By Jim Speirs, Executive Director, Arts South Dakota
The South Dakota Department of Tourism, in partnership with the South Dakota Arts Council, has launched a social media campaign, #StateOfCreate—and we think it’s great. Tourism and the arts are vital partners in our creative life and our economy, and you can track the campaign by following the South Dakota Department of Tourism on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Or use the hashtag #StateOfCreate on your social media to show how South Dakota has inspired you to create.
One innovative feature of the #StateOfCreate campaign is pairing local artists with visiting artists who are also major social media influencers. These guests travel with Tourism industry hosts to learn about South Dakota’s arts and cultural scene, create their own artwork based on their experiences in South Dakota, and share those experiences with their social media following. The first of these creative pairings brought Pandr Design Co. to the state recently to paint a mural in Brookings. Find them on Instagram for details on their visit.
“This is an exciting opportunity to showcase South Dakota,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “From Art Alley in Rapid City to the Faulkton grain elevator murals to the new Arc of Dreams in Sioux Falls, South Dakotans are at the top of their game when it comes to supporting public art.”
Arts South Dakota encourages everyone, from artists to educators to arts advocates, to take part by using #StateOfCreate whenever you post arts content on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Using the hashtag will help increase the visibility of our state’s cultural ecosystem and encourage more participation by artists, visitors and all South Dakotans.
We congratulate the Department of Tourism and our colleagues at the South Dakota Arts Council for this great idea to bring even more attention to the arts in our state. Link your social media posts to #StateOfCreate to be part of the action—and check out more arts opportunities on our website at www.ArtsSouthDakota.org.
