Embracing Eros: How Artists Help Us Fall in Love (With Rural Places) This
morning session brought participants together for breakfast and a
keynote speech from Ash Hanson, a social practice and theater artist
and Creative Executive Officer of the Department of Public
Transformation. Hanson will discuss how artists and cultural workers can
help residents connect more deeply to their communities through
creativity, joy, and play. Hanson explored how celebrating rural
communities' uniqueness can foster new ideas and energy, ultimately
redefining rural America as thriving centers of civic, social, and
cultural action.