ARTS SOUTH DAKOTA AND THE SOUTH DAKOTA ARTS COUNCIL
IMPORTANT HAPPENINGS
come with the autumn months that lie ahead. Youth go back to school, while voters ponder decisions that affect our future. The arts are integral to both.
ARTS AND POLITICS play outsized roles in our culture — and have since ancient times — so wouldn’t it be nice to know how politicians feel about the arts? Arts South Dakota is here to help. The advocacy group is surveying candidates for state legislature and the U.S. Congress, asking for their perspectives on the arts and government. Responses will be posted online at artssouthdakota.org
ART WORKS FOR STUDENTS
Exposure to the arts teaches students how to be better problem solvers, according to David Epstein, author of Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World.
“Our greatest strength is the exact opposite of narrow specialization,” Epstein wrote. “It is the ability to integrate broadly.”
Numerous studies support Epstein’s views:
• Researchers Erica Halvorson and Keith Sawyer found that students exposed to the arts, while also enrolled in science and technology programs, were significantly more innovative.
• Students with high arts participation and low socioeconomic status have a 4 percent dropout rate—five times lower than their peers, according to a study sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
• Four out of five students who are exposed to the arts are more likely to vote or participate in a political campaign, according to Americans for the Arts.
Share this good news with your school boards, local lawmakers and community and state leaders. Be an advocate for arts education.
Eva Madsen next to her artwork Freckle Face.
THE NOMINEES ARE ….
The Governor’s Awards in the Arts show appreciation for individuals and organizations who make South Dakota a better place through the arts. All categories are lifetime achievement awards and honorees will be recognized next February in Pierre during the 2025 legislative session. Staff at Arts South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council, sponsors of the biennial awards, are now welcoming nominations for the following categories:
• Distinction in Creative Achievement: Artists who have made significant contributions in any discipline.
• Outstanding Service in Arts Education: A teacher, mentor or catalyst who has helped others.
• Outstanding Support of the Arts by an Individual: An individual who has supported the arts with time, talent or funding.
• Outstanding Support of the Arts by an Organization or Business: An organization or business that has demonstrated leadership by funding and presenting projects by South Dakota artists.
• Outstanding Support of the Arts to Native Nations with Lands in South Dakota: An individual, organization or business from South Dakota that has made significant contributions through the arts to Native nations with lands in South Dakota.
Freckle Face in D.C.
Eva Madsen’s self-portrait, Freckle Face, is the winner of the South Dakota 2024 Congressional Art Competition. Eva, a senior at Roncalli High School in Aberdeen, honed her skills with art teacher Amy Heinz. U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson says Freckle Face will hang in the Cannon Tunnel at the U.S. Capitol. Lilly Young, a Mitchell High School senior, won second place with a photograph, Frozen in Fog. It will be displayed in Johnson’s Washington office.
BECOME A MEMBER!
Support the arts by becoming a member of Arts South Dakota! Visit ArtsSouthDakota.org to learn more and give today!
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.
PO Box 2496
Sioux Falls, SD 57101 605-252-5979
info@ArtsSouthDakota.org www.ArtsSouthDakota.org
Arts Alive is presented in partnership with South Dakota Magazine
Lakota Horsemen by SD Nelson, the 2023 recipient of the Creative Achievement Award.
Amy Heinz
Frozen in Fog by Lilly Young
