Arts South Dakota is a statewide arts service and advocacy organization headquartered in Sioux Falls, and they work with artists in our largest cities, on reservations, and in our smallest towns. Jim Speirs is Executive Director. He's on an arts road trip this month and joined us from the road in Rapid City.

Our April 20 episode of South Dakota took a closer look at economic development in rural parts of South Dakota. Host Stephanie Rissler held a panel discussion.

Art is often a selling factor for businesses looking to expand to a community. Many people attending performances spend money at local stores and restaurants. Organizations around the state are taking action to measure the economic impact of art.

Every ten years state lawmakers must draft new boundaries for state legislative districts. Observers say as population grows in more urban areas, Sioux Falls may receive another legislative district in 2021, following the census.

SDPB's Kealey Bultena sat down with Kailyn Nielsen, a Certified Nurse Practitioner who works at Pioneer Memorial Hospital and Health Service in Viborg, to discuss the challenges of providing quality health care in rural South Dakota communities.

SDPB's Lori Walsh spoke with Ben Winchester, a senior research fellow at the University of Minnesota Extension about the notion of the “rural brain drain“, which quickly turned into a conversation about rural brain gain.

SDPB's Kealey Bultena traveled to Centerville for a live broadcast from the school library as part of The Shift reporting project. She talked with school superintendent Tim Hagedorn about how the school is addressing population shift in its small town.

Alex Dean is web engineer tasked with building Ted.com. A native of Wessington Springs, Alex traveled the world before returning to the town eight years ago. Potluck Society host Hugh Weber caught up with Alex for a conversation about designing a life he loves in his hometown.

Eileen Briggs was named a Bush Foundation fellow in 2016. Since then, she's also taken on a new role with the foundation leading the Bush Foundation, Native Nation Building Initiative. She joined on In the Moment as part of The Shift reporting project.

The population sizes around South Dakota affect the way students learn. Arts education and extra-curricular activities differ in rural and urban communities.