Who We Are

We continue to build an
arts community where local creativity is shared,
​explored, and celebrated.
Dakota West Arts Council is a 501 [c] [3] non-profit charitable organization that has been working for over thirty-five years in public/private partnership with the City of Bismarck, the Bismarck Parks and Recreation District, local artists, arts organizations, corporate partners, government entities, and local organizations to support and promote cultural opportunities for all. Additionally, our programs and services are supported by the North Dakota Council on the Arts, private foundations, corporate donors, our volunteer board of directors, and individuals committed to cultural development in the city.
     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.
     Over the past few years,  the council’s role has been growing from a granting organization to an organization that promotes and markets arts and culture as a catalyst for economic development and personal enrichment, thereby creating a community that values a life-long appreciation and engagement in the arts. 

Creating a community that values a life-long appreciation
and engagement in the arts.​

We love new projects!
Let's get started.
      It takes a village to impact the culture. As we continue to build an arts community where local creativity is shared, explored, and celebrated, Dakota West Arts Council is enabled by a responsive group of supporters that see the value in investing in our creative capital. Every sponsor–from government to corporations to individuals–is an important link in the chain for our ongoing work.

The City of Bismarck’s 2012 Strategic Plan identifies the following
goals and objectives that are relative to arts and culture:
  • the need to develop community arts, culture and recreational opportunities to become a preferred workplace,
  • the need to incorporate arts and culture in Downtown Bismarck in order to have a vibrant, lively and attractive heart of the community, and
  • a desire to be the arts and cultural capital of North Dakota.
The Arts Council’s Strategic Roadmap and Goals are an extension of the City’s Strategic Plan and identify ways to attain the goals and objectives set by the City.

EVENTS:  For daily updates, friend us at Dakota West Arts Council on Facebook.
Dakota West Arts Council's Strategic Roadmap

Our board and staff

Interested in serving on this board?
Andrea Birst,  President, [Owner, Glance Salon]
Christine Kujawa,  Secretary, [Library Director, Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library]
Mary Ericsson Rennich,  Vice President, [Visual Artist]
Yvonne Kubis, Treasurer, [Yvonne Kubis, CPA]
Angil Wanner-Koper,  Director, [Sales & Marketing Specialist, Braun Intertec Corporation]
Dr. Daniel Devlin, Director  [Assistant Professor of Theatre, Bismarck State College]
Brandon P. Roerich, Director,  [Montana Dakota Utilities (MDU)]
Hope Sisk, Director, [Morning Anchor/Reporter KFYR TV]
Dr. Shawn Oban, Director, [BPS Fine Arts Coordinator, Principal at Myhre Elementary School
Ann Andre', Director,  [Realtor, Keller Williams Inspire Realty]
Kim Hoffman Jondahl, Director, [North Dakota Historical Society]
Will Hutchings, Director, [Planner, Bismarck Community Development]
Eileen Walsh [Executive Director]