Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden discusses arts opportunities for veterans

Summit lays foundation for bringing the arts to veterans

By Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden, State of South Dakota

The United States of America and its citizens honor their military service members and veterans in many ways: federal holidays, parades, donations and discount programs, flying flags, benefit packages and volunteering, to name just some. Still, there’s always the feeling that more should be done, so I was happy to participate in a late 2020 summit aimed at doing just that through the arts and humanities.

The South Dakota Military & Veterans Arts & Humanities Summit sought to bring key South Dakota stakeholders together to learn about programs and services offered by military and veterans’ agencies and programs offered through arts and humanities organizations. It took place virtually in Pierre, November 16-17, and was a cooperative effort among the National Lieutenant Governors Association, the National Endowment for the Humanities/South Dakota Humanities Council, the South Dakota Arts Council, Arts South Dakota and Americans for the Arts.

Over the course of two afternoons, participants shared program successes like artist residencies at the Michael J. Fitzmaurice South Dakota Veterans Home in Hot Springs and learned about recreational therapy opportunities in Veterans Administration settings and various communities, like one using musical instruction in Brookings. Panel discussion topics included programs telling the stories of South Dakota’s veterans through university initiatives, the needs and challenges of the state’s military and veterans’ communities, and national and state perspectives, including the state of the arts and humanities across the military continuum.

To be sure, much was discussed and learned, but perhaps the most powerful points on the agenda came from veteran artist testimonials and performances. National Heritage Fellow and South Dakota Governor’s Awards in the Arts honoree and veteran Bryan Akipa of Sisseton provided traditional Native flute music both days. Visual artists Jim Pollock of Pierre and Stephen Randall of Sioux Falls talked about their experiences as U.S. Army combat artists during the Vietnam war, and sculptor Darwin Wolf of Sioux Falls spoke about his compelling experiences making art for and conducting residencies with service members and veterans.

South Dakota is fortunate to be one of only a few states, along with Delaware and Louisiana, to be involved in the front line of the National Lieutenant Governors Association’s State Military & Veterans Arts Initiative. Organizers are currently compiling a report of findings and outlining successful practices and ideas to share with the rest of the country. The key mission for those gathered was to better understand the value of the arts, humanities and creative arts therapies to our servicemembers, veterans and their families in order to meet the challenges they face as a result of serving our country, including but not limited to, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and the building of resiliency.

The November 2020 summit made one thing abundantly clear: South Dakota stakeholders are ready and willing to make arts and humanities, in their various forms, available to the military continuum as a tool to improve health and wellness.

Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden