BACK ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: JIM MATHIS, DALE LAMPHERE, LAWRENCE DIGGS, & LYNN VERSCHOOR FRONT ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: MICHAEL PANGBURN, JANE RASMUSSEN, JIM SPEIRS, SHARI KOSEL, SARAH LARSON, & RODNET GARNETT
Along the way Speirs says they’ve deepened their advocacy work at the legislature, have grown their State Arts Conference , and have built a statewide network of thousands of artists, arts organizations, and supporters “who help carry this work forward” with the nonprofit. The small, but dedicated staff of four is celebrating 10 years of success by continuing what they do best every month, including sending out their weekly newsletter, posting over 2,000 arts events on their online calendar, hosting webinars and community arts council cohort meetings, and more. During this milestone year, they have honored where Arts South Dakota has been and where they’re headed. The 2026 State Arts Conference in downtown Rapid City this past April was a big part of that celebration.
Held April 24-25 with around 150 attendees, Arts in Healing SD explored how the arts support wellness and health across the state. The keynote speaker was Christopher Bailey , who is the co-director of the Jameel Arts and Health Lab and formerly with the WHO Arts and Health program in Geneva, Switzerland. Ariadne Albright was also featured, who is the creative aging SD coordinator for the South Dakota Arts Council , and whose work spans healthcare, academic, community, and correctional settings. Friday's preconference through Arts South Dakota’s Arts Leadership Institute offered an intensive look at arts in healing, and Saturday's full conference brought together artists, administrators, policymakers, and arts lovers for keynotes, workshops, and conversation.
LIFESTYLE ISSUE august 2026
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