• Who: Michael Strand, Visual Arts Department Chair.
• What he is doing? This spring Strand quietly delivered hand-thrown ceramic cups to 117 households in Dwight, Neb. and 33 in Dwight, N.D. with no strings attached, just a note with a web site address where they can leave comments if they wish.
• Why? Strand developed ArtStimulus.org as a way to inspire art in communities that are underserved, rural or off-the-beaten track. The underlying concept is to push the boundaries of how art can be disseminated or viewed by bringing art to the people - one-by-by, project-by-project. The inaugural project for ArtSimulus.org is The Dwight Project.
• Giving away art? Strand is interested in how people respond to uninitiated generosity. "I know that by stepping into the lives of these people that some folks will be uneasy, or scrutinize why I would want to simply give away what I could easily sell….The act of giving and developing a very simple relationship with another human through a gift, becomes the content. The cup is simply a tool to accomplish the work."
• Okay, but why Dwight? "I'm interested in the "village" culture of communities that are hanging on to the tradition of the small town. Everyone knows everyone in towns like the Dwights, for better or worse they are a close network. In large cities folks speak to the sense or lack thereof of "neighborhood" in the areas they live. In towns like Dwight, the city becomes the neighborhood. I am interested in this dynamic and how my work can intersect with the lives of the people in these communities."
• The people who have received the mugs say:
  Hello,...and Thank You! What a wonderful idea for sharing the gift of the beauty of art, and of the human spirit. I feel very honored to be part of this project. What a lovely surprise. Posted April 15, by Sally
  
  these cups are the meeting of two extremes of human evolution, the spiritual and the practical
  Posted April 18, by Bernard

Contact: Michael Strand, Michael.J.Strand@ndsu.edu or 701.231.5813