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Small Town Big Arts

Small Town Big Arts

By: Media Squatch
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www.smalltownbigarts.comMedia Squatch Art Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Creating a Sensory Friendly Environment in Rural Kentucky

    Creating a Sensory Friendly Environment in Rural Kentucky
    Apr 16 2026
    What does it mean to truly open the doors of a performing arts center, not just physically, but for everyone in your community?

    Today on Small Town Big Arts, I'm talking with Shannon Kirkpatrick-Daniels, the Executive Director of the Appalachian Center for the Arts in Pikeville, Kentucky, known locally and lovingly as "The App." Situated in the heart of southeast Appalachia, The App is a dynamic home for theater, music, and visual arts that sees its mission as nothing less than championing the stories of their town, their region, and their world.

    We talk about what it takes to run a community arts center in a rural region, the programming, the partnerships, the community relationships that make it all work. But we spend real time on something that gets talked around more than talked about in our field: accessibility. The App has made a genuine commitment to making the arts reachable for everyone, from physical access to sensory-friendly performances designed for patrons with autism and other sensory sensitivities. It's the kind of intentional, practical work that reflects what it actually means to serve your whole community, not just the easiest-to-serve part of it.

    Learn more by visiting: https://theapparts.org
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    56 mins
  • The Rural Texas Arts and Culture Network

    The Rural Texas Arts and Culture Network
    Mar 3 2026
    What does it look like to build a statewide network for rural arts and culture from the ground up? In this episode, Geoff Kershner sits down with Meg Greene, Program Director for Convenings and Collaborations at Mindpop, to explore the Rural Texas Arts and Culture Network — how it started, how it functions, and what it's teaching us about connecting artists and organizations across vast, underserved geographies. As Geoff works to develop Virginia's own version through Small Town Big Arts, this conversation is both a case study and a road map.

    Learn more about the Rural Texas Arts and Culture Network at: https://texasruralarts.org/
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    50 mins
  • The Department of Public "Transformation"

    The Department of Public "Transformation"
    Nov 13 2025
    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/
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    52 mins
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