we're in!

Welcome to art.rox, a blog about art in the American outback. This blog was created as a means for arts journalists and artists outside the major American urban areas to celebrate, discuss, critique, and simply share what they do.

My name is Joe Nickell; I'm the arts and entertainment reporter at the Missoulian newspaper in Missoula, Montana. As I write this, the third annual NEA Institute in Theater and Musical Theater is wrapping up in Los Angeles. I've been fortunate to be a part of this Institute; the energy, communion, and sharing of ideas that we've experienced in the past two weeks has been amazing. Life-changing, I would even hazard to say.

This blog is intended partly as a means for the fellows of this Institute to continue sharing ideas. But there are bigger hopes here: That this can ultimately grow to serve the larger community of journalists, artists, and institutions involved in the arts in America -- particularly those who reside in smaller cities and rural areas of the country.

This blog is currently co-hosted by John Stoehr, arts and culture reporter at the Savannah Morning News. He'll likely say hi soon enough.

Welcome. Say hi!