Governor’s Student Art Competition winners named

Midwestern arts and culture organizations receive$1.5M to support Covid-19 recovery

An additional 61 Midwestern arts and culture organizations received Covid-19 relief grants from Arts Midwest through Phase 2 of the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. The organizations receiving funding include eight South Dakota arts organizations.

The Resilience Fund’s goal is to invest in historically under-resourced arts and culture organizations across the United States as they work to weather the pandemic. In line with these priorities, 32 of the funded organizations are based in rural areas, 25 are led by and serving people of color, and five are led by and serving Native and Indigenous communities.

The organizations each received between $10,000 and $50,000 as a one-time investment. Recipients may direct United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund grants to their most pressing needs and opportunities, from response activities to investments that build resiliency and sustainability.

The impact of Covid-19 has created incredible financial obstacles for the arts, with Americans for the Arts estimating current losses for the creative sector at over $14.5 billion dollars and counting. These losses exacerbate deep, existing inequities present across the Midwest and the nation. Historically under-resourced communities and organizations now face an additional lack of access to critical support, investment and capitalization to weather the pandemic, putting their work acutely at risk.

South Dakota arts organizations receiving Arts Midwest Phase 2 Resilience Fund grants:

● Aberdeen Arts Council, $25,000 ● Crystal Theatre Cultural

Association, Flandreau, $10,000 ● Chautauqua Craftsmen &

Artisans of the Black Hills,

Hot Springs, $10,000 ● Pierre Players Community

Theatre, $10,000 ● He Sapa Wacipi Na Oshkate (Black Hills Pow Wow

Association), Rapid City, $35,000 ● Racing Magpie, Rapid City, $35,000 ● Harmony South Dakota,

Sioux Falls, $30,000 ● Sisseton Arts Council, $10,000

Governor announces student art winners

Governor Kristi Noem recognized 12 students chosen for their artistic talents through the inaugural Governor’s Student Art Competition.

An exhibition of the winning artworks is on display in the South

Dakota Capitol Building through September 2021.

“We launched the student art competition this year with the intention of honoring and encouraging the work of outstanding young artists in South Dakota,” the Governor said. “Arts education is an important part of a well-rounded school curriculum, and we have hundreds of talented young artists in our midst. We received more than 200 submissions in the first year of this program, and we’re thrilled to open the exhibition on the first day of Legislative Session.” The student winners are as follows: grades K-2, Tinley Hoffman and Charlize Vogelsong, both from Brandon Elementary, and Yohance Flores, Fred Assam Elementary;grades 3-5, Gabriella Eichmann, Canistota Elementary, Soraya Karim, St. Elizabeth Seton School, Rapid City, and Kili Cole, BateslandElementary, Summerset; grades 6-8, Bria Shay Neff, Sioux Falls homeschool student, Ella Herron, Stagebarn Middle School, Piedmont, and Sienna Roberts, Tea Area Middle School; and grades 9-12, Hannah Hofer, Colton homeschool student,Alex Weber, Roosevelt High School, Sioux Falls, and Sarah Poncelow, Wessington Springs High School. A panel of 10 professional artists served as judges for the competition. The top-three ranked pieces in each age division make up the exhibition. View the entire Governor’s Student Art Competition exhibition brochure at https://artscouncil.sd.gov/events/student_art_Main.aspx. The program for student artists is a collaboration between Governor Noem and the South Dakota Arts Council.

“Bright Cityscape” by Tinley Hoffman, grades K-2 category.

Arts South Dakota, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, enriches the lives of South Dakotans and their visitors, by advancing the arts through service, education and advocacy.

Board of Directors

Stacy Braun, Aberdeen, Chair Katie Hunhoff, Yankton, Vice Chair Dr. Craig Howe, Martin, Secretary Brian Hildebrant, Brookings, Treasurer Dale Lamphere, Sturgis, Past Chair Lance Bertram, Pierre Scyller Borglum, Rapid City Julie Garreau, Eagle Butte and Rapid City Senator Troy Heinert, Mission Dr. Alan LaFave, Valley City, ND Katrina Lehr-McKinney, Sioux Falls Jim Mathis, Sioux Falls Kenny Putnam, Rapid City Shelley Stingley, Sioux Falls Lynn Verschoor, Brookings Kris Wollman, Pierre

Staff

Jim Speirs, Executive Director jim@ArtsSouthDakota.org 605-252-5979, Ext. 0

Shari Kosel, Program & Communications Director shari@ArtsSouthDakota.org 605-252-5979, Ext. 1

Andrew Reinartz, Community Development Director andrew@ArtsSouthDakota.org 605-252-5979, Ext. 2

PO Box 2496, Sioux Falls, SD 57101-2496 Phone: 605-252-5979 Email: info@ArtsSouthDakota.org Website: www.ArtsSouthDakota.org

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ArtsSD and YouTube.

Arts advocacy begins with one voice

By Jim Speirs, Executive Director, Arts South Dakota

hittingthe highnotes

In South Dakota, arts advocates include community arts groups, statewide arts organizations and alliances for arts education and artists. As important as these groups of advocates are, real strength for the arts in South Dakota starts with one, single voice. And that voice could be YOURS.

Why does Wessington Springs have a vital, functioning Opera House today? Because one voice said, “Let’s save the Opera House!” and others responded with contributions and volunteer hours. Why do Sisseton audiences continue to experience emotional musical presentations involving the South Dakota Symphony and local musicians? Because one voice said, “Let’s bring professional musicians to town,” and the outpouring of enthusiasm made something wonderful happen. Local arts experiences keep happening all across the state—as long as one voice starts the ball rolling.

Too often we become caught up in the whirlwind of daily life and get the feeling that one person can’t make a difference. But over and over in the communities of South Dakota—and beyond—the single good idea of just one person has captured the imagination of an entire town. The arts are like that— and are so important to our future. Creative thinking enhances our educational systems, working artists build our economy and cultural awareness maintains our heritage and defines who we are as a people. And it all starts on the local level, with your support of the arts.

The power of one voice willing to toss a good idea into the local coffee conversation is incredible, regardless of the size of your community. Remember, for every one person who thinks a new local arts experience would be welcomed, there are dozens of other people who think the same way, but just haven’t said it out loud. Is your community ready to hear one, single voice? Will that voice be yours?

To learn more about being an arts advocate in your community, start with a visit to ArtsSouthDakota.org.