Rural Voices on a Changing Environment
“Rural Voices on a Changing Environment” is a collaborative, interdisciplinary community/arts/science project initiated in 2016 in a rural south-central Oregon instigating interactive activities prompting and facilitating an inclusive, converging conversation among residents on a critical issue: How on-going environmental changes affect and challenge their way of life. A primary goal of the project is to bring together and empower the community to develop a potent rural “voice” using unique place-based language and imagery describing their awareness of environmental changes and the potential impacts these changes could have on their well-being, way of life and economic stability. Another important goal is to enhance the opportunities for individual and community-wide action for advocacy, community resilience and adaptability. Additionally, the voice of this rural community will be shared regionally and nationally.