We thought we shouldn’t just define ourselves by what we are against, but rather what we are for. There has always been a side to CURE that is about conversations. We are conveners and catalysts. We want to be a trusted mediator.
Patrick Moore, Director of CURE (Clean Up the River Environment), a non-profit based in Montevideo, MN, in a recent MPR story about the group’s efforts to bridge the farmer-environmentalist divide.
Colin and I met Patrick at the Rural Arts & Culture Summit a few months ago, where he convened a conversation about art and artists in towns with fewer than 5,000 residents. His approach to developing community by providing cultural experiences where people from different silos can find common ground is inspiring.
We’ve been to Montevideo twice now to visit Patrick, and to meet other artists and leaders from across the community. We’re going back in early October for the Arts Meander, and staying on for a couple of weeks to complete a collaborative public art project that involves storytelling and roadside signs. We’re also working with Patrick to plan our first Give & Take in rural Minnesota, which will be in early November in downtown Montevideo.
SHM
Our friend Emily just pointed out that the words “give” and “take” both came from the Vikings.
In honor of this, we’re going to rent some viking garb for Ben to wear while he hosts Give & Take at the State Fair on Saturday.
A year and a half of Give & Take in 90 seconds.
Big thanks to Andy Dayton for doing all the videography and production on this!
Communities are not the sum of their roads, schools and malls. They are the sum of their relationships.
The Japanese government seems to get this. The government there actually funds block parties to bring communities together.
That might never happen in America, but Aldrich thinks each of us can do something on our own: Instead of practicing earthquake drills and building bunkers, we could reach out and make more friends among our co-workers and neighbors.
NPR: The Key To Disaster Survival? Friends And Neighbors
This is why we do Give & Take.
