Jess Gorman is an artist using social practice, visual art and immersive research to kickstart rural revival of community history and legacy. Originally from the Rustbelt of Dayton Ohio, Gorman has lived in the south and west, moving to Minnesota from Denver in 2017. Her projects incorporate history and collaborators such as arts councils, businesses, historical societies, nonprofits, and other local artists with goals of invigorating interest in rural stories, providing access to art in rural places and connecting modern communities with local legacy and each other. She doesn’t believe in strangers. Her work is often begun by enticing public participation with taboo talk, silly costumes, and pie.