Hill City set to lose FAITH

The Hill City Arts Council recently announced that its Fine Arts in the Hills (FAITH) show formerly known as the Sculpture Show and Sale will not be happening in 2025.
Hill City Arts Council board (HCAC) president Kristie Van Bogart said this was not an easy decision and expressed the challenges with keeping the event going, including  rising costs and decreased income from memberships and sponsorships. While she is uncertain whether losing city funding would have saved the show, she does concede  FAITH is an expensive event costing about  $30,000 to $40,000.
Van Bogart calls it a “first class” show but one that was a negative in terms of money to the arts council. Expenses like the venue tent, security, marketing and prizes to artists all cost money. The show, says Van Bogart had an “artist mecca reputation” and required big sponsorships to continue at the same level at which it was always run.
Van Bogart said attrition and the economy are likely impacting the memberships and sponsorships decline.
An email sent out to HCAC members and supporters notes, “over the course of the past 18 months we have seen a 34 percent decrease in memberships and a 30 percent decrease in sponsorships of our events. We are lacking the financial support and city funding that have been a huge resource to us in the past.”
The HCAC Live on Stage event is a huge money maker, while the Plein Air Paint Out breaks even.
The arts council is extremely fiscally responsible, says Van Bogart. It does have office space and a part-time employee which means payroll and payroll taxes. Other organizations, she says, do not have those ongoing expenses.
Despite the loss of FAITH Van Bogart looks  at this as an opportunity for the HCAC to step up and see what other low cost or free events it can hold. She also says it’s another opportunity for creating more partnerships. The Arts Council had partnered with Crazy Horse two years ago to market FAITH and the Gift From Mother Earth Art show together; that show will also not return in 2025.  Van Bogart says she is referring artists to Custer’s fine arts show planned for the summer.
“We want artists to win here,” Van Bogart says. “That’s our mission.”
HCAC’s Live on Stage series will begin Jan. 11 at the Chute Rooster and will feature six shows, and an opportunity to support a local venue in the Black Hills.