South Dakota Arts Council

10/23/2026

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🎶 This week, we’re bringing music to communities across South Dakota!
Through the South Dakota Arts Council Visiting Artists Program, we’re bringing masterclasses and live performances to schools and communities all week long.

Investing in music. Strengthening communities. And inspiring the next generation of band geeks. 🤘🎺

10/19/2026

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I opened up my mail and recognized the signature on this beautiful landscape in Arts South Dakota "Arts Alive". GPWS Member Barbara Sparks Watercolors "weathering the plains" is one of 10 new pieces added to the state's art collection in 2026 through the art for state buildings program.

10/16/2026

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❤ Art Teachers Call For Art ❤

Open to current or retired K-12 art educators in the Black Hills region (public, private, and tribal schools)
This exhibition aims to spotlight and recognize educators not only as teachers but as artists and active participants in a creative profession!

Submit photos of your art by December 1!
Learn more: thedahl.org/artteacherscall

10/13/2026

ART TEACHERS! STUDENT ARTISTS!

🔥This competition is OPEN. 🔥

🎨 NOV. 6, 2026: Deadline to submit online (new, easier form!)
🎨 NOV. 20, 2026: Notification of artworks selected
🎨 NOV. 30, 2026: Deadline for shipping to our Pierre office

Selected artworks will be displayed in the Capitol Building in Pierre from January through October 2027. This statewide competition and exhibit for K-12 young artists is a collaboration between the Governor and the South Dakota Arts Council.

👉 See the link in the bio for more information!

10/13/2026

“In knowing your culture, you will begin to know yourself in relation to all that is.” – Arthur Amiotte

📸 "Homage to a Treasure and its Maker" by Arthur Amiotte, 2016, collage on canvas, Art For State Buildings collection - South Dakota Arts Council

🐎 We celebrate artists in October in many ways, and like collage artist Arthur Amiotte, we would like to pay homage to those who have come before us.

🦅 Arthur Amiotte (Wanblí Ta Hócoka Washté, or Good Eagle Center) was born in the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1942 and raised between there and Custer, SD. By pasting and juxtaposing historic images, family photographs, receipts, and advertisements with his own drawings, Lakota philosophy and oral history form the foundation of his artistic work. His love of the Lakota traditions, ceremonies, rituals, and visionary experiences form the foundation of his creativity as a whole.

❤️ Arthur is a member of the Oglala Lakota Oyate and has participated in more than 100 solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and Europe. His paintings, sculptures, and textile objects are located in hundreds of public and private collections. He received a Bachelor of Arts in education from Northern State College in Aberdeen and a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Montana, where he studied with renowned scholar, Joseph Eps Brown. Arthur holds honorary doctorates from Oglala Lakota College, Kyle, SD, and Brandon University, Manitoba, Canada.

10/13/2026

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10/13/2026

❤️📣 We celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month with our partners across the state.

October 2026 is National Arts and Humanities Month! 🎉

Through October 31 and beyond, we’re asking you to Add Your Voice — and there are four ways to do it:

📣 Contact Congress — Kennedy Center, NEA & NEH, IMLS, arts education, and arts & economic data
🗳️ Get Out The Vote — visit ArtsVote.org to activate your community and make your voice count this election season.
🎥 Share Your Story — post with and to show why the arts matter to you.
🤝 Gather with Advocates — host or join a National Arts & Humanities Month event in your community.

Our toolkit has everything you need — social templates, legislative asks, key stats, and ready-to-use content. Download it and start making your voice heard.

Access the Toolkit → https://bit.ly/4i33NuG

Photo: Letitia Fernandez Ivins, The Music Center (Los Angeles, CA)

09/16/2026

Unlock your creative potential! 🎨 The Governor's Student Art Competition is now open to K-12 students in South Dakota, showcasing their talents in a prestigious exhibition at the Capitol Building in Pierre from January to October. Let's celebrate the power of art to inspire and uplift our communities! See the link in comments.

❤ This acrylic artwork titled "Echoes of the Past" by fourth-grader Alissandra Leroy of St. Francis, SD is one of 12 pieces selected for display at the Capitol this past year.

✅ Artist Statement:
"In this painting, I show the side profile of a Native American woman. Her face represents strength, beauty, and the connection to her culture. Hidden within the painting is the side profile of an older man, symbolizing the spirit of her ancestor watching over her. I wanted to show how the past and present are connected and how our ancestors are always a part of who we are, even when we can't see them. The woman and the man together remind us that our history lives within us and continues to guide us forward. This artwork is about remembering where we come from and honoring those who came before us."