University of Iowa, College of Public Health

Founded in 1990 by the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) provides nonpartisan analysis to inform public dialogue and policymaking affecting rural communities. Housed within the University of Iowa’s College of Public Health, RUPRI advances research and strategy to ensure rural people and places have the resources and capacities to build resilient and sustainable futures.

As Senior Research Fellow, Kiley Arroyo worked with RUPRI leadership to integrate arts and cultural analysis into its interdisciplinary research portfolio — expanding how rural prosperity and wellbeing are understood.

With support from the National Endowment for the Arts and USDA Rural Development, this effort led to the establishment of a Cultural Research Lab focused on strengthening the knowledge base around the cultural life of rural communities.

Building on RUPRI’s comprehensive wealth framework — which examines physical, financial, human, natural, social, and cultural capital — the initiative advanced a more nuanced understanding of how culture generates value in non-urban contexts.

The work aimed to:

• Elevate cultural capital within rural policy discourse
• Strengthen the role of arts and culture in rural development strategies
• Bridge rural and urban perspectives on cultural identity and governance
• Ensure rural voices play a more substantive role in national cultural policy conversations

This engagement reflects CSC’s broader commitment to integrating cultural intelligence into public policy — recognizing that sustainable prosperity depends not only on economic metrics, but on relational, creative, and community-based assets.