What was Grin City Collective?

Grin City Collective was a project space and artist residency on a working farm. It fostered interdisciplinary collaboration among artists and makers of all sorts and engaged in public programming for diverse audiences.

From April - October, Grin City's artist residency program welcomed writers, visual and performance artists for stays of 3 or 6 weeks. Residents were provided housing and individual studio space on the Grin City farm complex a 1/2 mile north of the town of Grinnell, Iowa. Up to nine people were in residence at Grin City Collective at any point in time, over 40 artists visited annually.

In addition to receiving creative time and space, artists would elect to work collaboratively with Grin City staff on social practice and public art projects within the local communities. These projects took many forms including pop-up galleries, dinners, murals, dance parties, site-specific installations, and new public sculptures. Artists also learned about farm-to-table living with our Farm Outreach Program working with Middle Way Farm. Additionally, Grin City attracted a cohort of creative minds within the local community. Year-round this group experiments with the intersection of contemporary art, maker-culture and rural living. The results of their work can be found throughout town: at Grinnell Arts Center, Grinnell College, and Drake Community Library.

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