ArtsSouthDakota.org • 2026 Member Edition • 1
On the cover: Weathering the Plains by Barbara Sparks
of Sioux Falls is one of 10 new pieces added to the state’s art collection in 2026 through the Art for State Buildings program. This year’s selections, which join 135 others on display inside state government buildings around Pierre, also includes Dakota Sunset at Farm Island (above) by Sioux Falls artist Mecca Rutherford. View the online gallery: www.artworkarchive.com/profile/ southdakotaartscouncil
2026 | VOLUME 28
02 Connecting South Dakotans The arts unite us every day. By Jim Speirs
04 W inning With the Arts Arts Council ‘dream team’ gives 100 percent. By Patrick Baker
5 Donor Spotlights Champions of the arts.
06 More Than Movies Small town theaters take center stage in Vermillion. By John Andrews
09 Behind the Scenes Arts news and notes.
14 M urals of Hope Art keeps dreams alive in Agency Village. By John Andrews
17 B rushing Up Happenings across South Dakota’s arts scene.
23 Supporters Thank you to the people who make our work possible.
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Email us at info@ArtsSouthDakota.org or visit the Contact Us page at www.ArtsSouthDakota.org. Please give us the current name and address to which Arts Alive is being mailed, along with your new mailing address information. Arts Alive is published by Arts South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council in partnership with South Dakota Magazine. Contact Arts South Dakota at P.O. Box 2496, Sioux Falls, SD 57101-2496 or by phone (605) 252-5979.
ArtsSouthDakota.org • 2026 Member Edition • 1
CONNECTING SOUTH DAKOTANS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CHAIR: Rodney Garnett, Spearfish PAST CHAIR: Jim Mathis, Sioux Falls
VICE-CHAIR: Ashley Pourier, Porcupine SECRETARY: Keith BraveHeart, Kyle
TREASURER: Patri Acevedo Fuentes, Rapid City
Jacqui Dietrich, Rapid City Lawrence Diggs, Roslyn Rose Ann Hofland, Sioux Falls Deonne Kahler, Rapid City Dale Lamphere, Sturgis Patrick McGowan, Sioux Falls Reynold Nesiba, Sioux Falls Michael Pangburn, Pierre Jane Rasmussen, Sisseton Larry Rohrer, Beresford STAFF Jim Speirs Executive Director jim@ArtsSouthDakota.org (605) 252-5979, Ext. 0
Shari Kosel Program and Communications Director shari@ArtsSouthDakota.org (605) 252-5979, Ext. 1 Sarah Larson Director of Creative Community Alliances sarah@ArtsSouthDakota.org (605) 252-5979, Ext. 3 Jill Pudwill Director of Development Services jill@ArtsSouthDakota.org (605) 252-5979, Ext. 2 Arts South Dakota PO Box 2496 Sioux Falls, SD 57101-2496 (605) 252-5979 Email: info@ArtsSouthDakota.org ArtsSouthDakota.org Follow us on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram @ArtsSD
By Jim Speirs, Executive Director Arts South Dakota
A
T ARTS SOUTH DAKOTA, we celebrate a creative South Dakota every single day. We see it in classrooms, galleries, theaters, coffee shops, libraries, parks and community centers all across our state. We see it in the work of painters, musicians, dancers, writers, culture bearers, actors, filmmakers and makers of every kind. That’s why we were so excited to bring a new approach to this year’s Arts Journal. This year’s Arts Journal was a tremendous success. By expanding the format and the way we shared these stories, we were able to reach more people and shine a brighter light on the artists, communities and creative experiences that make South Dakota special. It was exciting to see the spirit of the Arts Journal take on new life while remaining true to its purpose: celebrating the arts and the people who make them possible. I may not have any official data to back this up, but I often say South Dakota has to be the most imaginative state in the nation. Everywhere I go, I’m continually amazed and energized by the art happening in every corner of our state. In tiny towns and growing cities alike, people are creating meaningful work, building community, carrying traditions forward and finding new ways to give voice to new stories through the arts. The arts are deeply connected to who we are. One of my favorite parts of this work is discovering new artists and arts experiences. Here, you can experience Native arts and multicultural traditions, world-class musicians in rural communities, incredible public art in small downtowns, innovative theater productions and passionate local arts leaders working hard to make their communities stronger and more connected. We hope this reflects just how much creativity surrounds us in South Dakota. From the smallest communities to our largest cities, the arts bring people together, tell our stories, preserve our traditions and help us imagine what’s possible. We encourage you to seek out the artists in your community, attend a performance or exhibition, support local arts organizations and, most of all, embrace the creativity that makes South Dakota such a vibrant place to live. Thanks for joining us in celebrating the arts in South Dakota.
thanks A T O K A D TH that ARTS SOU s e s s e n i s u b g the followin s to t r a e h t f o r e powe h t n i e v e i l e b could e W . e t a t s r el ou heir t creatively fu t u o h t i w k wor not do this pport! u s d n a p i h s sponsor
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A STATE AGENCY OF TRAVEL SOUTH DAKOTA Larry Rhoden, Governor James D. Hagen, Secretary BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CHAIR: Joanna Lawler, Rapid City
VICE-CHAIR: John Mogen, Sioux Falls TREASURER: Dohui Kim, Sioux Falls
SECRETARY: Cristen Roghair, Okaton
Mary Bordeaux, Rapid City Sara Mulder, Sioux Falls Joshua Spies, Sioux Falls Jim Walker, Bath Greg Hanson, Watertown Tim Meagher, Sioux Falls Missy Sinner, Watertown STAFF Patrick Baker Executive Director patrick.baker@state.sd.us (605) 773-5507
Kate Vandel Arts Grants Manager & Accessibility Coordinator kathryn.vandel@state.sd.us (605) 773-5925 Sarah Carlson Communications and Community Relations Coordinator sarah.carlson@state.sd.us (605) 773-3102 Holly Briggs Grants Specialist holly.briggs@state.sd.us (605) 773-4874 Anne Hatch S.D. Folk & Traditional Arts, Program Manager sdtraditionalarts@outlook.com (605) 608-0490 South Dakota Arts Council 711 E. Wells Avenue Pierre, SD 57501 Fax: (605) 773-5977 Email: sdac@state.sd.us SouthDakotaArtsCouncil.sd.gov Follow us on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube @SouthDakotaArtsCouncil
WINNING WITH THE ARTS By Patrick Baker, Executive Director South Dakota Arts Council
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DON’ T KNOW WHY I use sports sayings. I don’t follow sports, and I dislike clichés. But I frequently find my staff working overtime in a double header under red-zone pressure. They swing for the fences, and I assure you these players are in the zone. Permit me just a few more metaphors. This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of our South Dakota Arts Council, and I must say that our staff is a dream team. They’ve embraced all sorts of challenges and change with unflagging determination and dedication. Here are some South Dakota Arts Council key plays from the past year: • Grants Manager Kate Vandel continued to develop a new platform to unify all grant opportunities under one system, simplify the applicant experience, and connect directly with the state financial system to improve grantee access to award and payment information. • Communications & Community Relations Coordinator Sarah Carlson took the lead in bringing a years-long effort to redesign SDAC’s website to fruition, working with developers to simplify and amplify the state arts agency’s public messaging based on her own design, communications and organizational skills along with industry research. • Grants Specialist Holly Briggs took hardly any time acclimating to the job in 2026, quickly launching and implementing a special grant opportunity supporting America’s 250th anniversary celebrations through the arts with a one-time application that ushered in more than 30 proposals in as many days. Holly guided the process efficiently throughout. • We racked up more wins in our Poetry Out Loud and Creative Aging programs — even in the wake of coaching turnover. And those are just the highlights from State Fiscal Year 2026. Your South Dakota Arts Council now embarks on another year of grant-making and supporting South Dakota’s creative community. I’m betting on another winning season. The South Dakota Arts Council 2024-2029 Strategic Plan may be viewed in the “About Us” section of SDAC’s website at SouthDakotaArtsCouncil.sd.gov.
Donor Spotlights Making Life ‘A Little Bit Better’ FOR DAN AND DOT O’CONNOR, a love of the arts started with a yearly tradition in Vermillion. Once a year, West River artist Jon Crane visited a local art studio to sell and sign prints, and the couple rarely missed it. Dan farmed in the Vermillion area for more than 50 years and was active in community affairs. Dot managed a medical clinic in Vermillion before retiring in 2013. The couple then built a home outside Lead, where the Black Hills quickly won them over. “Every place you look, there’s a picture waiting for you,” Dot says.
Soon after arriving, they joined the Historic Homestake Opera House and were amazed by the talent they found in their new small town. “In the past, we’d have to drive quite a ways for that level of entertainment,” Dot says. “It was a shock, and we were happy about that.” The O’Connors became Arts South Dakota members after attending the 2016 unveiling of Dignity of Earth and Sky by artist Dale Lamphere. “We said, ‘Oh yeah, this is for us,’” Dan remembers. They give because they believe the
arts are worth protecting. “Everything else seems to be getting cut, and this is something that needs to stay with us,” Dan says. “The arts make life a little bit better for everybody.”
Lemmon Supports Local Artists A SPIRIT OF SUPPORTING the arts runs through the Lemmon community. Its many vibrant programs are proof of that, says Grand River Arts Council President Sally Weyer. This year, that spirit took a new shape with Art on Main, a project the council spent a year bringing to life. Arts supporters partnered with Main Street businesses to purchase or display rotating work from local artists. People who might never attend an arts fair could still enjoy the creativity. Weyer said the main goal was to support local artists. The council’s Creative Aging program, supported by the South Dakota Arts Council, the South Dakota Hu-
manities Council and the Department of Tourism, brings creative activities to residents at area nursing homes. This year’s theme, Prairie Flora, inspired by Harvey Dunn’s The Prairie Is My Garden, pairs residents with musician Eliza Blue to write and preserve songs, and with artist Jodi Shaw of White Owl, who will lead sessions to create molds of prairie flowers. The council also supports the North Dakota Shakespeare Festival’s annual visit, which mentors local children through its programming, hosts Poetry on the Road and welcomes the state poet laureate each October for a school session and public reading. During Boss Cowman Days, Lemmon’s annual summer celebration, the council hosts an art fair. Weyer sees it all as part of something larger. Most local artists pursue their craft as a side calling, she says. The council helps them find an audience. “Art provides a balance for individuals who aren’t so sports-minded,” she says. “The arts offer people another way to connect and be appreciated.” Actors with the North Dakota Shakespeare Festival perform As You Like It during a summer visit to Lemmon. ArtsSouthDakota.org • 2026 Member Edition • 5
MORE THAN MOVIES
A partnership in Vermillion reveals the hidden power of downtown theaters Story by John Andrews
F
OR TWO WEEKS in early May, TDWP2 was posted on the Coyote Twin Theater marquee in Vermillion. Movie buffs knew that it meant The Devil Wears Prada 2 was playing, but why the acronym? Because the theater staff lacked enough letters. That and many other maintenance challenges at the historic theater may be met thanks to a fundraising campaign that pairs the Vermillion Cultural Association and a North Carolina college professor who has photographed small-town theaters for more than four decades. In July, the theater hosted a presentation and art exhibit by Benita
6 • South Dakota Arts Alive • SouthDakotaArtsCouncil.sd.gov
A new book about America’s small-town theaters is helping fund improvements at Vermillion’s Coyote Twin Theater. South Dakota theaters featured include The Lund in Viborg (opposite page left), The Strand in Britton (opposite page right), The Orpheum in Sioux Falls (left), The Dells in Dell Rapids (below) and The Mill in Milbank (bottom).
VanWinkle, the author of a new book called America’s Hometown Movie Theaters: Please Remain Standing, which features the Coyote Twin plus seven other venues in South Dakota. It also helped launch the Vermillion Cultural Association’s “More than Movies” fundraising campaign, designed to purchase a new digital marquee for the Coyote Twin. The Vermillion Cultural Association was established in 2015 when the town faced the closure of both the Coyote Twin Theater and the Vermillion Theater, which now houses a live music spot called The AV Lounge. “It was founded to save the movie-going experience in Vermillion,” says Shannon Cole, the association’s executive director. “Our number one priority is to make sure that the business operates as a movie theater. Will that always look the same? Maybe not, but we will always be here putting movies on the screen for people.” VanWinkle first visited Vermillion in 2022. She photographed the Coyote Twin and struck up a friendship with Cole that led to July’s fundraiser.
VanWinkle sold copies of her book and donated 30 framed prints that will hang inside the theater and are available for purchase. Proceeds from print sales will help with the maintenance and restoration projects. VanWinkle, an associate professor of visual arts at High Point University, grew to love theaters when she was a college student studying photography in Florida. She was assigned to take photographs inside a dark environment to learn how to paint with light and thought of the Carib Theater in her hometown of Largo, Florida. “Within two years, the theater was
torn down,” VanWinkle says. “I realized that these places were disappearing. I had graduated by that time and had started traveling, so I thought I would just photograph these theaters as I saw them.” Theaters became her thesis topic as a graduate student and then a passion project for 44 years. She believes they serve a purpose beyond entertainment. “I wish I could prove this statistically, but towns that have a downtown theater also have a thriving downtown,” she says. “I really believe that’s true. Theaters are the one place where everyone comes together, no ArtsSouthDakota.org • 2026 Member Edition • 7
North Carolina photographer Benita VanWinkle (right) is the author of America’s Hometown Movie Theaters: Please Remain Standing. She spoke at a book signing and gallery opening of her South Dakota photographs in Vermillion in July.
matter their religion, politics, culture or anything else. I hear these conversations at the concession stand or the ticket counter. Someone’s mother is in the hospital, so they offer to bring over a casserole, or the theater is hosting a fundraiser for someone with a dire health condition. They are places where people support each other.” In addition to the Coyote Twin, VanWinkle’s book also features The Lund in Viborg, The Dakota Theater in Yankton, The Orpheum in Sioux Falls, The Strand in Britton, The Mill in Milbank, The Crystal Theater in Flandreau and The Dells Theater in Dell Rapids. She says she photographed more theaters per capita in South Dakota than any other state, partly because people were so open and willing to tell stories.
As VanWinkle photographed The Strand in Britton, she noticed two ladies watching from across the street. She struck up a conversation and one woman remembered how excited she was as a little girl when she told the owner of The Strand that she was having her 12th birthday party there. “But then she said her mother was so upset because now she couldn’t pay the child price for the tickets,” VanWinkle laughs. “That’s why I made the book, because I had these stories and places that meant so much to their communities. How could they possibly lose them?” America’s Hometown Movie Theaters: Please Remain Standing is available through the Vermillion Cultural Association and Outside of a Dog Books and Games in Vermillion.
8 • South Dakota Arts Alive • SouthDakotaArtsCouncil.sd.gov
Shannon Cole (above) is executive director of the Vermillion Cultural Association, which runs the town’s Coyote Twin Theater.
BEHIND THE SCENES ARTS NEWS AND NOTES
Celebrating
SIX DECADES OF ORGANIZED ARTS IN SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR NILS BOE once described the 1966 federal allocation that created the South Dakota Arts Council as the “best, well-spent money ever sent to South Dakota by the federal government.” This year marks the SDAC’s 60th anniversary of expanding access to the arts through grants, programs and support for artists, schools and communities. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Arts South Dakota, founded in 2016 as a unified voice for artists, arts organizations and educators. Together, the two organizations have shaped six decades of advocacy, education and opportunity across the state. The South Dakota Arts Conference in Rapid City last April kicked off a year of events celebrating both milestones.
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BEHIND THE SCENES
A
SECOND TUESDAY SERIES: A NEW SEASON OF LEARNING
rts South Dakota, The Watering Can and Levitt at the Falls have teamed up to bring artists across the state a season of free learning and professional development through the Second Tuesday series. Together, these three organizations are creating opportunities for artists to learn new skills, connect with fellow creatives and find resources to help grow their craft — whether attending in person or via livestream. This season features professionals from across the art world, each one ready to help artists grow their creative business, no matter the medium. Sessions run the second Tuesday of every month, 6:30–8:00 p.m., at Levitt at the Falls Sweetman Atrium or
via Facebook Live. Admission is always free. Arts South Dakota and Levitt at the Falls are both leaders in advancing the arts across the state, and this partnership makes it possible for artists everywhere to take part in the Second Tuesday series. Check out upcoming webinars at ArtsSouthDakota.org/ webinars, or watch past Second Tuesday sessions anytime at youtube.com/@thewateringcansf.
UPCOMING SESSIONS: • J anuary 12: Using Opportunities to Talk About Your Art Dave Holly, Variety Entertainer •F ebruary 9: The Art of Business: Business Planning for the Artist Sadie Swier, Director & Myriam
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Medina, Program Coordinator, SD CEO East Women’s Business Center, Black Hills State University • March 9: Social Media Strategies for Artists Nicole David, Social Media Strategist & Content Creator • April 13: Bringing Your Art to the Community Lisa Myhre, Falls Art Market Organizer, BronzeAge; Salvador Jaimes & Tatiana Jaimes Epp, La Luna Cafe; Sion Lidster, Proprietor, Full Circle Book Coop; Shannon Ward, CoFounder, Good Natured • May 11: Phone Camera Skills & Creative Effects Andrew Peschong, Fine Art Photographer, evermor. Photography
NEW SOUTH DAKOTA ARTS COUNCIL MEMBERS TIMOTHY MEAGHER owns three well-known Sioux Falls restaurants: Murray’s Steak House, Grille 26 and Minerva’s downtown. He says his seat on the Arts Council comes from both his culinary work and a lifelong love of art, including 20 years immersed in Polynesian design and music and an early love of heavy metal and guitar that helped him connect as a kid. “The arts are being overlooked through education and access,” he says, “and they’re literally what people can connect to in different ways. The arts are incredibly important for connection, self-expression and sharing our lives.” MISSY SINNER, a Watertown native, spent 15 years as a portrait photographer, building a nationally recognized studio before shifting toward a personal collection of artistic photography from her international travels. She also oversaw the renovation and completion of the Goss Opera House in Watertown. Today she’s a small business owner and property manager with her husband, Dustin, a full-time artist known for murals and commissioned work. Her own interests range from fashion to home decor to, as she puts it, “any aspect of art you can think of.” Her appreciation for creativity, paired with a background in community and economic development, led her to a seat on the Arts Council. GREG HANSON, a Watertown country musician, has spent three decades performing across South Dakota, opening for artists including Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan. Raised near Wilmot, he recorded three albums and fronts his own band, Greg Hanson & the Backroads, when he isn’t running Hanson Ag Service. “As someone who understands the effect music can have on your life, I was excited to have the chance to support other artists and musicians in South Dakota,” he says.
ARTS SOUTH DAKOTA’S NEWEST BOARD MEMBER Arts South Dakota welcomes new board member ROSE ANN HOFLAND, Director of Communications and Community Engagement at Levitt at the Falls since 2019. Hofland previously spent a decade at the Washington Pavilion, leaving as the Director of Programming and Education. A University of South Dakota theatre and English graduate, she also serves on the Black Hills Playhouse board. “The arts are part of what makes life worth living,” Hofland says. “They give us color, music, connection and ways to express things that can be hard to put into words.”
Save the Date!
ARTS DATES YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS! NOV. 15, 2026 — 28th Biennial Governor’s Awards in the Arts — nominations close FEBRUARY 17, 2027 — Pierre Arts Advocacy Day at the Legislature State Capitol, meet in the Rotunda Pierre — 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. FEBRUARY 17, 2027 — Fort Pierre 28th Biennial Governor’s Awards in the Arts — Drifters Bar and Grille MARCH 1, 2027 South Dakota Art For State Buildings Submissions deadline JULY 6-9, 2027 — Sioux Falls Augustana Music Academy Augustana University campus JULY 12-15, 2027 — Aberdeen 28th annual Arts Education Institute Northern State University campus
GRANT DEADLINE MARCH 1 The deadline to apply for grants from the South Dakota Arts Council is March 1. Grants are available to individual artists and nonprofit organizations and are funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the state of South Dakota. The council awarded more than $2.16 million in grants for the 2027 fiscal year. They included four artist fellowships, 10 artist career development grants, three traditional arts apprenticeship grants, two artist collaboration grants and three artist project grants. “The arts strengthen South Dakota communities, and we’re eager to support the projects, performances, and potential the arts bring to all of our lives,” said South Dakota Arts Council Executive Director Patrick Baker. Apply at www.sd.gov/sdac. ArtsSouthDakota.org • 2026 Member Edition • 11
MICUCCI IS
CONGRESSIONAL ART CHAMP Cadence Micucci, a junior at Tea High School, won the 2026 Congressional Art Competition with a mixed media piece called The Original Soldier (right). Her work showcases the culture and significance of the Native American headdress and the honor it brings to those who wear it. The figure, drawn in black and white acrylic, contrasts with the colorful headdress made with fabric, glass beads and feathers. “The contrast is what shows the great significance and presence, for the headdress is received out of honor, leadership and bravery,” Micucci said in her artist’s statement. “It stands as a reminder that there are many different ways that true honor is carried and not just worn, from today’s soldiers who defend our land to the original soldiers who first fought for it.” Porshia Zimiga, a 2026 graduate of Wall High School, was awarded second place. Her piece, titled A Whispering Dusk, features a horse head drawn in black and white charcoal and an inset scene in chalk pastels of a horse running
on a beach. Micucci’s piece is on display in the Cannon Tunnel at the U.S. Capitol. Zimiga’s art hangs inside Congressman Dusty Johnson’s office. The Congressional Art Competition is sponsored by the members of
A Warrior Society by Roger Broer 12 • South Dakota Arts Alive • SouthDakotaArtsCouncil.sd.gov
the U.S. House of Representatives. The South Dakota Arts Council partners with Johnson’s office to carry out this initiative. The competition began in 1982, providing members of Congress with an opportunity to recognize talent in their home districts.
SOUTH DAKOTA ARTS EDUCATORS UNITE AT AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY
T
his summer, the South Dakota Arts Education Alliance brought educators together at Augustana University in Sioux Falls to shape the future of arts education across the state. The gathering drew representatives from the state’s major fine arts educator associations, spanning visual and performing arts. Known as ArtsEd Alliance SD, the group serves as a unified voice for advancing arts education experiences for South Dakota students. The meeting focused on strengthening professional collaboration, building advocacy efforts and developing shared resources to support fine art teachers statewide. The Alliance’s work centers on four priorities: unified voice, professional collaboration, advocacy and resource development. As part of that effort, the group continues
to build out an ArtsEd Resource Page, with educators encouraged to contribute links and materials to support their peers across the state. A special thank you to the South Dakota fine arts educators’ organizations that make this collaboration possible: the South Dakota Art Education Association, South Dakota Bandmasters Association, South Dakota American Choral Directors Association, South Dakota Music Education Association, South Dakota String Teachers Association, and the Speech Communication Association of South Dakota. Your continued partnership and dedication are what keep arts education thriving across the state. For more information on ArtsEd Alliance SD’s initiatives, visit ArtsSouthDakota.org/artseducation-advocacy-cohort.
BEHIND THE SCENES 50th Annual
ABERDEEN ARTS IN THE PARK This year marks the 50th anniversary of Arts in the Park. Held the third full weekend in June in Melgaard Park, this juried event draws exhibitors from over a dozen states and more than 20,000 visitors over two days, featuring fine and folk art, entertainment and food. The festival has come a long way since 1976, when it began as the Aberdeen Arts Festival, drawing 3,000–4,000 attendees. Betsy Rice, Belva Duncan and Beth Wray served as its first chairwomen, and by year two nearly 80 exhibitors had signed on. Locals soon nicknamed it “Arts in the Park,” but the name didn’t officially change until 1999 — a year after the Aberdeen Area Arts Council took over the event from its volunteer committee and adopted the new name and logo.
DEEN IS POETRY OUT LOUD RUNNER-UP Damien Deen, a 2026 graduate of Sioux Falls Washington High School, earned runner-up honors and a $10,000 prize at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, D.C., in April. It is the second consecutive year that a student from the Sioux Falls School District finished as national runner-up. “What inspires me about poetry is that you get your own level of interpretation that you can give to the crowd,” Deen says. “I think it’s really important to share your own views of
poetry and use it as an outlet.” Deen counts Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes and Paul Laurence Dunbar among his favorite poets. He says the Poetry Out Loud experience has taught him that you should always trust yourself. “Sometimes we feel like we’re doubting ourselves because we’re always looking at the pressures of society or what people want you to be,” he says. “But once you get on that stage, it’s the easiest thing in the world as long as you just put that trust in yourself.”
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program and recitation competition for high school students sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with state arts organizations.
MURALS OF HOPE Art is a bright spot inside Agency Village’s new detention center
M
Story by John Andrews
URALS IN A NEW detention center at Agency Village embrace the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate culture and offer hope to inmates within its walls. Watertown artist Kay Quale collaborated with Native American artists Ike Swan and Jerry Eagleman to design and paint the two 10 1/2-by-14-foot murals that adorn the center’s multipurpose space. Both are rich with symbolism and inspirational messages. A scene titled Honoring the
Missing shows three female dancers all with a painted red handprint on their face, the symbol of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). An eagle soars among them. “It’s a reminder that circumstances do not define the entirety of a person’s story,” Quale says. “The dancers carry culture, identity and the strength of generations. For those experiencing incarceration, the work offers a message of hope: you can remain connected to your ancestors, your community and the person you can still become. The past is part
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Watertown artist Kay Quale painted two murals inside Agency Village’s new detention center. Honoring the Missing (above) was finished in collaboration with Native artist Jerry Eagleman.
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of your story, but it does not have to determine its ending.” A second mural, Wacipi Oyate, depicts three male dancers within a bison silhouette. “They suggest generations, ancestors and cultural knowledge continuing forward,” Quale says. “It can also be interpreted as the grand entry of a wacipi. A person’s physical freedom may be restricted, but their
culture, ancestry, memories, spirituality and sense of self remain their own. Detention becomes one part of a person’s journey rather than the definition of their life.” Quale frequently attends vendor shows at Agency Village. That’s where members of the tribe approached her about contributing to the detention center’s design. “It meant a great deal to me to be invited into a project with such significance. All three of us were grateful for the opportunity to create artwork that could bring meaning, connection and a sense of hope to the space,” she says. Quale has worked with Swan, from Rapid City, and Eagleman, of Sioux Falls, on projects before. She says their
artistic ability, cultural insight and perspective were invaluable. “They brought a depth and authenticity to the project that could not have been achieved without them.” The 19,000-square-foot, 25-bed detention center is part of a complex that also includes a new 28,000-squarefoot law enforcement center. Chief of Police Gary Gaikowski says art was an important part of the design process from the beginning. “I just want to make sure that they remember their culture and the good things in their lives,” he says. “Those pictures are beautiful, and hopefully they give the inmates a sense of pride and balance. It’s something they can return to when they go back into the community.”
Ike Swan, Kay Quale and Jerry Eagleman (pictured above, left to right) collaborated on Wacipi Oyate (below).
BRUSHING UP
Poetry on the Road allows writers in communities across South Dakota to share their work with live audiences.
THE POWER OF POETRY ON THE ROAD
Poetry on the Road, a traveling open mic night organized by the South Dakota State Poetry Society, enters its fourth year in the fall of 2026. The event has gone to all four corners of South Dakota, averaging 20 towns each year. This year’s series began in Brookings. “At all our stops, I see folks getting up and sharing, through their poems, parts of their lives
and community that are insightful and heartfelt,” says Bruce Roseland, South Dakota’s poet laureate. “These poets, some reading publicly for the first time, are seen and heard. Poetry shows what we value and creates connections to others. Writing poetry helps connect us to our own hearts. I’ve been moved by hearing local poets from age 4 to 94 share their poetry.”
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BRUSHING UP
TAKING STOCK
O
ur South Dakota, a new 235page anthology, features work from 90 poets who write about their connections to South Dakota. “I think it’s a good idea to, from time to time, take stock of who we are as a people, particularly our writing culture,” says Bruce Roseland, South Dakota’s poet laureate and an editor of the book with Geri Gutwein and Steve Boint. “Time goes on and we kind of lose who we are. This is a slice of life of how people view South Dakota.” Roseland (pictured below) considers the anthology as much a historical document for future generations as a literary collection: a heart-felt, real-life description of our time and place, from ranchers, farmers and farm wives, small town merchants and neighbors, patrons of urban coffee shops and bars, academics and scientists and Native American storytellers.
18 • South Dakota Arts Alive • SouthDakotaArtsCouncil.sd.gov
Riding on a Dream by Sioux Falls artist Ashley Morken is among the 2026 Art for State Buildings selections.
STATE BUILDINGS ADD ART Ten new pieces were added to the state’s art collection in 2026 through the Art for State Buildings program. Since its inception by the South Dakota State Legislature in 2008, the collection has now grown to include 145 works that are displayed in publicly accessible areas of state government buildings throughout Pierre. All works are currently displayed in the public hallway of the offices of Travel South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council at the Dolly-Reed Plaza, 711 E. Wells Ave., in Pierre. The newest additions are: • 2 018 Rosebud Rodeo, Wild Horse Race, by Jeremiah M. Murphy. Framed print. •A xis of the World: Between Sky, Earth, and Dream, by Chad Nelson. Woodcut print and watercolor. • Blush of the Badlands, by Andrew Peschong. Metal. •D akota Sunset at Farm Island, by Mecca Rutherford. Textured, oil on canvas. • Lift Off at Dawn, by Daae Bennett. Oil on canvas. • Nightmill, by Tim Peterson. Pastel on paper. •R iding on a Dream, by Ashley Morken. Acrylic on canvas. •S lim Pickins, by Doris Symens-Armstrong. Oil on gesso board. •W eathered, Take II, by Charlene M. Brown. Oil on canvas. •W eathering the Plains, by Barbara Sparks. Watercolor.
John Lopez
Dupris, a scrap iron bison by Lemmon sculptor John Lopez, stands at the foot of the new Missouri River bridge at Fort Pierre.
D
DUPRIS ON THE MISSOURI
upris, a life-size scrap metal buffalo by Lemmon artist John Lopez, now stands at the foot of the new Lt. Commander John C. Waldron Memorial Bridge connecting Pierre and Fort Pierre. Dupris honors the history of Fort Pierre. The Missouri River, represented in stainless steel sheet metal, winds through an eagle feather headdress. Jumping fish, deer along the riverbank and a likeness of the original Fort Pierre Chouteau are also featured. Modern tributes include longhorn cattle and busts of rodeo legend Casey Tibbs and Waldron, a Fort
Pierre native and U.S. Navy pilot who commanded a squadron of torpedo bombers during World War II. He was killed at the Battle of Midway in 1942. The sculpture is named for Fred Dupris, a French trapper turned rancher who adopted five orphaned buffalo calves in the late 1800s when the species was nearing extinction. When he retired, Dupris had 57 head, which he sold to Scotty Philip. Philip then grew the herd beyond 1,000 head. Stock from Philip eventually helped establish the buffalo population at Custer State Park.
ArtsSouthDakota.org • 2026 Member Edition • 19
The South Dakota Arts Council provided support for several communities holding special celebrations to commemorate the nation’s 250th birthday. The Yankton Community Band (above) delivered a patriotic performance at Riverside Park.
CELEBRATING AMERICA 250
I
n the summer of 2026, South Dakotans recited the Declaration of Independence, tapped their toes as friends and neighbors played patriotic marches and explored through art what it means to be an American. Six South Dakota communities and organizations received $5,000 grants from the South Dakota Arts Council to help stage special events commemorating America’s 250th birthday. “The Arts Council was excited for the opportunity to help South Dakota communities celebrate their own unique identities and histories in creative ways through the America 250 Community Arts grant program,” says Patrick Baker, executive director of the Arts Council. “This one-time money from the National Endowment for the Arts con-
tributed greatly to bringing friends, family and neighbors together across the state for meaningful engagement through the arts while celebrating America’s big birthday.” Recipients and their projects were: • Washington Pavilion Management, Inc.: Patriotic concerts by the Sioux Falls Municipal Band at the city’s fireworks show and at the USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial during the nationwide reading of the Declaration of Independence. • Yankton Area Arts: Patriotic band concert at Riverside Park Amphitheater and special art exhibit at the G.A.R. Hall. • Bison Education Enrichment Foundation: Locals shared spoken histories about rural life
20 • South Dakota Arts Alive • SouthDakotaArtsCouncil.sd.gov
on the shortgrass prairie. A youth theater camp then used those stories to create a play. • Codington County Historical Society and Heritage Museum: Downtown hosted three nights of concerts with storytelling and readings from our founding documents. • Dacotah Prairie Museum: A public art competition during the Brown County Fair challenged entrants to create works inspired by Brown County history. Additional activities focused on American identity, local history and future generations. • City of Yankton Task Force for America Celebrate 250: Speaker Jeff Gould presented “America’s Story” at the Dakota Theater.
BRUSHING UP
South Dakota
ARTS TRIVIA South Dakota has long nurtured artists, from world-renowned painters to your neighbor who has a knack for murals. See how well you know the arts scene in South Dakota with this quiz. Answers are on page 22.
[1]
hat South Dakota artist advised his W students to “paint a little less of the facts and a little more of the spirit?”
HARRISBURG EYES ITS ARTS FUTURE
[2]
ho painted 16 large murals inside the W original Minnehaha County courthouse (today the Old Courthouse Museum) between 1915 and 1917?
[3]
here will you find Walleye Up W (pictured below), a scrap metal sculpture of a cowboy riding our state fish by Lemmon artist John Lopez?
[4]
hat Gregory County pioneer and W filmmaker produced The Homesteader, a 1919 silent movie based on his own experiences?
[5]
hat singer, known for his song W “In Heaven on a Horse,” was named South Dakota’s Centennial Troubadour in 1989?
downtown alley in what city features A The Art Walls, South Dakota’s newest outdoor space for graffiti artists? Chad Coppess
[6]
Harrisburg is one of the fastest growing communities in South Dakota, but its residents have a hard time finding places to gather. A newly formed nonprofit called the Harrisburg Community Arts Center hopes to remedy that with a new facility that can be a nucleus for the arts while also providing space for friends and neighbors. The group has launched a $3.5 million capital campaign and hopes to build an 8,600-squarefoot arts center. Kaitlyn Tilghman, president of the Harrisburg Community Arts Center, says the new building could host concerts, dinner theaters and other functions that align around the group’s five creative pillars: music, art, theater, community events and education. Tilghman and her husband operate Tilghman’s Academy of Music in Harrisburg, which offers private lessons, small classes and a retail shop. She says now the arts community partners with places like the library and a gymnastics studio to find rooms for lessons, classes and performances. “The hard part is that space is always a limiting factor, so we can’t do larger events or classes in those small business spaces,” she says. “We want to have a place that the whole community can use.” The new Harrisburg Community Arts Center would feature a large multipurpose room for dinners, fundraisers and shows, as well as eight smaller practice rooms and four classrooms. Tilghman says the group hopes to break ground in the spring of 2027 and open in early 2028.
ArtsSouthDakota.org • 2026 Member Edition • 21
BRUSHING UP Mabel’s
Erica Lane Harvey
Mabel the poodle may be South Dakota’s best-traveled dog. She and her companion, Rapid City photographer Erica Lane Harvey, recently finished a South Dakota road trip that both tested Harvey’s skills and allowed Mabel to experience a multitude of new sights and smells. The Embark Challenge was offered by Unleashed Education, an online resource for pet photographers. Competitors from around the globe were tasked with capturing their pets in 12 different settings during the sixmonth contest. Harvey and Mabel’s journey took them to the Pennington County Courthouse, Sylvan Lake, Sheep Mountain Table in the Badlands and Angostura Reservoir, among other locales. Harvey, a pet photographer for 20 years, enjoyed the light-hearted exercise in creative thinking, but didn’t expect her tremendous success. She earned 10 Top 10 finishes and one Top 20. Her portfolio of 12 images was awarded first place out of roughly 80 entries.
22 • South Dakota Arts Alive • SouthDakotaArtsCouncil.sd.gov
University of South Dakota
SOUTH DAKOTA ODYSSEY
The University of South Dakota’s symphony orchestra performed Monuments: Variations on South Dakota by music theory and composition professor Paul Lombardi, written for America’s 250th birthday celebration.
SWEEPING SOUNDS OF AMERICA 250 Five historically and culturally important places in South Dakota inspired a University of South Dakota professor’s newest piece of music. Monuments: Variations on South Dakota, is written by music theory and composition professor Paul Lombardi. The USD Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Chun-Ming Chen, commissioned the piece to celebrate South Dakota in advance of the nation’s 250th birthday. The orchestra premiered Monuments in late 2025. Lombardi collaborated with Molly Rozum, a USD history professor who specializes in South Dakota and the Northern Plains, to select each location. Its five movements and their South Dakota inspirations include: •S pirit Mound. It features a brass choir under a thunderstorm. •T he Cultural Heritage Center. This movement invokes a pastoral scene, then concludes with the full orchestra featuring percussive brass. •T he Grand River National Grassland. Quiet sustained chords are interrupted by violin snippets from “The Little Old Sod Shanty on My Claim,” an 1880s homesteading tune.
•Č haŋkpé Ópi Wakpála (Wounded Knee Creek). The climax of Monuments, its asymmetrical meter represents someone wounded, yet plodding stubbornly forward. •D ignity of Earth and Sky. The final movement begins with a cricket chirping under ascending sustained tones in the strings, then is overtaken by birdsong in a morning chorus.
Trivia answers (page 21): 1. Harvey Dunn; 2. Norwegian immigrant Ole Running; 3. Mobridge; 4. Oscar Micheaux; 5. Kyle Evans; 6. Sioux Falls
Supporters
F
or this issue of Arts Alive, we graciously recognize and honor our arts supporters across South Dakota. While you can still find our donor recognition list by gift level on ArtsSouthDakota.org, we want to recognize how the vibrant arts communities support each other statewide. These individuals and organizations believe in a strong collective voice for the arts and demonstrate that by their membership gifts to Arts South Dakota. Their donations lead the way in advocating for a creative state and we can’t do this important work without you all! Donors supporting the Arts South Dakota Annual Fund with a sustaining gift from November 2025 to August 21, 2026 are listed below.
Major Gifts & Sustaining Donors When you join Arts South Dakota as a Sustaining Donor, you’re making a lasting commitment to creativity in our state. Sustaining Donors pledge at least $1,000 each year — and you choose the payment schedule that works best for you. Thank you to the following supporters for their significant gifts to Arts South Dakota. Their belief in a creative South Dakota and accompanying financial support will help drive this important work forward! Michael Pangburn, Pierre Lynne and Bill Byrne, Sioux Falls Norm McKie and Ardie Barber, Rapid City Janet Brown, Sioux Falls Mary and Kurt Cogswell, Brookings Tom and Pat Dempster, Sioux Falls Kris and Steve Egger, Sioux Falls Rodney and Sandy Garnett, Spearfish Janet M. Kahler, Rapid City Dan and Arlene Kirby, Sioux Falls Deanna and Dave Knudson, Sioux Falls Jim and Kara Mathis, Sioux Falls Patrick McGowan, Sioux Falls Dale Lamphere and Jane Murphy, Sturgis Ellen & Richard Plocek, Spearfish Kenny and Linnea Putnam, Longmont John and Jane Rasmussen, Sisseton Dr. Matthew and Lynn Simmons, Rapid City
South Dakota Individual & Organizational Donors by City Aberdeen
Aberdeen Area Arts Council Dacotah Prairie Museum Hardly Working Promotions, LLC Stacy & LeRoy Braun Dan & Angie Cleberg Laurel Foster Roxanne Hinze Alan & Kari LaFave Dawn Menning Melissa Nguyen Senator Carl Perry Nadya Preszler Betty Sheldon Dan Van Dover Kathleen Webb
ArtsSouthDakota.org Brookings
South Dakota Art Museum Charles Bennis Tim & Monica Campbell Mary & Kurt Cogswell Margaret Denton Van & Barbara Fishback Linda Hoffelt Dennis Hopfinger & Carolyn Clague Mildred K. Hugghins James & Ardis Johnson Karen & Keith Kinder Jim McKinney Doug & Mary Miller David Reynolds John Rychtarik Linda Stuerman-Purrington Lynn Verschoor Merritt & Pamela Warren
Burbank
Dennis Navrat
Cavour
SD String Teachers Association
Crazy Horse
Larry & Marilyn Rohrer
Britton
Northern Fort Playhouse
Glenham
Debby Walker
Harrold
Sharon & Marty Winckler
Hartford
Angela Hoekman Erin Rieff
Hayti
Representative Kent Roe
Hermosa
Jill O’Brien
Herreid
Highmore Area Council of the Arts
Hill City
De Smet Area Arts Council Amy Kruse Jennifer Stofferahn
Deadwood
Hot Springs
De Smet
Faulkton
Beresford
Authentic Arts Amanda Vasek
Artforms Hill City Arts Council Roger & Merlene Broer Jon & Gail Crane Cheryl Whetham & Jukka Huhtiniemi Lesta & Mike Turchen
Bath
Ariadne Albright
Geddes
Highmore
Custer Area Arts Council Muse Gallery Paul Horsted & Camille Riner Mary Jo Marcy
Dell Rapids
Belle Fourche
Tom & Molly Valentine
Custer
Baltic
James Walker & Jerry Oligmueller
Garretson
Campbell County Arts Council Andrew & Sheila Van Kuren
Christina Castillo Deb & Peter Klebanoff
Con Brio Studio
Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation
Mark Speirs Mary Wipf & Mark Zimmerman
Aurora
Fulton
Allen & Gloria Brown
Chautauqua Craftsmen & Artisans of the Black Hills Nancy Anne Barker Rhonda M Kocourek Lynn & Frank Mason Jan Speirs
Faulkton Area Arts Council Linda Bartholomew
Houghton
Fort Pierre
Keystone
Dave & Linda Bonde William V. Fischer Gloria Hanson & Ron Schreiner Daniel & Rebecca Schenk Lonnie & Vickie Schumacher Barbara Wood Sandy Zinter
Herseth Ranch Black Hills Glass Blowers
Lake Norden
Kathy Antonen
Lead
Historic Homestake Opera House Historic Lead Deadwood Arts Council
Supporters Johns & Kosel Law, LLC Jacqualyn Fuller Joe & Shari Kosel Dan & Dot O’Connor Steve Rice
Leola
Leola Arts Council
Madison
Madison Area Arts Council Ginny Freitag Dr. Larry Green Donna Hazelwood Danielle Kearin Terry & Mary Ryan
Martin
Rosemary Buchmann Mackenzie Eastman Dr. Craig Howe
Midland
Audrey Jones
Mitchell
Area Community Theatre of Mitchell Rick & Kelsey Fuchs Marica Shannon
Onida
Rodney & Marla Mosiman
Parker
Rolf Olson & Anne E. Waltner
Philip
Jessica Wheeler
Pickstown
Larry & Debera Lucas
Pierre
Pierre Players Inc. Short Grass Arts Council Waterfront Gallery for the Arts Jim Ackerman & Charlene Lund Patrick & Jennifer Baker Larry & Geraldine Cass Karen A. Gerdes Jeff & Darlene Hallem Arline Hammer Steve & Monica Harding Deborah Holland Fee Jacobsen Larry Johnson
Diane Kehrwald Ellen & Tom Lee Dorothy Liegl Larry & Gail Lyngstad Jay Mickelson Mike & Kathi Mueller Michael Pangburn Ken & Lavonne Pickering Eric & Ruth Raveling Randall & Teri Royer Chuck & Bonny Schroyer Jim & Sandy Szana Kate & Andy Vandel Penn & Roberta Williams Ron & Glenda Woodburn
Pine Ridge
Ashley Pourier
Rapid City
Black Hills Studios of the Arts Black Hills Symphony Orchestra Catalyst Theater Company Dahl Fine Arts Center & Rapid City Arts Council Dakota Artists Guild Mt. Rushmore Chapter of SPEBSQSA, Inc. Shrine of Democracy Chorus Northern Plains Watercolor Society Performing Arts Center of Rapid City Schultz Art, Design & Photography Shoemaker Visual Art Studio Theatre 605 Black Hills Playhouse Eric Abrahamson & Lois Facer Patricia Acevedo Fuentes Carol Bailey Laurie & Mike Becvar Bonnie Bjork Mark & Katie Bray John E. Brockelsby Susan Callahan Ann & Tim Deckert Jacqui & Clint Dietrich Don & Mary Downs Michael & Marnie Gould Anne F. Hatch Bri Heida Stephanie Higdon Susan Hines Joyce Jefferson Deonne Kahler Janet M. Kahler Pat Lebrun Christine Leichtnam
24 • South Dakota Arts Alive • SouthDakotaArtsCouncil.sd.gov
Darla Drew Lerdal Joy McCracken Scott & Karen McGregor Norm McKie & Ardie Barber Mark & Kristol McKie Deborah Mitchell Sandra Newman Tamara Pier Mr. Edward D. Pullen Patrick Roseland Carol & Carl Schwarzenberg Marty Seim Jean Selvy-Wyss & Patrick Wyss Dr. Matthew & Lynn Simmons Jackie & Geoff Slingsby Katie Smirnova Clayton & Anella Southwick James & Cary Speirs Yoko Sugawara Anna Marie Thatcher Hon. Jeffrey & Linda Lea Viken Mikayla Walton Milo Winter Steven Zellmer & Kitty Kinsman Amber Zora
Redfield
Redfield Area Arts Council
Roscoe
Janet Fuhrman
Roslyn
Lawrence Diggs Monte & Fran Rougemont
Salem
LeEtta Bennett
Scotland
Frank Kloucek
Sioux Falls
Augustana University School of Music Avera Health Badger Clark Foundation Fellowship Jazz Center Fresh Produce Levitt at the Falls Rehfeld’s Art & Framing Sanford Arts at Sanford USD Medical Center SculptureWalk Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Arts Council South Dakota Friends of Traditional Music
South Dakota Symphony Orchestra Sunset Strip Pawn, Inc. The Center for Western Studies, Augustana University The Watering Can Washington Pavilion Wolf Bronze Phil & Jill Baker John Beranek Dar Berkenpas & Boyd Bristow Burke & Jeannie Blackman Melanie & Norman Bliss Brian & Kaija Bonde Dick Brown Janet Brown Susan Burgard Lynne & Bill Byrne Sarah Carlson Jim & Deann Clark Linda Clement Pam Cole Paul & Mary Ellen Connelly Mike & Judy Connor Ceca & Bill Cooper Claudia Dail Tom & Pat Dempster Julie Dent Carol Dyke Jeff Eckhoff Kris & Steve Egger Carla Fauske & Peter Lieberman Sherilyn Goldammer Dirk & Constanze Hagmaier Eileen Halverson Bruce & Nancy Halverson Phil & Kiki Hegg Pete Hoesing Josh & Rose Ann Hofland Dody & Boyd Hopkins Jon Hovland Jared Hulstine Clara Jacob Garry & Dianne Jacobson Barbara Johnson Corliss & Anne Johnson Scott & Marianne Johnson Lynne Jones Rob Joyce Phil & Diana Kappen Anita Kealey & John Brannian Adam Emerson & Dohui Kim Dan & Arlene Kirby Deanna & Dave Knudson Dick & Cindy Koch Cheryl Koch
ArtsSouthDakota.org
John J. Kolb Steve & Dianne Larson Sarah Larson Mark Law Katrina Lehr-McKinney Amanda Levesque Janet & Ken Lingemann Sara Lum Jim & Kara Mathis Patrick McGowan John McIntyre Allison Mickelson John Mogen Reynold & Erika Nesiba Helen Olsen Judith Payne Dr. Boyd & Jessica Perkins Byron Petersen Lawrence & Catherine Piersol Jill Pudwill Joan C. Rasmusson Kris & Tom Reaves Kay Reinartz Andrew & Rosanne Reinartz Betsy Rice Jeff & Katie Scherschligt Paul & Koni Schiller Greg Schmitz Miles & Vickie Schumacher Jim Speirs Jack Stengel Stephen & Catherine Thurman Rose Marie Tornow Blair Tremere Serge van Neck Tom & Crystal Van Wyhe Karyn Veenis Nan Venhuizen Lori Walsh Darwin Wolf Kristine Wollman Shane Wuebben
Sisseton
Sisseton Area Arts Council Gary & Angie Hanson Rosemarie Hanssen Terry & Sandi Jaspers Cindy Marohl Estelle Reierson Pearson Sharon Prendergast John & Jane Rasmussen
Spearfish
BHSU Ruddell Gallery
Flat Earth Art Company The Matthews Opera House & Arts Center Rosalie Aslesen Kathy Block Elizabeth Freer & Michael Headley Rod & Sandy Garnett Lonnie & Leesa Haugland Jim & Katie Hood Scott & Lisa Howard Michelle & Eric Jennings James Maher Paula Manley & Jim Knutson Kent & Zindie Meyers Ellen & Richard Plocek Gary & Nan Steinley
Spencer
Lori Long
Springfield
Cheryl Peterson Halsey
Sturgis
Sturgis Area Arts Council Anne Bodman & Andrew Hollander Richard & Ginger Carstensen DeVee & Kevin Dietz Bill Feterl Barry Furze Logan Lamphere Dale Lamphere & Jane Murphy Denise LaRue
Wakonda
Ruth Williams
Wall
Rick & Patt Hustead Wounded Knee Museum
Watertown
Northern Prairie Arts Redlin Art Center Joy Halling Mr. Stanley N. Jacobson Carol Johnson Ralph Wamsher
Webster
Day County Arts Council Darlene Dulitz
Wessington Springs
Springs Area Council of the Arts
Winner
Tami Comp Sharon Schramm
Yankton
Patty Hauk
Yankton Area Arts Julie Amsberry Marsha Bertsch Bill J. & Jane Bobzin Kathie & Rudy Gerstner Marilyn Kratz Larry & Diane Ness James & Marilyn Nyberg Marcia & Marvin Olnes Lea Ann Schramm Lynn Scroggins Norman & Kathleen West
Vermillion
Out of State or Unknown
Tea
Paul Struck
Valley Springs
Dalesburg Heritage National Music Museum South Dakota Shakespeare Festival Vermillion Cultural Association John Banasiak Dr. Margaret Downie Banks Don & Janet Beeman Mary Begley Carol Cook Geu Susan Gray Bruce & Carol Kelley Michele Mechling Phyllis Packard Dr. Susanne Skyrm Norma & Jerry Wilson
Joseph & Norma McFadden Diane Barnhart Ruth C. Romer Sandra Polster Janelle Toman Walt Garnett Kenny & Linnea Putnam Seven Council Fires Native Art Mary Kelly Terry Arons Charities Aid Foundation America Janet Meyer Mary E. Manthei Brian Jones
Jamie Church Jodi Birch Mr. Michael Bollinger Bette Gerberding Greg Boris & Joan Reddy Tarl Johnson Jessica Vitalis
Sponsors ADwërks Architecture Incorporated Avera Cancer Institute — Arts & Healing Program Bank West Click Rain CorTrust Bank Delta Dental of South Dakota First Bank & Trust First PREMIER Bank Koch Hazard Architects Lawrence & Schiller Monument Health Sanford Arts at Sanford USD Medical Center South Dakota Art Museum The Farmhouse Bistro & Bar
In-Kind Donors Brian Hildebrant CPA Dale Lamphere & Jane Murphy Gene & Susan McGowan South Dakota Magazine Monument Health Arts South Dakota is in part supported through the generous grant support of the South Dakota Arts Council and the Bush Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts and Michael and Marnie Gould.
Arts South Dakota PO Box 2496, Sioux Falls, SD 57101-2496 (605) 252-5979 | ArtsSouthDakota.org Email: info@ArtsSouthDakota.org Arts South Dakota, a nonpartisan and nonprofit service organization, advances the arts for South Dakotans and our visitors by connecting, advocating and educating. Your donation to Arts South Dakota will enable us to continue our work to strengthen the arts in our state. Please join Arts South Dakota today. Give securely online at ArtsSouthDakota.org
Axis of the World: Between Sky, Earth, and Dream, by Chad Nelson of Sioux Falls, was selected for the 2026 Art for State Buildings collection.