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Candidates should take a
stand on the arts
By Pat Boyd, Executive Director, South Dakotans for
the Arts
Being an arts advocate in South Dakota doesn’t just mean writing
letters to legislators, sitting in on school board meetings or hosting
educational coffee parties to acquaint neighbors with the importance of personal
arts advocacy. Sometimes being an arts advocate is as simple as asking your
candidate where he or she stands on arts issues.
Arts education, public funding for the arts and the role of the arts in community development and cultural tourism are critical elements in the growth and future of South Dakota. Every office-seeker, whether a state legislator, county commissioner, Senate or Presidential candidate, should have a position on the accessibility of the arts and an understanding of our state’s needs regarding arts in our classrooms, community halls and auditoriums.
Candidates for office may not make their position on the arts a major plank of their platforms—since other issues are more visible. But it is up to us, as parents, as audiences and as arts advocates, to ask those who are running for office just what they do think about the arts in South Dakota. By asking the question, we may be helping our candidates to become better educated about the arts and their place in our state.
Artists and arts supporters are team players. They’ve learned to work together to make good things happen in our state. Arts advocates are found in every political party and group dedicated to making South Dakota the best place in the nation to live and work. That’s why arts supporters can talk with candidates, sharing their concerns and helping candidates—some of whom will shortly be elected officials—delineate their positions on arts issues.
As you encounter those running for office, ask each to state his or her position, or simply to have a position. We can also help to see that candidates are informed, so they may develop a position on the arts. If candidates run for office with a view on the arts in South Dakota, it stands to reason that our elected officials will be better able to address the arts needs of our state.
To find out more about arts advocacy, visit www.sdarts.org, the website of the South Dakota Arts Council and South Dakotans for the Arts.