This is a keynote lecture for the 2025-2026 Obermann Symposium: "Cultivating Rurality: Building Community around Rural Research."

Andy Mink, Smithsonian Institute: "More than 'Not Urban': Serving Rural Communities as Places and as People"

What are synonyms for rural? Country and small town? Rustic or backcountry? Pastoral or hick? Rural communities are an important part of American life and history, yet they are frequently seen in a deficit model defined by what they are not instead of what they are. While life in rural America may look different than in exurban and urban areas, it is a mistake to assume that the structures in rural areas are not as effective at building and maintaining thriving communities. Studies have shown that rural schools promote civic engagement more than other communities. Rurality is not a monolith, however, and different regions of the country have unique qualities and characteristics that are important to understand.

The Smithsonian’s Rural Initiative aims to redefine the Institution as more than a destination located in Washington, D.C., but as a public service that can be accessed by local communities across the nation. Learn how this work is being operationalized to build strong working partnerships and develop community-sourced programs that respond to the identified priorities and challenges of rural America.

Free and open to all.

This event will also be livestreamed. Link to the livestream: https://www.youtube.com/thelibrarychannel

Andy Mink has served as the founding director of the Smithsonian’s Rural Initiative since 2023. He provides leadership in shaping and growing the initiative in order to establish the programmatic and operational infrastructure necessary to execute pan-institutional collaborations that expand the reach of the Smithsonian’s resources, expertise, and programming. He joined the Office of the Undersecretary of Education after successful years as the vice president of education at the National Humanities Center (NHC). Mink began his career in higher education in 2001 as the director of education and outreach with the Virginia Center for Digital History at the University of Virginia. He later served as the executive director of LEARN NC in the Peabody School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.