About
Arts Across the Prairie: Placemaking in Rural North Dakota is a first-of-its-kind, statewide, public art program from North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA). This program will create eight large-scale public works – one for each geographic region in the state – that reflect the unique history, landscape, and cultural heritage of each region. All eight works will be placed in rural locations. This program is in collaboration with the North Dakota Department of Transportation (a first in the US) and North Dakota Tourism/Commerce.
Arts Across the Prairie was developed to celebrate the cultural heritage of rural areas, foster creative relationships across counties and regions, bolster NDCA’s role as a rural development partner, and spur economic development through tourism. Furthermore, as a community-driven initiative, it aims to promote civic pride, affirm distinctiveness of place, and strengthen cultural identity. This program will create public-private partnerships throughout the state and will provide a national model of this type of creative placekeeping.
Goals of Arts Across the Prairie:
- Foster creative cross-county networking and regional collaboration
- Promote tourism for in- and out-of-state visitors
- Stimulate economic development and activity in rural areas of North Dakota
- Build stronger arts communities across the state
- Invest in North Dakota's creative sector with professional training and support to heighten visibility
- Bolster NDCA's role as a rural development partner
- Celebrate the cultural heritage of rural areas
Funds are currently being raised nationally and regionally. This program has a $5 million budget over seven years. The first-of-its-kind state partnership with North Dakota Department of Transportation will contribute to roads, pull-outs, parking, and signage at selected sites.
The North Dakota Legislature issued an appropriation of $1 million dollars specifically for the interest earned on this amount to be utilized on infrastructure and maintenance over the life of the program.
Region 1 in NW North Dakota has completed the artist selection processes, but is in search of an installation site. Region 4’s selected artist will begin installation in fall 2024. Stakeholders in Region 2 and 6 have selected sites and artists with a final design in process. Stakeholders are currently being established in Region 3. In SW North Dakota, the Stakeholders in Region 8 have finished their project development and are starting the Request for Proposals process. The most populated regions, 5 and 7, will begin their projects in 2025.
In order to implement Arts Across the Prairie, diverse stakeholder groups will be formed in each region, joining across county lines. All participants will be guided in the process of selecting locations, designing artist Requests for Proposals, and articulating what type of creation will best represent their region’s cultural heritage. Technical Assistance/Professional Development will be offered to all participants related to budgets, fundraising, land ownership and maintenance, and economic development.
Stakeholder Responsibilities:
- Diverse individuals from across all counties in the Region
- Participate in ongoing (monthly) meetings over Zoom
- Facilitate site selection for proposed public art installation
- Engage with community members
- Assist in artist selection
- Celebrate regional cultural heritage and spread knowledge
Region Stakeholders and Updates
“Deer Crossing” by Gary Greff, part of the ND Enchanted Highway project
Training will also be provided for North Dakota artists in creating large-scale outdoor public artworks. Artists will have increased skill and capacity and will therefore be eligible for additional funding opportunities, both in North Dakota and nationally.
Interested in getting involved? Contact us!
Jess Christy
Executive Director, NDCA
jesschristy@nd.gov | 701.328.7592
Resources
- Americans for the Arts
- American Planning Association: Creative Placemaking
- Art Business News Article: The Importance of Placemaking: Public Art’s Role in Returning Communities in Work and Play
- Art Place America Creative Placemaking White Paper
- Creative Placemaking in Transportation
- Forecast Public Art
- KRESGE Foundation article: Creative placemaking: Rethinking the role of arts and culture in strengthening communities
- National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) Article
- (NASAA) Resources for Creative Placemaking Practitioners
- National Endowment for the Arts Placemaking Resources
- National Governor’s Association Rural Arts
- North Dakota Interactive Regional Map
- Project for Public Spaces article: What is Placemaking?
- Reconnecting to our Waterways: Creative Placemaking
- Rethos
- Springboard for the Arts