Webinars
CIRD supports rural communities via informational conference calls and webinars that cover critical topics in community engagement, rural design, partnership development, and workshop planning.
Rural Design Webinar Series
To maximize impact, the Citizens' Institute on Rural Design Webinar Series will be open to the public. The Webinar Series will also be recorded and shared with CIRD constituents.
Webinar III: Rural Design for a New Future!
Tuesday, August 25, 2020 (1:00pm-2:00pm EST)
So much uncertainty pervades our world right now. How are small communities adapting to a global pandemic and the calls for racial equity? Join Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design for a continued conversation in our Rural Design Webinar Series featuring speakers working on affordable housing the the rural south, entrepreneurship among Native American tribes, and our CIRD-led initiative to renovate a black church in Ohio's Appalachian foothills.
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This webinar is the third in a three-part series. Be sure to follow CIRD on Facebook and Twitter so you don't miss updates about upcoming webinars.
Webinar I: Predevelopment and Fundraising
Tuesday, February 18th, 2020 (2:00pm-3:00pm EST)
So you’ve got a design idea – now where do you start? Tune in to CIRD’s February webinar on pre-development and fundraising to learn about the crucial first steps in starting a design project. The webinar will cover the nuts and bolts of considering the history of a project site, identifying key community members and stakeholders to the project, and setting up a fundraising strategy.
Download the PowerPoint Presentation
Webinar II: The Role of Design in the Time of COVID-19
Wednesday May 20th, 2020 (1:00pm-2:00pm EST)
Design for rural areas often plans to bring people together in place and drive economic development for communities. What is the role of design when stay-at-home orders change the environment we live in? How can organizations who work in design respond to economic distress head-on?
Join Citizens' Institute on Rural Design for a special edition of our Rural Design Webinar series on the coronavirus with speakers Manuel Ochoa (Ochoa Urban Collaborative), Margie Reese (Witchita Falls Alliance for the Arts and Culture), Megan Laudenschlager (Strengthen ND), and a special guest message from Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (Maine, D-1).
Download the PowerPoint Presentation
Click here for CIRD's take-away's from Webinar II
Past Webinars
Applying to Citizen's Institute on Rural Design
Join the National Endowment for the Arts, buildingcommunityWORKSHOP, and the Housing Assistance Council as we answer your questions and offer guidance on the Request for Applications for the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design. This webinar will inform potential applicants about the details of our program—both the local Workshops and the Learning Cohort—and guide you through our application so that you can best represent your community’s design needs!
Download the PowerPoint Presentation
CIRD 2018 How to Apply
We are pleased to offer a pre-application assistance webinar to help prepare you to submit a competitive 2018 CIRD proposal.
On this webinar CIRD staff from the National Endowment for the Arts and Project for Public Spaces will provide an overview of the program and answer questions related to the recently released RFP. You'll learn about the application process, eligibility requirements, and selection criteria.
Speakers:
- Jen Hughes, design specialist, National Endowment for the Arts
- Cynthia Nikitin, senior vice president, Project for Public Spaces
Local Food: The Secret Ingredient for Vibrant Downtowns
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
- Stephanie Bertaina, Program Manager, Vice President Creative Placemaking, Iowa Business Growth;
- Kelly Verel, Vice President, Project for Public Spaces (PPS);
- Jason Moore, President, Montana Food Co-op;
- Fran Stoddard, Communications Consultant, Orton Family Foundation, moderator.
Creative Placemaking: Economic Development for the Next Generation
Thursday, March 23, 2017
- Zach Mannheimer, Program Manager, Vice President Creative Placemaking, Iowa Business Growth
Thinking Beyond the Town Line: Strengthening Rural Development through Cooperation
Thursday, November 17, 2016
- Brett Schwartz, Program Manager, National Association of Development Organizations
- Sarah Lucas, AICP, Regional Planning Department Manager, Networks Northwest
- Lori Meadows, Executive Director, Kentucky Arts Council
- Susan DuPlessis, Program Director, South Carolina Arts Commission
Embracing and Empowering Diverse Communities to Shape Rural Design
Thursday, July 21, 2016 - 3:00 pm EST.
- Shane Hale, City Manager, Cortez, Colorado
- Joseph Kunkel, Executive Director, Sustainable Native Communities Collaborative
- Liesel Fenner, Public Art Program Director, Maryland State Arts Council
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 - 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Eastern.
The US Department of Agriculture Rural Development is a program that can offer a variety of resources to rural communities. Farah Ahmad from the USDA explains the technical assistance and financing opportunities provided by the agency. She shares examples of communities that have received funding through USDA, and offers ideas for how any rural community can access these resources.
Blog and Resources:
To help you find other sources of funding, look at the document Yes, Virginia, There is Funding for Rural America to find more links to other government agencies. And to aid your pursuit of funding, Show Me the Money will help you develop effective strategies for securing important capitl to finance projects.
Speakers:
- Farah Ahmad, Program Manager, Community Economic Development, USDA Rural Development.
Thursday, May 19, 2016 - 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm Eastern.
No project will succeed if no one knows about it! Listen to this free CIRD webinar to hear about how to form clear goals for your community that will help inform a successful communications plan.
Blog and Resources:
To read more communications strategies, look at our blog post Top Tools for Building Better Project Communications. If you are interested in Franklin, NH, the town discussed in the webinar, check out our profile on the project in Franklin for a Lifetime: Promoting Livability through Age-Friendly Design.
Speakers:
- David Leyzerovsky, Project Associate, Project for Public Spaces.
Thursday, April 21, 2016 - 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Eastern.
Many rural communities and small towns are rediscovering their recreational and scenic assets and are looking for ways to leverage these assets to boost economic development and community pride. This webinar will highlight great examples of rural trail projects that link people to place and reconnect the human and natural environments--providing access to nature and preserving sensitive ecosystems, while promoting local economic and cultural assets. This free 60-minute webinar is co-sponsored by the Orton Family Foundation and the Citizens' Institute on Rural Design.
Speakers:
- Amy Camp, Owner, Cycle Forward and Board Member, American Trails.
- Leah Kemp, Assistant Director, Carl Small Town Center.
- Zach Schmesser, Event Director, Bicycle Coalition of Maine.
Friday, May 15, 2015 - 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Eastern.
Blog and Resources:
There are many ways to revitalize a downtown, some of which are listed in CIRD's blogs and resources: Saving Main Street: Eleven Ideas for Spurring Investment in Downtown Businesses and Revitalizing Small Towns: Resolving Downtown Challenges
Speakers:
- Rick Hauser, Mayor of Perry, NY, and Owner of In.Site: Architecture.
The emerging practice of rural-urban cooperation capitalizes on the unique assets of both places to bridge divides, build mutual understanding, and infuse creative energy into community and economic development.
Blog and Resources:
For more information about this webinar, read our blog post Four Alliances Demonstrate Urban+Rural = A Powerful Combination.
Speakers:
- Savannah Barrett, Program Director, Art of the Rural.
- Kirsten Stoltz, Programming Director, M12 Collective.
- Chuck Flaherty, Founder, President, and CEO, Rural Policy Research Institute.
Most communities aren’t tuned in to positive migration and miss out on the opportunities that come with newcomers. Ben Winchester, Research Fellow for the University of Minnesota Extension, Center for Community Vitality, has studied the trend and has great ideas for making the most of positive migration patterns.
Blog and Resources:
For more information about this webinar, read our blog post entitled Brain Drain or Brain Gain? A New Narrative for Rural America.
Speakers:
- Ben Winchester, Research Fellow, University of Minnesota Extension.
Emily Pilloton of Project H and Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert of Energize Clinton County, Ohio use the principles of good design to improve rural places, often in unexpected ways. Join this hour-long webinar highlighting community design that kick starts rural development. You’ll learn smart ways to introduce decision makers to design principles and find appropriate roles for “experts” and outsiders in resident-led design projects.
Blog:
For more information on how good design can spark creativity, check out our blog post Good Design Sparks Rural Community Development.
Speakers:
- Emily Pilloton, Founder and Executive Director, Project H.
- Mark Rembert, Co-founder and Director, Energize Clinton County.
- Taylor Stuckert, Co-founder and Director, Energize Clinton County.
Blog:
For more sources of funding and strategies to secure them, check out our blog post Show Me the Money.
Speakers:
- Cynthia M. Adams, CEO, GrantStation.
- Erin Barnes, Executive Director and Co-founder, ioby.
- Jen Hughes, Design Specialist, National Endowment for the Arts.
Listen to this webinar and learn how to find the easiest, quickest, and most impactful ways to start making things happen in your town. If you are considering using the Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper approach to get things done in your community, we'll be asking a few people to share their story in the webinar!
Blog:
Read our blog post Start with Petunias: A Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper Approach to Community Action to read up on some great techniques and strategies on implementing the LQC approach.
Speakers:
- Brendan Crain, Communications Manager, Project for Public Spaces.
Speakers:
- Ed McMahon, Senior Fellow, Urban Land Institute.
Blog:
Constructing and developing a coherent community vision is essential to progress in your community. Check out our blog posts The Value Behind the Vision and Build Roads for Fish: Last Week’s Call on Designing for Vision and Values to read about the topics covered in this webinar.
Speakers:
- Peter Flinker, Principal, Dodson & Flinker Landscape Architecture and Planning.
- David Hohenschau, Senior Associate for Projects, The Orton Family Foundation.