Washington Pavilion Seeks Grant to Share the Arts with Rural South Dakota Youth

The Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science seeks to fill the arts education void present in rural schools and is asking for the public to help not with money, but with votes for a video it produced as an application to win a generous grant from A Community Thrives.

A Community Thrives (ACT), is an arts granting initiative sponsored by the USA TODAY NETWORK. While most initiatives designate funds or give support to great charities, ACT will instead fund and support great ideas. ACT has received idea submissions from individuals and groups in communities across the country looking to change the landscape in the areas of wellness, arts & culture and education, and will fund the best of these ideas in an effort to create real change. The Washington Pavilion created a 3-minute video and needs enough public votes to advance in the competition that awards two $50,000 and one $100,000 prize.

"Most rural schools in the region may not have the budget for an arts teacher or an arts program," says Rose Ann Hofland, Director of the Community Learning Center at the Pavilion. "Winning one of these generous grants would allow us to offer these rural students world-class arts experiences, exhibits and performances which would not otherwise be available to them."

You may cast your vote for rural arts education by going to the A Community Thrives website and voting for the Washington Pavilion video. Individuals are allowed to cast one vote daily at http://act.usatoday.com/submit-an-idea/#/gallery/60406098 from April 12 through May 12, 2017.

"We consider youth accessibility to Visual Arts and Performing Arts to be an important priority," stated Hofland. "An educational field trip experience at the Washington Pavilion provides a strong supplement to an education curriculum that is increasingly focused on reading and math to the exclusion of the vital component of arts education."

The top 10 voted submissions in each category will be reviewed by a panel of judges who will determine the top three applicants in each category. Winners will be notified on or around May 28.

The Washington Pavilion is the region's home for the arts, entertainment and science. Located in a beautifully renovated historic building in downtown Sioux Falls, it is one of only a few facilities in the world to bring together under one roof the performing arts, visual arts and interactive science. The vast array of high quality programming and educational activities available through the Husby Performing Arts Center, Kirby Science Discovery Center, Visual Arts Center and the Community Learning Center ensures that people of all ages and walks of life can rely upon the Washington Pavilion to entertain, inspire, educate and enrich. There is, indeed, something for everyone here. For information about our programs, call (605) 367-7397 or, (toll free) at 1-877-Wash Pav or visit our website at www.washingtonpavilion.org.