2025 ARTS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

This year’s Arts Leadership Institute will be held on April 29-30, 2025, in Sioux Falls. Come together with arts leaders, trainers, and panelists from across South Dakota to learn more about how you can develop your organization’s audience by providing accessible experiences developed in collaboration with your community. You won’t want to miss this opportunity!

COURSE INFORMATION

BUILDING YOUR AUDIENCE THROUGH ACCESSIBILITY & COMMUNITY

As arts organizations, we work hard to make an impact by creating programming with the community, and not just for the community, to broaden our reach and develop new audiences.

One key factor to providing these types of experiences is accessibility. The 35th Anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act this year is a great time to revisit conversations surrounding accessibility with lessons that apply to helping your whole community feel welcome and engaged, including physical accessibility, representation and cross-cultural conversations.

Tailored to both rural and non-rural organizations, these sessions will feature practical tools to expand your audience and create even more vibrant organizations across the state.

Join for learning and opportunities to network with your colleagues, along with helpful resources and follow-up cohorts to help implement what you have learned.

For questions, please contact Community Development Director Andrew Reinartz at Andrew@ArtsSouthDakota.org.

Trainers & Panelists

• Vicki Stewart – Executive Director of Employment Disability Resources
• Emily Shuman – Director of the Rocky Mountain ADA Center
• Patricia Acevedo Fuentes – Arts South Dakota Board Member, Architect & Community Leader
• Jessica Callies – 401 Create by Lifescape, Mitchell
• Dan Cleberg – Fallout Creative Community, Aberdeen
• Alex Weiland – Penguin Project (The Premiere Playhouse), Sioux Falls
• Mary Payton Zajicek – Artist and Arts Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities Recipient, Sioux Falls

WHAT IS THE ARTS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE?

Amazing arts and culture projects are happening all across South Dakota, but we are spread out and often isolated from our colleagues. With this program, we want to help support those who are doing the critical work of fostering their local creative communities.

The institute will take place regularly, providing deep dives into a changing set of topics of interest to many different types of arts organizations and their staff, volunteers, boards, and more. Equally important, they will provide time to gather with your colleagues to help strengthen the arts ecosystem across the state.

HOTEL RESERVATIONS

Reserve your room today:

A discounted rate associated with the Arts South Dakota is available on the nights of April 28-April 30, 2025, at the Holiday Inn City Centre in Sioux Falls, SD.

To reserve your room:

• Call 605-339-2000 and refer to the group “Arts Leadership Institute” or to the group code “AL5”
  
• Online-Follow this link Arts Leadership Institute, (you must enter the dates of arrival and departure between 04/28/2025 and 04/30/2025)
• Please note that the arrival and departure dates must be entered to access the group rate

The cutoff date to book rooms in this block is April 4, 2025.

Schedule

Tuesday, April 29

• 12:00 Registration opens
• 1:00-1:15 Arts Leadership Institute Starts – Welcome and Introductions
• 1:15-2:45 Session 1 – Vicki Stewart – Executive Director of Employment Disability Resources – Accessibility in the Arts
  • Description: Learn how to interact more effectively with people with disabilities, market your performances/events to people with disabilities, and increase your knowledge of accessibility features.
• 2:45-3:15 Break, Networking & Guest Presentation
• 3:15-4:45 Session 2 – Emily Shuman – Director of the Rocky Mountain ADA Center – ADA Accessibility and the Arts
  • Description: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) represents a historic milestone, as it is the first comprehensive civil rights law focused on people with disabilities. The ADA opens the doors to participation in places of public accommodation by prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in many environments, including arts and cultural organizations. This training will summarize the ADA and define disability. We will examine the rights of people with disabilities and the responsibilities of cultural and arts organizations to provide access to patrons under the ADA. We will discuss service animals, policy modifications, effective communication, and attitudinal barriers.
• 4:45-5:00 Wrap-up
• 5:30-7:00 Evening Social (optional) – R Wine Bar & Kitchen, 322 E 8th St, Sioux Falls, SD 57103

Wednesday, April 30

• 8:30-9:00 Breakfast & Networking
• 9:00-10:00 Session 3 – Patricia Acevedo Fuentes – Arts South Dakota Board Member, Architect & Community Leader – Good Design is for All
  • Description: While accessibility is the result of civil rights legislation, designing spaces and experiences for everyone is central to Good Design. Learn how to eliminate barriers to access and ensure we are considering everyone.
• 10:00-10:30 Break, Networking & Guest Presentation
• 10:30-12:00 Session 4 – Collaborative Community Programming Panel
  • Description: Join for short presentations from and interactive panel conversations with organizations who are doing impactful work across South Dakota focused on accessibility and cross-community collaboration.
  • Jessica Callies – 401 Create by Lifescape, Mitchell
  • Dan Cleberg – Fallout Creative Community, Aberdeen
  • Alex Weiland – Penguin Project (The Premiere Playhouse), Sioux Falls
  • Mary Payton Zajicek – Artist and Arts Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities Recipient
• 12:00-12:30 Wrap-up

The Arts Leadership Institute is made possible by the generous support from: