Bright Stars: Charting the Impact of the Arts in Rural Minnesota is published by The McKnight Foundation and was developed in partnership with Creation In Common in St. Paul, a firm dedicated to facilitating creative discourse and communication in order to strengthen communities. The stories featured in Bright Stars are examples of how the arts are playing a critical role in maintaining the traditional vitality of rural Minnesota. Highlights include:

• Community leadership and civic engagement took the north-central town of New York Mills from a bleak economic outlook and business closings to its current standing as a national role model for innovative rural economic development.
• Artists, business owners and community leaders from 40 miles around the southwest town of Montevideo held a three-day traveling arts festival that brought visitors from over 100 cities in 13 states to see the area's art, business, and natural beauty-and established a unique niche for regional arts development and patronage.

The arts have long been thought of as cultural and economic fixtures of urban-and increasingly suburban-communities. In rural communities, however, the growth of arts programs can actually make the difference between a small town surviving or thriving.

To receive a copy of Bright Stars: Charting the Impact of the Arts in Rural Minnesota, please call The McKnight Foundation at 612-333-4220, or download the book via the link to the right.