In case you need another excuse to take an art class...

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak on a two-person panel hosted by the Department of Public Transformation entitled Activate Rural: Building Vibrant Futures through Creative Places. It was an honor to be asked to speak and recognized for the work that the Ely Folk School has done in the last five years. It’s also an exciting moment for Ely - to be recognized as a rural place with creative energy, creative drive, and an abundant creative future. 

The workshop was designed to explore the practical, day-to-day work of community engagement—what it takes to build visibility around their impact, create meaningful experiences, and grow a space that people feel safe in. We talked about what we’ve learned in the realms of outreach, programming, partnerships, and building trust, along with the challenges and lessons that come with sustaining community participation over time.

Julie Garreau, CEO of the Cheyenne River Youth Project, and I dug into how and why communities need creative places and personal engagement. We both conveyed strong feelings about the importance of places where you’re greeted with your first name and are given room to share your story and learn from the experiences of others. We emphasized the importance of building trust in our relationships, not only as the stepping stone toward productive partnership, but as an investment in the future of the community. 

The Ely Folk School is a place to connect over shared interests. Photo by Brett Ross

Also this week, I’ve been following reporting on new research in the arts and culture world. 

Arts Midwest published an article based on findings from the American Time Use Survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics entitled “Work, Sleep, Create, Repeat: The Midwest’s Commitment to Creativity”. The takeaway? Midwesterners* spend more time on direct arts creation than the rest of the country.

In the Time Use Study, narrow arts activities are defined as “arts creation (like crafts or writing), arts attendance, arts-related travel, and arts‑specific volunteering” while broad creative time includes all the narrow arts activities as well as making and listening to music, reading for pleasure, and watching tv or movies. 

The American Time Use Survey results show that while Midwesterners engage in narrow arts activities a similar number of days per month compared to the rest of the nation, the amount of time spent on the arts on those days is significantly longer. When we sit down to make art, we are serious about dedicating time to it! 

That dedication doesn’t come without sacrifice. Childcare, food preparation, physical activity, and home maintenance all have to be balanced. Additionally, we know that most creative time is unpaid. We are rewarded in many priceless ways when we engage in the arts, but rarely is it rewarded with a paycheck. 

That’s another reason why places like the Folk School are important - it’s a place where artists and craftspeople of all backgrounds share their practice and teach others. It’s a place where artists can teach a class and consign their work in our Sheridan Street Mercantile - and they don’t need to have a specific degree or years of qualifications. EFS is a growth platform for artists in the Ely area! Instructors at the Ely Folk School are passionate people with the ability to tell a story and a strong commitment to people.

In other news this week, a study out of University College London found that engaging in arts and cultural activities have a similar beneficial effect on aging and lifespan to exercise. People who engage in arts activities at least once a week appear to age 4% more slowly compared to those who rarely engage in the arts. The benefits remained strong, even after controls were implemented for income, BMI, and education level.

Dr. Feifei Bu, senior author of the study, said, “Our study provides the first evidence that arts and cultural engagement is linked to a slower pace of biological ageing. This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts, with arts activities being shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, just as exercise is known to do.”

So, here in Ely - a place with immense potential and recognized success in building robust and engaging community programming - we are also predisposed to spend more time on art when we dedicate time to creative pursuits. And dedicating time to the arts is good for our health and longevity. How lucky are we to call Ely home!

This summer, whether you're here year-round or visiting, let Ely be a place where you let your curiosity lead the way. Pause on the portage trail to identify the bird song; dance with a stranger at an Ely Folk School Barn Dance or during live music at an Ely-area restaurant or cafe**; invite a new friend to walk the Trezona Trail with you; and find a class at the Ely Folk School with the goal of sparking (or reigniting) a creative hobby. It’s good for your body, it’s good for your health. And most of all (I think), it’s good for your soul. 

*The Midwest is defined here as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. 

** I’m particularly excited about the music lineup for the summer at Brainstorm Bakery!