Episode 57: Matthew Fluharty - Art of the Rural - Chapter 1

<h2>Episode 57: Matthew Fluharty - Art of the Rural - Chapter 1</h2><p>Matthew Fluharty is a curious, thoughtful, passionate, humble dot connector who asks as many questions of himself as he does of the cosmos in his roles as a poet, essayist, curator, and policy wonk. The Art of the Rural, the organization he founded in 2010, is at the forefront of the story liberation movement.</p><h2>BIO</h2><p>Matthew is the Founder and Executive Director of Art of the Rural, a member of M12 Studio, and faculty on the Rural Environments Field School. His work flows between the fields of art, design, humanities, policy, and community development.</p><p>His poetry and essays have been published widely, and his work with his colleagues in the American Bottom region of<em>&nbsp;</em>the Mississippi River has been featured in&nbsp;<em>Art in America.</em>&nbsp;Matthew is the organizing curator for&nbsp;<em>High Visibility: On Location in Rural America and Indian Country</em>, a longterm collaboration with the Plains Art Museum. He recently received a Curatorial Fellowship from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts for this ongoing work.</p><p>Born into a seventh-generation farming family in Appalachian Ohio, Matthew’s upbringing instilled a belief that everyday, multigenerational knowledge can teach us about where have been, where we are, and where we might be going. Those lessons led him to take vows with the&nbsp;Zen Garland Order, a community that is a part of what’s known as the Socially Engaged Buddhist movement.</p><p><a href="https://matthewfluharty.work/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>&nbsp;//<a href="mailto:matthew@artoftherural.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;Email</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MiddleLandscape" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/middle_landscape/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;//&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewfluharty/"