North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA), in collaboration with the Main Street ND Summit 2024, hosted its FREE biennial Statewide Arts Convening August 27-29 in Watford City. The goal of the conference was to provide an opportunity to connect, learn, get inspired, and gain insight to build and grow communities for the future. This convening, NDCA focused on placemaking, with topics that included the Arts Across the Prairie program, attracting a workforce, asset mapping, creating vibrant communities, and strategic planning.
Speaker Bios
President and CEO of Arts Midwest, one of ND’s regional support organizations, Torrie Allen leads the organization in strategic planning, fundraising, and programming, and working in collaboration with staff, local, regional, and national partners to Amplify Midwestern Creativity. As keynote speaker of NDCA's Arts Convening, Torrie focused on the importance of storytelling as it relates to placemaking in the Upper Midwest Region and on building strong communities utilizing the resources that exist – history, people, arts, and forward-vision.
Torrie has appeared as a keynote speaker for international, national, and regional conferences and as a guest lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota, and other schools. Prior to his career in nonprofit leadership, Torrie spent a decade traveling the world as a professional concert and opera singer.
A resident of North Dakota since the 3rd grade, Rhea Beto joined NDCA in 2019 as the Public Information Officer and Accessibility Coordinator. With a Master of Arts in Communication from North Dakota State University, Rhea has over 25 years of experience working in communications and many of those years include an accessibility component.
At NDCA, Rhea manages a grant program; designs publications and social media posts; produces the electronic newsletter and press releases; manages NDCA's websites; and is the designated accessibility/ADA, COSE, and health & wellness coordinator for the office.
During her session at the Convening, Rhea discussed following a statewide branding process for Arts Across the Prairie: Placemaking in Rural ND. Besides a full branding guide, the project resulted in the creation of a website that individually highlights each of the eight Regions and their progress toward the creation of eight unique, large-scale, rural installations.
Jessica (Jess) Christy is a native North Dakotan, born to two artists on the Sanger Art Farm, located at the edge of the Sheyenne River Valley. Christy began the position of executive director of NDCA following a decade immersed in the arts scene of the Chicago area, where she dedicated her time to teaching and collaborating with numerous arts nonprofits and community initiatives. Her passion for uplifting communities through art drives her dedication to serving the people of North Dakota.
Jessica completed her B.S. in Art at Valley City State University in 2007, followed by her MFA from the University of North Dakota in 2011. She contributed to the art community at the Jamestown Arts Center and taught at Minot State University before relocating to Chicago. There, she made her mark at the community printmaking studio Spudnik Press Cooperative and established BE Community Art Space, a pop-up gallery and arts space dedicated to offering free arts programs for local youth and families. While in Chicago, she remained committed to teaching printmaking and other art courses across the city.
Founder and Executive Director of Group Creative Services, Teva Dawson was born in North Dakota yet now hails from Iowa where she has invested over 20 years of her life in implementing civic engagement and integrating community planning through regional government collaboration. Her work has centered around the themes of parks and recreation, transportation systems, and resiliency planning, with health involved in all policies.
Teva began her career path of invention by designing her own major in Environmental Education from Drake University which led to the creation of Des Moines’ first Community Garden Program. She recently spearheaded Greater Des Moines’ first Water Trails and Greenways Plan. During her session at the Convening, Teva shared how to bring transformative ideas to North Dakota communities by highlighting unique assets and growing authentic culture.
Inspired by a passion to create, Brooklyn graduated with a BS in Graphic Design and Public Relations. She uses her talents for design, marketing, writing, and creativity to support business and community in the region. Brooklyn currently serves as Director of Tourism and Creative for Bowman County Development Corporation and Roosevelt Custer Regional Council. She loves being near family and her spontaneity inspires travel.
Antoinette is the Executive Director for the Hazen Chamber of Commerce and Convention Visitors Bureau. She is the biggest “cheerleader” for Hazen and rural North Dakota, working closely with local businesses, organizations/entities, and residents about the importance of creating a vibrant and thriving community. Her creativity, dedication, and passion have instilled growth in investors within the Hazen Chamber of Commerce.
Previously, Antoinette taught Physical Education, Family Consumer Science and English Learners for a combined of 18 years. She continues to teach, but in a unique way: by informing the community to support local businesses primarily and teaching business leaders to be better leaders through improving skills such as communication, empathy, patience, motivation, and fabricating an inviting and welcoming storefront! Antoinette is on the North Dakota Rural Development Council and a committee member for Engagement and Membership through Vision West ND and was newly appointed to the Vision West ND Foundation Board of Directors. Antoinette grew up in Wilton, ND, and graduated from Bismarck High School.
Lindsay (Nelson) Ostlie grew up on a ranch in western North Dakota and has done many different things over the years. She has worked in costuming, the garment industry, farming, writing, teaching, art, and sewing. Currently, she is sewing and raising her three boys at her farm near Carrington.
Session Descriptions and Recordings
How does your community become a “place of distinction," attracting a workforce? Having strong, vital, and unique communities forms emotional connections with residents and visitors, creating and sustaining attachment and advocacy. Public art and placemaking expert Teva Dawson shares how to bring transformative ideas to your town, weave your unique assets, and grow your authentic culture.
Panelists Brooklyn Engelhart & Antoinette Heier shared inspirational stories of how to create attractive and vibrant communities filled with artistic expression that will attract new families, workers, and tourists. The session was facilitated by North Dakota Council on the Arts Executive Director Jess Christy who also shared information on grant programs and available funds from both NDCA and ND Department of Commerce.
A panel will discuss asset mapping as a capacity-focused way of reimaging the strengths and gifts that already exist in our communities. Participants will work together by region to identify assets. By naming collective points of pride, we create a strong foundation from which to build future ideas and address challenges as they arise. Tangible assets such as art and natural heritage, festivals, and events as well as intangible assets such as traditions and relationships all contribute to defining a community’s unique identity and sense of place. Each region will share their top picks that define their unique character, the first phase in defining a cultural plan for their region. Led by public art and placemaking expert Teva Dawson of Group Creative Services.
Amy McCann, Director Of Community Relations at Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Rhea Beto, Public Information Officer at North Dakota Council on the Arts, and Cole Garmen, Outreach and Engagement for ND Parks and Rec share examples of three major placemaking programs happening in North Dakota.
Torrie Allen, President and CEO of Arts Midwest, one of ND’s Regional Support organizations, focused on the importance of storytelling as it relates to placemaking in the Upper Midwest Region and on building strong communities utilizing the resources that exist – history, people, arts, and forward-vision.
Five of the artists selected to build large-scale outdoor artworks for ND Council on the Arts' Arts Across the Prairie: Placemaking in Rural ND program engaged in conversation and answered questions from the audience. Among the topics were: the selection process, working on a rural site from a distance, incorporating cultural heritage into the design, community involvement, and the training of an ND artist cohort. The session was facilitated by Teva Dawson of Group Creative Services.
At the 2024 ND Main Street Summit / Biennial Statewide Arts Convening Award Luncheon, guests enjoyed a locally source-verified meal made by local chefs utilizing the Rough Rider Center's catering kitchen, while listening to a discussion by a panel focused on the logistics of getting that meal and its items from farm to fork. The event was a partnership among District 1 Cattlewomen, Local Ag Lenders, Local Farmers and Ranchers, a Local processing plant, and Local brands – Pride of Dakota, McKenzie Made, and others.