The story & inspiration
Art has a way
of finding its people.
The people, places, and independent spirits behind Rural Art Revival™.
Founded by contemporary mixed media artist Michel Keck in Northwest Indiana. October 1–3, 2027 marks the beginning.
Choose your day
Want to meet every artist?
Come Friday or Saturday.
All participating artists will be on site Friday and Saturday. Sunday is optional for each visiting artist, so the lineup will be smaller or may vary. Michel Keck Studio & Gallery will be open throughout Sunday’s event hours.
Friday, October 1
9 AM–4 PM
All participating artists on site.
Saturday, October 2
9 AM–4 PM
All participating artists on site.
Sunday, October 3
11 AM–4 PM
Gallery open. Visiting artists participate at their own discretion.
All times are local to Wheatfield, Indiana, Central Time.
Art with a human connection
Meet the hands behind the work.
This is a place for original voices. Rural Art Revival™ brings together self-taught, raw artists and formally trained artists in a small, juried event that celebrates the work itself and the person who made it.
Discover original art in many forms: one-of-a-kind ceramics, fiber art, paintings, sculptures, and handmade jewelry, alongside fine art prints. Talk with artists about their materials, and spend time with demonstrations that bring the making into view. Ask about a piece that catches your eye. Find out what went into it. Take home something with a story you heard directly from its maker.
“Revival” is the heart of it: bringing renewed energy to the kind of art gathering where artists and collectors meet face to face, creative independence matters, and a rural setting is part of the pleasure.
Meet the jurors. Explore their art.
Three artists.
Three individual worlds.
Mixed-media artist
Michel Keck
Step inside Michel’s gallery for a closer look at her artwork, in the place where Rural Art Revival™ begins.
Watch the gallery tour on Facebook ↗Fiber artist
Kristi Yapp
Explore Kristi’s fiber art in the video below.
Fiber artist inspired by nature
Bonnie Zimmer
Discover Bonnie’s nature-inspired fiber art.
Make a day of it
A little art. A little bluegrass.
Something good to take home.
The weekend brings original art and fine art prints together with artist demonstrations, outlaw country and bluegrass music, food trucks, and a wine tent. Give yourself time to browse, grab something to eat, and settle into the country pace.
Alongside the artwork, discover handmade artisan products, including handmade skin care and homegrown, handmade jams, jellies, hot sauces, and canned goods from Indiana farmers. It is a celebration of people putting their own skill, care, and character into what they create.
Come looking for a painting. Leave with a new favorite artist, something for the pantry, and a reason to come back. Artist, music, and food details will be shared as the first-year lineup takes shape.
One gathering. A whole trail to explore.
An event within
October Market Trails.
Explore all 11 stops on Facebook →
October Market Trails invites you to take the country roads and discover 11 home stops, each with its own event within the larger October Market Trails weekend. Some stops are unique businesses that welcome visitors year-round, making the trail a chance to find a new favorite worth coming back to. At Keck Studio & Gallery, our part of that shared adventure is Rural Art Revival™: a gathering centered on the arts, shaped by my life as both an artist and an art collector. Come discover original work and meet the artists behind it. Each stop has its own personality, specialties, and reason to pull over and explore.
Across the trail, shoppers can discover artisan goods, boutique finds, antiques, paintings, ceramics, wood products, furniture, and more. The stops work together to champion artisans and small Indiana business owners, turning a shopping trip into a weekend of discovery.
People come from near and far to wander from home stop to home stop, meet independent sellers, and enjoy a weekend in the country. At our stop, the focus is Rural Art Revival™: original art and the people who make it. I’m both an artist and an art collector, so the arts are at the heart of what I want to share here.
Explore all 11 home stops on the October Market Trails Facebook page. Build your weekend around the trail, and plan your Rural Art Revival™ visit for Friday or Saturday if seeing every participating artist is your priority. The hours listed here are for our stop.
A small, juried gathering
Independent voices.
A thoughtful selection.
The inaugural Rural Art Revival™ is juried by mixed-media artist Michel Keck, fiber artist Kristi Yapp, and Bonnie Zimmer, a fiber artist inspired by nature.
Self-taught and formally trained artists both belong here. The shared thread is original work and a personal approach to making it. A small event leaves room to slow down, look closely, and have a real conversation with the artists.
Interested in participating? Contact Michel about Rural Art Revival™ for artist and artisan inquiries.
Why Michel started it
For the love of art.
And the people making it.
Rural Art Revival™ began with an idea from Michel Keck. Her love for gatherings such as Minnie Adkins Day in the Country and Finster Fest sparked a desire to bring that rural art spirit to Northwest Indiana.
Michel’s connection to art reaches beyond her own studio. She is an avid art collector who has supported artists around the world by collecting their work. This gathering grows out of that same impulse: find original voices, support the people behind them, and bring others into the experience.
2027 is our first year. Come be part of the beginning.
A Poverty of Attention Read Michel’s essay on art, attention, and real connection →
Read the story behind Rural Art Revival™ →Art worth taking the back roads for.
Our many visits to Howard Finster’s Paradise Gardens, and to places like Eric Legge’s studio and gallery, are part of the story behind Rural Art Revival™. These are places where an artist’s imagination reaches beyond individual works and into the space around them. That independent spirit is something we love.
Our visits to Howard Finster’s Paradise Gardens
Painted faces, weathered buildings, glass, and found objects. These photographs from our visits capture some of the details that keep us looking, and keep us coming back.
A stop at Eric Legge’s studio and gallery
We love discovering art in places with a character all their own. Here is a photograph from our visit to Eric Legge’s studio and gallery, followed by our video from his roadside gallery.
Our video from Eric Legge’s roadside gallery
Photographs and video from our own visits.
In the press
Rebecca Craft on Rural Art Revival™
A personal look at the people and experiences behind the gathering, published on The Halls of Happypants.
Explore Rebecca’s feature →Save the dates
See you in the country.
October 1–3, 2027
Michel Keck Studio & Gallery
Rural Art Revival™
5538 West 1450 North
Wheatfield, Indiana 46392
Friday & Saturday: 9 AM–4 PM, all participating artists.
Sunday: 11 AM–4 PM, gallery open with optional visiting-artist participation.