The Center for Rural Affairs, based in Lyons, NE, will work with with its hometown and three neighboring rural towns for the collaborative advancement of local arts. Artists, tradespersons, elders and youth will be engaged in the envisioning and creation of contextual artworks in each of these four communities. The works will celebrate the communities' own qualities, while also tying in to the overall regional culture. The four projects will be marketed together by way of an autumn festival, encouraging local citizens to celebrate their culture and others to make the region a destination. The 18 month long participatory process will be as elemental to the project as the culminating works and celebration.