Sioux Falls Arts Council

06/10/2026

Today, we are announcing a leadership transition at the Sioux Falls Arts Council. Effective June 10th, Kellen Boice will be stepping down from her role as Executive Director to pursue new opportunities.

The Board of Directors wants to extend our sincere thanks to Kellen for her time, energy, and dedication to our local arts community. We wish her the absolute best in her next chapter!

Our Board will be working closely with our team and community partners to ensure a smooth transition. We remain fully committed to our mission to enrich Sioux Falls culture, economy and opportunity by building a stronger and more vibrant community.

06/10/2026

Vote for who needs to go up on the wall! Charlotte Carver has our vote, lifelong arts supporter and advocate.

⚠️🚨CAST YOUR VOTE!!!🚨⚠️

Which one of these Sioux Falls LEGENDS should we add to the Wall of Notability in 2026?! React to this post by June 20th to vote for your favorite.

WALLACE DOW (React 'LOVE' to vote)
Nicknamed 'The Builder of the Prairie', Wallace Dow moved to Sioux Falls in 1884 after designing the South Dakota State Penitentiary, the South Dakota School for the deaf, and the All Saints School, all of which still stand in Sioux Falls to this day. Dow was also the architect for the Old Courthouse Museum and several other important buildings in downtown Sioux Falls and all over the region. Dow's quartzite buildings literally shaped the Sioux Falls skyline and residences created by Dow have stood the test of time in the Cathedral district and beyond. Dow left a legacy of strong, durable, ornate and interesting buildings that are so unique that many have been sent all of the world as the focal point of postcards. Sioux Falls wouldn't be what it is today without Wallace Dow.

KENNY ANDERSON (React 'CARE' to vote)
Civic leader Kenny Anderson is best remembered for breaking racial barriers as he became the first African American elected to the Sioux Falls City Commission in 1988. Anderson grew up in the North End of Sioux Falls, owned and operated a successful dry cleaning business and was a great athlete, eventually being inducted into the South Dakota Fast Pitch Softball Hall of Fame. He was well-known for his generosity and positive attitude and the sports complex at Washington High School bears his namesake. He celebrated diversity in our great city but never let it define him or his impact, as he would always tell people: "I’m not black, I’m not green..I’m Sioux Falls."

CHARLOTTE CARVER (React 'WOW' to vote)
Charlotte Carver was an art pioneer and steadfast advocate for the arts in Sioux Falls and The Carver Gallery in City Hall was dedicated in her honor in 2019. Carver was the Business Manager for the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and the first Executive Director of the Sioux Falls Arts Council. Through her leadership, service on numerous boards, and commitment to arts education and public spaces, she left a lasting impact on the community. Honored with awards including the Governor’s Honorary Award in the Arts and the Sioux Falls Mayor’s Award for Outstanding Individual Advocacy in the Arts, Charlotte’s legacy lives on through this gallery, celebrating her belief that the arts belong at the heart of civic life.

06/10/2026

Congratulations Elyssa Sierra Her Many Horses and Jessica “Jesse” Big Crow from Pine Ridge, SD on your Bush Fellowships. What an amazing opportunity to elevate your community through the important work you are doing.

We are snapping, clapping and jumping up and down today as we congratulate the 2026 Bush Fellows! 🎉

Each year, it is an absolute privilege and joy to celebrate 30 amazing leaders from communities all across the region who are bold thinkers working on bold solutions like improving crisis response in rural areas; making healthcare work better for more people; preserving languages and cultural practices for future generations; and finding innovative solutions in economics, housing, media and civic engagement.

Phew! And those are just the highlights! Help us celebrate and spread the word about each of these amazing individuals and their big ideas for making our region work better for everyone: https://bit.ly/4x68UzP

And check back here regularly, because we'll be introducing each individual Fellow over the next several weeks!

05/21/2026

Excited to see this take shape and help celebrate with these artists and the City the works being presented in the Charlotte Carver Gallery.

We have so much love for our longtime board member and community arts advocate, Charlotte Carver. May her passions for the arts and the artists that make our community an amazing arts hub be reflected in these exhibits for years to come. Cheers to the arts!

05/19/2026

We will "Stand By" this talented group of students! Amazing to see the arts expanding in the school district! Learning to read and play music is a life long skill and one that will reverberate around campfires, coffee shops and communities for years to come! Cheers to the Arts! 🎸🪘🎨🩰🎭🎹🎬🎤

05/13/2026

Attended the informational yesterday to see the first glances at the Arts and Cultural Plan presented to the City of Sioux Falls by Keen Independent Research. We are excited to see this kind of investment from the City and hope to get to work with them to make sure this plan is inclusive to our communities needs, and is implemented far beyond the final adoption next week.

See the DRAFT plan here.
https://www.keenindependent.com/studies/siouxfallsartsplan

See informational presentation.
https://amv.siouxfalls.gov/OnBaseAgendaOnline/Meetings/ViewMeeting?id=4267&doctype=1

05/11/2026

Nominee Announcement Coming Up!

🤩🎭

The seventh-annual Sioux Falls Stage Awards are coming this June 25 — so get ready to celebrate the truly remarkable amount of amazing work done by local performing artists this past season in this incredible year for the Sioux Falls arts! Mark your calendars — we're just a couple weeks away from revealing the nominated artists in the areas of theatre, comedy, dance and music for our seventh annual community event, the 2025-26 Sioux Falls Stage Awards!

🗓 On Sunday, May 24, at 7 p.m., you can tune in live on our YouTube page for the announcement of the stellar roster of Stage Awards honorees! Mark your calendar and set a reminder to tune in ▶️ youtube.com/

🎟 Then we'll see you at the awards, June 25 in the Belbas Theater — tickets available now at siouxfallsstage.org/awards

05/11/2026

We would like to invite you to an Arts and Cultural Plan Forum with Keen Independent Research and members of the Sioux Falls Arts Commission, tonight, Monday, May 11, from 5:30–7:00 PM at the downtown library (200 N Dakota Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57104).

This is an opportunity for those involved in the planning process to come together, hear key updates, ask questions, and learn more about the final plan and what comes next.

05/11/2026

Listening to the 5 mayoral candidates at DT Rotary to learn how each would run our city given the opportunity.

As artists what questions would you like to ask these candidates? How can they support the arts community in the next 5 years?

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