Mission
The Middle of NOWhere Rural Art & Music Festival creates and hosts dynamic, engaging, and unique intergenerational experiences where people of all backgrounds express themselves authentically, celebrate human artistry, and honor the rural environment.
Vision
Thriving rural creatives find pride, opportunity, and inspiration close to home. Artists and neighbors of all walks of life feel supported to continue their creative community efforts.
Values
Community
We believe in the impact community makes in rural places. We honor community as not only a physical, geographic location but also as a commitment to foster a shared sense of care. We uplift artists, culture workers, and art lovers beyond the site of the festival into our everyday interactions in our IRL and virtual gatherings.
Connection
We encourage belonging through bringing people together around a shared love of arts, music, and cultural connection. We are purposefully intergenerational inviting in children, teens, adults, and elders while respecting the gifts of each unique life stage. We’re intentionally bringing people together to build a vision of rural places grounded in the abundance we see reflected in our rural ecologies.
Diversity
MONfest is a space made especially for those from communities who have/want connection to rural lands but who may not always feel safe in our rural places. We elevate the gifts that a diversity of people, perspectives, and cultures bring and design events/art activations to reflect a variety of art and music mediums to expand our community’s horizons.
Fun
While we know the work is serious, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We embed joy and wonder in all we do and aim to create a culture that is full of laughter and a sense of knowing that play is an important part of being human.
