May – July 2025. I received a grant from Southwest Initiative Foundation to teach adult education classes. These classes provide information and tools to empower people to be actively engaged in their own positive health outcomes through lifestyle choices. Each class will have an educational component, participant engagement, as well as reading and/or viewing assignments for further exploration.
Here is the project and class titles:
The Rural Wellbeing Project
The larger story: Essentially, I’ve been in graduate school for the last seven years. I completed my Master’s Degree in Public Affairs (Leadership, Research, and Policy) from The Humphrey during Covid, but because we were in lockdown, I decided to stay in school and do a formal minor at the Bakken Center of Spirituality & Healing. Both schools are part of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Even though I have graduated, I have continued to take courses since 2022 (11 more units) and retain a summa cum laude status.
The Bakken Center https://csh.umn.edu/ has a foundation in medical research. We explore different forms of healing, from art, to music, to horticulture and community gardens, nutrition and sustainable food systems, meditation and mindfulness, and engagement with nature. We look at research that is not only national but international to understand health outcomes and barriers of engagement. We explore how these activities affect physical health, mental health, and the brain. We also consider social (local and global) impact and what it means to build healthy communities.
The question becomes what do I do with this education, and how do I bring it back to my region? This is me trying something new, offering something we don’t have here, moving out of my introverted comfort zone, and assimilating information to teach it!
June 2024 – November 2024. Ran for County Commissioner, District 3, of Big Stone County. Attended various community events, as well as weekly County Commissioner meetings. Wrote articles for our local paper. Created marketing materials, did door knocking and participated in the Corn Festival Parade. Chose not to fund raise. I attained 25.56% of the votes with William Thyne at 74.44% of the votes.
Minnesota Women’s Press article regarding women running for office in Minnesota during this election:
September 28, 2024. Presenter at the As Above, So Below Fall Equinox Festival, held at the historic Larson Hemsgard farm in Princeton, MN.
My presentation: “Edie Barrett, is a committed Jungian, a writer, poet, and a solo exhibiting fine artist who lives on the vast open prairie, hangs clothes on the line, and rings the bell at the post office. She will explore the inner connection of species, landscape, and soul through literary art, academic research, reflection, and audience engagement.”
https://www.prairiestarcarefarm.org/
December 2023 – June 2024. Selected by Land Stewardship Project to serve on a Climate Policy Steering Committee. Land Stewardship Project is a large, established, and well-respected nonprofit in Minnesota that focuses on agricultural issues. Our group worked on policy for soil health practices, with implications for well water contamination, supporting emerging farmers, and school nutrition. I was at the state capital twice in 2024, with my team, meeting with Senate and House of Representatives.
Land Stewardship Project:
“Fostering an ethic of stewardship for farmland, promoting sustainable agriculture, and developing healthy communities.”
June 14, 2023. Published in the Star Tribune regarding the future and direction of Minnesota.
May 2022 – November 2022. Was the endorsed candidate for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Collaborated with Big Stone County and other counties in the 12A district, to create and implement a campaign. Included working with a campaign team, creating all marketing materials from website to mailers, merchandise, to walking literature. Participating in county fairs and parades, door knocking, attending fundraisers, visited organizations/businesses, collaborated in the creation of events, and did public speaking. In six months, my campaign raised about $35,000. I received 28.83% of the votes. Republican, incumbent, Paul Anderson received 71.06% (he had 7,893 additional votes over me).
Pioneer Public Television/PBS Candidate Interview
MN House 12A | Meet the Candidates 2022 – YouTube
Minnesota Women’s Press Article
Edie Barrett: My Run for House in Rural Minnesota – Minnesota Women’s Press (womenspress.com)
January 2023 – on going. Nominated to be the Vice President for Minnesota Jung Association (MJA), a Minnesota state psychological association. This reflects over 25 years of exploring and studying Jungian psychology.
September 2021 – December 2022. Accepted board position with Minnesota Jung Association (MJA). Joined the MJA in October 2019.
March 2021 – June 2021. Attended Bio-Leadership zoom conferences out of England with TED Talks presenter, Andre Roberts. Focused on changing the paradigm of leadership towards ecological responsibility and global connections. (https://www.ted.com/talks/andres_roberts_how_would_nature_change_leadership)
December 2020. 50 Over 50 Minnesota State Honoree: “Mind Expander”. Each year 50 people over 50 are selected in the state of Minnesota who are contributing to the vitality of our state, and redefining what it means to age. This award is given through Pollen Midwest and AARP Minnesota. My award is under the category of Arts and I am defined as a “Mind Expander”
June 2020 – 2022. Invited to join a dream analysis group hosted by Zürich trained Jungian analyst, Stuart Potter, of St. Paul. This small group meets twice a month for two hours via zoom. I stopped attending due to campaign weekend requirements.
July 5 & July 12, 2020. The Underwood Unitarian Church, in Underwood, Minnesota. Presentation topic: Creativity, Personal Reflection & Social Change. This two-part presentation focused on the murder of George Floyd, the responsibility of Minnesota, our personal reflections/responsibilities, and the challenges we face to think creatively when addressing social issues. Due to the pandemic, these presentations were done on zoom.
February 2017 – Spring 2022. Women of the Prairie. Gathered women from the West Central Minnesota that are innovative changemakers with regional and statewide influence. This group ranged from academics, farmers, artists, writers, and entrepreneurs. We gathered every seven weeks with a focused topic of conversation and a goal of supporting each other’s endeavors. I was the group’s organizer, host, and facilitator. In January 2022 this group joined another women’s group in Minneapolis-St. Paul to explore, expand our understanding, and foster connections which challenge urban/rural assumptions. The collaborative group met via zoom for approximately six months.
2013 – 2020. Purchased a 1905, 1100 ft.² home and renovated the house as an art project. It subsequently evolved into a private art gallery and high-end vacation rental. Each summer season there was a new exhibit which featured regional artists. One summer there was $10,000 worth of art exhibited. The reputation of this home brought people to Ortonville who had never been here. All five-star reviews, licensed with the state of Minnesota.
2010 – 2020. Mythology, Dream Work, and Transformational Art. Taught four classes on mythology, Jungian and depth psychology, dream analysis, and reflective art through Adult Education. Introduction of concepts, terminology, and theorists in the Jungian field. Participants did not want the class to end. The group moved to my home, met once a month with a focus on dream analysis. After three years, this group continued with shared leadership and hosting. I stopped attending when grad school started for me. The group continued on its own, but ended with Covid.
As an artist: Solo exhibiting fine artist, participated in collaborative exhibits, and juried art crawls. Completed full length film script with matching novel. Book of nature-based poetry reflecting 10 years of life on the prairie, each cover is hand pressed with the image done by a local artist. Written numerous articles for regional newspapers and published three times in the Star Tribune.