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NDCA acknowledges the five federally recognized tribes and one Indian community located within North Dakota, who came before us and on whose lands we reside. These include: Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara Nation (Three Affiliated Tribes) Spirit Lake Nation Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate NationNDCA acknowledges the five federally recognized tribes and one Indian community located within North Dakota, who came before us and on whose lands we reside. These include: Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara Nation (Three Affiliated Tribes), Spirit Lake Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, and the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Nation.

North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) is a service and program agency of the state, established in 1967 by State Legislature “to ensure that the role of the arts in the life of our communities will continue to grow and will play an evermore significant part in the welfare and educational experience of our citizens.” Our purpose is to bring that commitment to life. NDCA operates with an annual budget of over $2 million through the support of the National Endowment for the Arts and an appropriation from the North Dakota State Legislature. The majority of NDCA’s budget is awarded to organizations and individuals through various grant programs.

Mission

We strengthen the creative capacity of North Dakota for all who live and visit here:
honoring our cultural traditions, empowering excellence and innovation,
inspiring arts and culture opportunities for all.

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Goals
Art & Creative Process for All
Goal 1 - Working toward a North Dakota in which all can experience arts and culture – diversity of tradition, of genre, of exposure. All can participate. All are welcome.
Vibrant Communities
Goal 2 - Regions, cities, communities, and networks across the state appreciate the power of the arts. They use that power to enhance the vitality of North Dakota. They celebrate the vibrant communities that result, each with arts, creativity and culture at their core.
Thriving Arts Ecosystem
Goal 3 - NDCA, communities, organizations, artists, and educators thrive in an interdependent, mutually supported system. Each has resilient capacity aligned for impact.
Excellence & Innovation
Goal 4 - NDCA models excellence and innovation for the field. It sustains its gains through self-reflection, evaluation and continuous improvement. Its innovative partnerships open doors to greater influence and impact, increase its efficiency, and leverage its resources.
Beliefs & Values

Inspiring our mission are these deeply held beliefs:

  • Art tells our stories – individually and as a state
  • Art, culture, and creativity, by and for the community, all have the power to:
    • Inspire and enhance lives
    • Build community and transform its spaces
    • Lift up, heal, and unite across divides
  • Everyone deserves equal access to a full, vibrant creative life, which is essential to a healthy and democratic society

We hold ourselves accountable to the people of North Dakota and the trust placed in us. Because of this we:

  • Pursue excellence and innovation in all things
  • Pursue cultural equity throughout the state
  • Engage our state through fair and transparent processes
Strategic Plan
Biennial Report
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In addition to grant programs, North Dakota Council on the Arts also supports a biennial Statewide Arts Convening along with the biennial Governor’s Awards for the Arts, quarterly featured artists in the Capitol building, exhibits at the North Dakota State Heritage Center, Poetry Out Loud, Art for Life Program, Artist in Residence program with the North Dakota Parks and Recreation department, and Arts Across the Prairie, a first-of-its-kind statewide public art program. NDCA also partners with a variety of state agencies and nonprofit organizations throughout the state in the presentation and support of arts-related programs.

  • Arts in Education provides resources to make the arts central to education in North Dakota and to support and expand arts education opportunities for all citizens within our schools and communities.
  • Community Arts provides useful resources to individuals, organizations, and the communities of North Dakota that aid in their goals to create and present quality artistic programming to all citizens.
  • The Folk Arts program encourages the preservation and continuation of traditional culture and traditional/folk art throughout North Dakota. This is done through fieldwork that identifies and documents traditional art forms. This work is often used in exhibits, recordings, and other projects conducted by NDCA.

Related Articles

Guest editorial by Kim Konikow, former NDCA Executive Director, in the Winter 2020 issue of North Dakota Horizons magazine.

North Dakota Council on the Arts was honored to be chosen as a focal point of the 2021 fall addition of North Dakota Horizons magazine. Co-Editor Kylie Blanchard wrote a wonderful tribute to the 50-year history of NDCA, including interviews with staff and board members describing the value of the arts in North Dakota.

Arts Midwest's Return on Investment (ROI) in North Dakota 2020 State Report and the 2022 ND ROI Report.

2024 Why the Arts Matter in North Dakota fact sheet compiled by Arts Action Fund.