Jacqui Dietrich
ART + DESIGN
In addition to the statewide study, AEP6 focused on five city arts councils throughout South Dakota: Aberdeen, Brookings, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, and Yankton. Throughout those five arts councils, the study extrapolated total expenditures and total employment. “For Sioux Falls specifically, we saw our numbers increase within job employment here; the arts employ 2,156 people,” said Kellen Boice , executive director of the Sioux Falls Arts Council . In Sioux Falls the study found that the arts and culture nonprofits make an annual economic impact of $126,108,085. As for Rapid City, Jacqui Dietrich , executive director of the Rapid City Arts Council shares that their sector supports 3,296 jobs and makes an annual economic impact of $204,105,202. “The future of our communities depends on arts and culture as an economic driver, as a creative community supports our local employers in professional recruitment, attracts visitors, and encourages local spending,” said Dietrich. With South Dakota hosting a strong, close-knit arts community, art is gaining more attention as a driving force of tourism. “We’ve known it since the 1930s. Tourism started in South Dakota from a large sculpture in the Black Hills,” shared Speirs. “It’s been a foundational element of tourism since day one, but now we’re starting to see a greater awareness and appreciation for the role the arts play in attracting visitors.” Artistic Statistics In South Dakota, the non-profit arts and cultural sector provided: • 6,054 jobs • 6,455,088 attendees to arts and cultural events Other Study Partners Total Expenditures
Aberdeen: $4,336,299 Brookings: $7,570,781 Yankton: $2,008,306
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