Virginia Commission for the Arts worked with the consulting firm Spark Mill to create an open source and FREE strategic planning workbook. As a grant giving agency, she speaks to the importance of a strong strategic plan and a pathway to execute a plan with limited and stretched resources.
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    16 mins
  • The Torchbearer

    The Torchbearer
    Mar 21 2024
    In January's podcast, Geoff shared five successful organizational models he has seen emerge repeatedly in multiple communities. The Collaborator, The Center, The Facilitator, The Enclave and The Developer. To learn more read: Successful Business Models for Small Sown Arts Delivery

    Small Town Big Arts would now like to add a sixth organizational model, "The Torchbearer." Listen to find out more.
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    7 mins
  • The power of telling your community's story

    The power of telling your community's story
    Feb 20 2024
    Small Town Big Arts has identified that one of the key qualities that leads to small community organizational longevity is that the art work produced reflects with specificity the community the organization serves. The identity of the organization is tightly entwined with the community itself (history, culture, landscape, and/or geographical).
    This month's episode shows you a path to this type of work, what it can look like, and the impact it can have in your community. We speak with playwright James McManus who specializes in developing community based "docudrama." We talk about his approach, his experiences, and how this type of work can tear down barriers, build bridges and enrich your small town.
    Learn more about Jim and his work here: https://newplayexchange.org/users/11130/james-mcmanus
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    55 mins