Arts at the Intersection: Cross-Sector Collaboration and Creative Placemaking in Rapid City, SD

Abstract

Small cities and rural communities are undertaking initiatives to create jobs, attract businesses, and entice tourists in efforts to adapt to a “new” economy in which the technology industry is outpacing and replacing manufacturing in providing job opportunities and economic growth. Communities are positioning assets, such as arts and culture, to meet these challenges. Creative placemaking, a popular initiative, employs cross-sector collaboration to develop arts-centered projects for location-specific benefits and can be undertaken in communities of all sizes. Advocates of the arts have promoted the promise for small and medium cities and rural areas. Small cities and rural communities form a diverse and heterogeneous population, but it is important to think about how conditions outside of metropolitan areas differ and shape collaborations and initiatives. This article presents the case of Rapid City, South Dakota, a small, Midwestern city serving a geographically dispersed population. This analysis contributes to the limited body of work examining collaboration in small and medium cities, illustrates the challenges, and offers insights into creative placemaking. Funding and participation emerged as important topics in this case of small city collaboration.