FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 12, 2023

SD Arts Leader Mary V. Bordeaux Elected to National Seat

PIERRE, S.D. — Mary V. Bordeaux, a councilor on the South Dakota Arts Council (SDAC), was recently elected to serve a second term on the board of directors for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA). NASAA board members are elected after a rigorous national nomination and interview process.

Bordeaux was appointed to serve as a South Dakota Arts Council advisor in 2011 and served three terms as chair of the Council from 2019-2022.

Bordeaux, Sicangu Oglala Lakota, is on the Museum Studies faculty of the Institute of American Indian Arts. She was previously vice president of First Peoples Fund. Bordeaux is the co-owner and creative director of Racing Magpie, a collaborative space with a Native art gallery and artist studios in downtown Rapid City. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Institute of American Indian Arts and her M.F.A. from the University of the Arts; both in museum studies with an emphasis in exhibition design and planning. Bordeaux is currently working on her educational doctorate at Saint Mary’s University, exploring Lakota epistemology. She has held curatorial positions with The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School and The Indian Museum of North America at Crazy Horse Memorial.

“I’m happy to continue to serve the arts throughout both the public and private sectors. It has been an honor to share my understanding and knowledge of the arts around indigenous and rural communities to help advance the interests of artists and organizations,” Bordeaux said.

The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies is the nonpartisan, nonprofit membership organization that unites, represents and serves the nation's state and jurisdictional arts agencies. To learn more about NASAA and state arts agencies, visit nasaa-arts.org.

The South Dakota Arts Council is a state agency providing grants and services to artists, arts organizations, schools, and other nonprofit organizations in South Dakota with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the State of South Dakota. The agency is organized under the Department of Tourism.

The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Travel South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen.

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