Dakota West Arts Council
leads, advocates, and advances
art and culture in the Bismarck Community.
Who We Are
Since its inception, the council’s Grant Program has been our flagship service offering. Thousands of dollars have been re-granted to arts organizations throughout the Bismarck area to support cultural projects in all disciplines. We typically issue 20-30 grants each year to local arts nonprofits and individual artists.
Mission Statement
To serve our community in celebrating “art in the everyday” by cultivating and supporting all types of creative exploration and cultural artistic expression.
Vision Statement
Foster a community that believes arts, culture, and humanities are essential.
Core Values
We believe art, culture, and humanities enrich the quality of life for residents and visitors to North Dakota’s Capital City.
- Support sustainability of having a voice for arts and culture. We believe art, cultural, and the humanities provide opportunities that are vital to a healthy, prosperous society.
- Develop meaningful influential relationships with organizations.
- Achieve recognition as the premier advocate for creativity and vibrancy.
- Serve as the collective voice in believing in art for all – everyone deserves equal access to a full, vibrant creative life, which is essential to a healthy and democratic society.
- Bridge multi-cultural relationships through collaborative efforts on the arts and humanities. We believe unique and diverse art forms bring people together across cultures and can bridge/promote positive intercultural relationships.
- Unite the community through cultural heritage. We believe arts and cultural heritage can provide an automatic sense of unity and belonging within a group and allow us to better understand previous generations and the history of where we come from.
- Inspire community vitality through economic grown through the arts.
Our board and staff
Board of Directors 2024-2025
Joshua Johnson
President of the Board
Professional Musician
Johnathan Campbell
Vice President
Visual Artist & Designer
Tanya Jo Smith
Treasurer
Melissa Gordon
Secretary
Visual Artist
Rosary Sarasvaty Posch
Dancer and Instructor
Andrea Fagerstrom
Visual Artist, Professor
Judith Hammer
Retired
Dan Bielinski
Film Maker, Professor
Daniel Walstad
Theater
Shana Klee
Musician
Alekz Thoms
Visual Artist
Erica Shively
Lawyer
Staff
Dr. Jason Thoms
Executive Director