Art of the Rural is a collaborative arts and culture non-profit organization that works to resource artists and culture bearers across the country to build the field, change the narrative, and bridge divides.  Art of the Rural seeks to collectively embody the value, diversity, and nuance of contemporary non-urban culture and inspire lasting connections to people and places.

Founded in 2010, Art of the Rural began as a blog, sharing stories and interviews about art and culture; with momentum building online and across the country, they started collaborating on field-expanding gatherings and digital projects. Throughout their nearly fifteen-year history, Art of the Rural has collaborated with cross-sector partners from a range of cultural and geographic backgrounds to shape programs that contribute to a more equitable and healthy future for rural America and Indian Country. Art of the Rural's work exists across national, regional, and local contexts. While Art of the Rural provides essential services to the national field found at the intersection of arts, culture, and creative community development, the bulk of their work occurs in the Upper Midwest region (Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and across Indian Country) and Kentucky. Art of the Rural's local focus is grounded in Winona, Minnesota, a town on the banks of the Mississippi River located within Dakota homelands.

Jerome Foundation supports Art of the Rural’s Spillway Winona Fellowship program. A long-term, collaborative initiative grounded in the cultures, communities, and histories of the Upper Mississippi River region, the Spillway Winona Fellowship supports early career New York City and/or Minnesota-based artists, culture bearers, and artisans. Spillway works to create the conditions for engaged projects that honor diverse lived experience, deepen regional relationships, and build rural-urban networks of knowledge-sharing and exchange that will create opportunities for participants to thrive and connect with new colleagues and audiences. Guided by Spillway Navigator Sharon Mansur, the Fellowship serves two artists each year with financial support and artist materials; food, travel, and lodging during Winona visits; in-kind exhibition space, facilities, and staff time from the Winona History Center; and interviews, articles, and social media promotion through existing Art of the Rural platforms.