Thank you all for registering for the Rural Arts ® Collaborative (RAC) Spring Institute 2020. Although we originally re-scheduled to hold the event hosted by Oglebay Institute at Wheeling University Tuesday, June 2nd in an attempt to be preventative and proactive regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus, given the mandatory closings of schools in both PA, WV and OH, we are cancelling this event until Spring 2021.

     We are still taking the advice of the CDC and our own state Governors who feel that at this stage, we should continue to practice “Community protective measures that include increased social distancing, workplace distancing or work at home options, and social delay – school closings and cancelling or postponing large gatherings” in an attempt to mitigate and slow the spread of the virus.

We sincerely regret having to make this decision, but in view of the rapid spread in several states, we want to do our due diligence in social delay and distancing by postponing this event until next Spring 2021. It is our hope that next year will allow us to have an even larger attendance and invite many of the new schools from all three states that are scheduled to have RAC projects in the 2021 school year.

     Be safe, stay healthy, and we will be consulting with all schools, teachers, administrators and artists over the next month or so to determine a date for the 2021 event. Please look for a SAVE THE DATE reminder coming your way soon.  Thanks to all of our schools, teachers, administrators, funders and of course, our students for making RAC projects so successful over the past years. We will come back even stronger at the 2021 RAC Spring Institute!

     Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at: 412-860-8107 or [email protected] or contact Danielle McCracken at Oglebay Institute at: [email protected] 

Sincerest regards,

Carm Nickens, Founder & Project Manager

Rural Arts Collaborative