GRANITE FALLS – Rural artists in Granite Falls have gained the opportunity to have their art and work shown off in a more professional environment thanks to The Yes! House, which had its official grand opening on April 25.

The Yes! House is the headquarters of the Department of Public Transformation, a nonprofit organization that develops creative strategies for increased community connection, civic engagement, and equitable participation for rural artists.

The idea behind The Yes! House is that anyone can come to the house with an idea for a piece of art, and The Yes! House will help by giving them a two-week residency in an art studio and then the opportunity to host an event and share their art with the community. Art is not just limited to drawing or painting. For the Yes! House, it can mean any creative work, be it making music, doing a podcast or an open mic comedy show. One artist Kristofor Gieske came by to make a video game, which people got to play in a showcase.

“We like to say yes to everything,” said Sierra Kallio, an American Connection Corps member working with The Yes! House.

The building had been open but in construction for the last seven years. During that time, hours were less consistent, and large parts of the building, like the basement, were inaccessible. That didn’t stop the community of artists from holding pop-up events and showcases in other buildings.

Since its official opening, showcases and events have been much more consistent with events taking place every Saturday. The most recent event was the Emotional Collage and Color Exploration event that took place June 6. Attendees could attend the event for free and were given a note with a word that described an emotion. Then they were tasked with creating a collage with photos from magazines to try and describe that emotion.

That event was led by Raina Corn, an artist who grew up in Granite Falls as one of the only Latino people in the community. She has been very happy coming back and seeing all the positive ways that the community has changed and grown to be more inclusive, especially toward people from marginalized backgrounds.

That inclusivity has been shown through The Yes! House’s Pride events, which they began doing last year. The events are led by Yes! House community member Shy Miguel, who worked as a social worker in Granite Falls for six years before coming to The Yes! House.

“Being a social worker in the community, something that constantly broke my heart and is still so frustrating is all of these young people who are closeted are harming themselves because of the narratives that they’re hearing all the time they don’t feel safe,” Miguel said. “That was a big motivation for Pride, I always thought of all these kids.”

Currently, The Yes! House is finishing up the final touches of their recording studio, which will give musicians and podcasters professional equipment to work on their art. The Yes! House is also planning a community-driven two-day film festival in May 2027 to show off Minnesota filmmakers.

“We really believe that creativity in the arts should be embedded in every community, no matter how small,” said Luwania Al-Otaibi, The Yes! House program director.