Arts and culture are vital ingredients in creating welcoming and engaged rural communities with strong local economies. The Falls Community Arts Exchange invites artists to experience and engage with the vibrant arts community in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and connect with Springboard’s work and advocacy in rural creative community development.
Fergus Falls is a regional hub of arts and culture in West Central Minnesota, with a variety of organizations and spaces dedicated to visual arts, dance, performance, and artistic development. For the last 15 years, Springboard for the Arts’ rural headquarters in Fergus Falls has supported local artists in developing their careers, while building a national network of relationships and advocacy about the importance of the arts and artists in rural places. Springboard has brought together over 1,500 rural artists to Fergus Falls through programs like the Rural Regenerator Fellowship, the Rural Futures Summit, and more.
In partnership with organizations and businesses, the Falls Community Arts Exchange invites artists to Fergus Falls who are interested in growing their own practice in a supportive environment or completing a collaborative local project. Visiting artists reside in a beautiful 1 bedroom apartment in downtown Fergus Falls, and have access to support from Springboard staff, connections to local artists and leaders, and more..
A coalition of local host partners play a key role in the Falls Exchange by sharing their own place-based processes and strategies with visiting artists, connecting artists to local community goals, and providing a supportive network for the artists to engage with local residents.
Falls Exchange partners have included: The Kaddatz Galleries, The Creation Shop, Otter Cove Children’s Museum, SAGA Youth, the Fergus Falls School of Dance, and Stella’s Restaurant.
Starting in December 2025, applications for the Falls Community Arts Exchange will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Nope! This residency is structured around a collaboration that will occur between the artists and a local organization that they are paired with. This collaboration will not begin until an artist is accepted for the opportunity and introduced to their partner organization. We do encourage you to highlight past projects and partnerships in your application to give us an understanding of how you would potentially approach this opportunity.
Upon acceptance into the residency program, we will share the organization(s) that we feel is a good fit for your residency, based on your interests and experiences, as well as availability. We will then connect you to your host organization for an initial meet and greet and planning meeting so that you can begin scoping your residency plans.
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