By Jim Speirs, Executive Director, Arts South Dakota
The excitement is building for the State Arts Conference being held in Sioux Falls May 4-5. The weekend will be packed with fascinating arts and cultural activities for South Dakotans of all ages and I hope you will join us.
SculptureWalk Sioux Falls is installing dozens of new outdoor artworks throughout downtown Sioux Falls on May 5. On May 4, Downtown Sioux Falls is the scene for the monthly Art & Wine Walk, and the weekend features special performances from White Wall Sessions musicians. The first State Arts Conference ever held in Sioux Falls will also spotlight national arts leaders, including National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu and Americans for the Arts Vice President of Research and Policy Randy Cohen. In addition, our state’s top arts professionals will be presenting at the conference. You’ll be inspired by sessions from national consultant and Dell Rapids native Janet Brown, American Indian writer and educator Dr. Craig Howe, fundraising professional Brian Bonde and South Dakota’s Artist Laureate Dale Lamphere. Conference participants will have the opportunity to interact with these leaders and many more contributors all weekend!
That’s what this year’s State Arts Conference is all about—getting together, person to person, to share our enthusiasm for the arts, network with national and state leaders in creative culture and build our arts community. South Dakota is a large and diverse state, and the arts conference gives us a chance to focus on meaningful topics for all of us—and help plan for the future by exploring where we are today.
This is the biggest arts get-together of the year in South Dakota, with helpful and practical presentations, exciting art and performances, with arts leaders who really are the best in their fields. So let’s get together, friends and neighbors. Make your plans to be in Sioux Falls May 4 and 5 and share the excitement by lending your voice to the conversation. It’s so easy to register for this year’s State Arts Conference. The information on speakers, workshops and registration forms are all available on the Arts South Dakota website, www.ArtsSouthDakota.org. Check it out and register today!
