The Prairie is My Garden has stirred daydreams for so many Americans from its lifelong place on grandmas wall. Those who have made the pilgrimage to stand before the massive original painting right here in Brookings at the South Dakota Art Museum know its magic. It doesnt just depict the land we know. It captures something sacred about what it means to belong here. The painting is majestic in its humility, arresting, and evokes the emotion of the viewer based on the viewer’s own experience of the land we South Dakotans know so intimately. Moments of homecoming like this are on the chopping block.
The recently proposed 2026 federal budget would eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. This is despite the fact that a whopping 96 percent of Americans across political lines want museum funding to continue or increase. These agencies have supported libraries, museums, schools, cultural preservation, and community programs across South Dakota for decades. If they are eliminated, the consequences will be swift and severe for institutions, educators, artists, visitors, isolated elders, rural communities, Indigenous groups, and schoolchildren across our state.
This isnt just about one museum. Its about our quality of life.
In 2022, South Dakotas nonprofit arts and culture sector generated $363 million in economic activity, supported over 6,000 jobs, and welcomed more than 6.4 million attendees to cultural events across the state. Here in Brookings, we see that impact every day.
At the South Dakota Art Museum, these funds support programs that bring busloads of schoolchildren to learn visual thinking strategies, tools that help sharpen young minds. They help us care for our collections, which include the works of internationally celebrated Yanktonai Dakota artist Oscar Howe. Recently, the landmark traveling exhibition Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe brought his work to major museums around the country, from the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City to the Portland Art Museum. The exhibitions final and most personal stop was right here at the South Dakota Art Museum, where many of Howes original works have long been preserved, protected, and carefully stewarded for the people of South Dakota and the Indigenous peoples of these lands.
These agencies help fund the Festival of Books. They support the Brookings Arts Council and our public libraries. They support emerging artists, storytellers, and educators who serve communities from the smallest towns to tribal nations. Our museum hosts public events, free summer concerts on the museum lawn, and seasonal events that make life in Brookings more vibrant, connected, and meaningful.
Weve all heard the question: What is there to do in Brookings? The truth is that our arts community has done more than answer that. It has delivered. The arts preserve who we are. They give us places to gather, to learn, and to celebrate. They offer joy, reflection, and pride in where we live. They are where our unique contribution to the American story is vividly documented, kept alive, and made accessible to people from all over the globe.
The arts support mental health in powerful ways, offering creative engagement, emotional expression, and community-building for people of all ages. In a time when we all agree that mental health should be a priority, the arts provide something healthier to turn to, whether its an alternative to bars for young adults, screens for kids, or isolation for our elders.
If these agencies are cut, South Dakotas cultural life will shrink. Programs will be canceled or desperately scramble for funding. South Dakotans will be laid off. Outreach to children and rural communities are facing a real threat. Some institutions may close altogether.
We cannot let that happen.
In addition to supporting the arts locally, please contact Sen. Thune, Sen. Rounds, and Rep. Johnson. Tell them to oppose the elimination of the NEA, NEH, and IMLS. Remind them that the arts are not fat to be cut; they are essential. You might simply say:
Im writing to ask you to oppose the proposed elimination of the NEA, NEH, and IMLS. These agencies are vital to South Dakotas libraries, museums, schools, and economy. They support local jobs and preserve our culture. Please stand with South Dakotans and protect funding for the arts and humanities.
This is not a partisan issue. It is a South Dakota issue. Its a Brookings issue. Its an American issue. Its about ensuring our children and grandchildren grow up with access to creativity, culture, and community, and that we continue to invest in what makes this place home.
Thank you for using your voice.
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