WHY ARTS MATTER IN SOUTH DAKOTA

THE ARTS ARE A TEAM EFFORT!

The South Dakota arts and culture sector was a $1.4 billion industry in 2022 (2.04% of the state's GDP), representing 14,640 jobs (3.08% of South Dakota's workforce), and total compensation of $902.9 million.

The South Dakota Arts Council is the state agency responsible for making the arts accessible through grants, services and information to artists, art organizations, schools and the public. Arts South Dakota is the programming side, providing education, advocacy and communication leadership. Working together, they champion sustainability and access to the arts.

$1.4 BILLION added to state's economy

14,640 workers employed

$902.9 MILLION earned wages and benefits

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis & National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (2024). Data collected for 2022.

“This past June we presented Bill Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. Why this play above all others? With all that’s going on in Israel presently, we believe this is a crucial moment in global politics and societal relations.”

Greg Huckabee South Dakota Shakespeare Festival board president

PARTNERSHIPS BOLSTER CREATIVE COMMUNITIES

THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT for the Arts (NEA) plays a critical role in supporting the arts in South Dakota. In 2023 the NEA awarded over $1.2 million to seven arts organizations in the state, including just over $1 million to the South Dakota Arts Council (SDAC). SDAC in turn matched those funds through a portion of the state's tourism promotion tax, resulting in more than $1.7 million invested in S.D. organizations and artists across about 320 grants.

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee allocated $209 million for the NEA in the Fiscal Year 2025 Interior Appropriations Bill, an increase of $2 million. Still, the NEA’s portion of the total federal budget is miniscule. “Only 62 cents per year of an individual’s annual taxes go to NEA funding,” says

Jim Speirs, executive director of Arts South Dakota. “Grants provided by the NEA, in partnership with the South Dakota Arts Council, make a big difference in funding the arts in our state," Speirs says. "Their reach is far and wide, funding the arts in rural and underserved communities. The NEA is vital to our arts ecosystem, especially in rural South Dakota.”

Grant recipients have included such diverse groups as Cheyenne River Youth Project and its related RedCan Graffiti Jam, South Dakota Shakespeare Festival, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and Black Hills Works/Flutter Productions.

Funding is allocated by the U.S. Congress. South Dakota's congressional delegation are key in supporting this effort.