Pioneer Women and the Future of Rural Engagement

Pioneer Women and the Future of Rural Engagement focuses on the investigation of how institutional resources are dispersed into surrounding rural communities. This research presents the experience of the first artist in a rural artist in residence program, specifically working with the Pioneer Women in Nashville, Indiana. The artist worked with the womyn at the Brown County Historic Center, who had a deep knowledge that they shared and a unifying care for one another that is seen in their collective goals as a community craft group. The research is interested in how this translates into a viewing of rural womyn’s collectivity in the past and the contemporary outlook of rural communities. In this exploration, the research specifically looks at the function of communities in an older age range with a small or dwindling young adult population. Through an intermingling presentation of fiber works created in Indiana and the womyn’s stories from the group this research looks to question how institutions can respect the autonomy of folks while offering support to the rural communities that face complex contemporary issues.