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Council on the Arts seeks funds to build five ‘Arts Across the Prairie’ public works and replace retiring staff
Summary
New executive director Jess Christie told lawmakers the North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) requests access to an Arts Across the Prairie maintenance fund and one additional FTE to complete public‑art builds and ensure matching federal grants; the Senate reduced fabrication access and removed the FTE in its chamber action.
Jess Christie, executive director of the North Dakota Council on the Arts, told the Appropriations — Human Resources Division that the agency needs one additional full‑time equivalent and expanded access to a maintenance endowment to complete the Arts Across the Prairie public‑art initiative and to secure the state’s federal match with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
"Our mission is to strengthen creative capacity for all who live and visit through honoring cultural traditions, empowering excellence and innovation, inspiring arts and cultural opportunities for all," Christie told the panel. She said the council has provided nearly 400 grants in the current biennium, distributing about $2 million across 71 cities and 39 counties, and supports arts education, apprenticeships and creative‑aging projects.
Christie described Arts Across the Prairie as an eight‑region, community‑driven initiative intended to place large‑scale public artworks in each region. She said stakeholder groups are ready to build in five regions, with artist designs and contracts in place for those sites, but that the project lacks funds for site preparation, engineering, signage, pull‑offs and other infrastructure. Christie said the council received a $1 million maintenance appropriation in 2021 intended for upkeep; the council requested language to allow use of that fund for fabrication so four works could be completed, arguing the fund’s principal was meant to be spent for the project rather than held in perpetuity.
Christie also told the committee that NDCA relies on a federal partnership with the NEA that requires a one‑to‑one state appropriation match; she warned that falling short of the required state match would forfeit the federal award.
On personnel, Christie said half of NDCA’s small staff will reach retirement eligibility within two years and requested an additional FTE (grants program officer) to convert an existing full‑time temporary employee into permanent status; the council said that would allow it to absorb retiring staff duties and secure continuity. The fiscal officer, Robin Bosch, was named as a long‑time, soon‑to‑retire employee whose institutional knowledge is significant.
Senate action on the bill split implementation: the chamber revised maintenance‑fund access down to $190,000 (enough to build roughly two works) and did not fund the requested FTE in its amendment. NDCA asked the House committee to restore full access to the maintenance fund (the council’s request was $380,000 from that fund to build four pieces) and to restore the FTE so the agency can retain the current temporary staff member in a permanent role.
Ending: Christie and board members told lawmakers they will return with budget details when requested; committee members thanked the council and scheduled follow‑up in the coming weeks.
