CONGRATULATIONS
to the recipients of the 2025 Governor’s Awards in the Arts!
Arts South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council co-sponsor the Governor’s Awards to recognize individuals and businesses who have made a statewide impact through artistic excellence or outstanding support of the arts.
Outstanding Support of the Arts by an Organization or Business
Sanford Health’s arts programing has made it a longstanding and unique leader in supporting the arts and amplifying its important impact on communities. Through consistent commitment in time, talent and funding, Sanford champions the work of local artists, emphasizes the healing power of art and creates avenues for enjoyment of and participation in the arts, both inside and outside of the hospital footprint. Sanford’s art-based services are provided to patients, family members, guests and employees. Through both Dr. Jerome Freeman’s “Arts in Medicine” and the Sanford Arts program, Sanford provides art education to medical students, nurses and patients.
Roger Broer
Distinction in Creative Achievement
For more than 50 years, Roger Broer has been both an artist and a mentor, including to one young artist who wrote in a letter of support, “With his influence, many students, myself included, have pursued college and even graduate degrees, carrying forward the lessons we learned under his guidance.”
Broer produces paintings with oil and mixed media, sculptures and monotypes. An enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, Broer’s work is inspired by a combination of stories from Oglala Lakota Oyate culture and his personal life. Broer has received more than 50 awards in national shows.
FROM ARTS SOUTH DAKOTA AND THE SOUTH DAKOTA ARTS COUNCIL
Mary Wipf
Outstanding Service in Arts Education
Mary Wipf has completed 973 visiting artist residencies in the 42 years she has been an in-residence artist. At Sanford Health alone, she has engaged in 5,325 art-making sessions with patients, family and staff. Wipf has worked as a visiting artist in hospitals, art centers, cancer centers, school systems large and small, community libraries, nursing homes and special needs institutions and facilities.
Dream Catchers Artists Guild
Outstanding Support of the Arts to Native Nations with Lands in South Dakota
The Dream Catchers Artist Guild was founded in 1983 by nine Lakota artists. Over the past 40 years, they have created a thriving environment for Native American artists to develop and showcase their talent and have empowered Native artists to pursue and sustain professional careers. Through their work and initiatives, the Guild provides Native artists with platforms to showcase their work and connect with audiences that may not otherwise have exposure to Native art forms and narratives.
Members of the Dream Catchers Guild are Arthur Amiotte, R.G. Bowker, Roger Broer, Robert Freeman, Donald Montileaux, Robert Penn, Richard Red Owl, Donald Ruleaux and Vic Runnels.
Support the arts by becoming a member of Arts South Dakota! Learn more and give today at ArtsSouthDakota.org!
Arts South Dakota, a non-partisan and non-profit service organization, advances the arts for South Dakotans and our visitors by connecting, advocating, and educating.
The South Dakota Arts Council is a state agency serving South Dakotans and their communities through the arts.
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Painting by Donald Ruleaux
