Advocacy
Advocating on behalf of the arts in our community is a key component of our vision of a community that wholeheartedly embraces and supports the arts as a valuable element of our social and economic success.
Our advocacy efforts occur at the city and state levels, including our work with government, business, educational and service club sectors in our region. This page serves as a designated spot for advocacy columns written by our President and CEO Dayna Del Val.
April 6, 2021
We are more than a year into COVID, or put another way, we are slowly starting to climb out of […]
January 7, 2021
The Arts Partnership’s contributing writer to the Fargo Forum reflects on sharing stories from the community during 2020 and gaining […]
December 17, 2020
What a year it’s been…for everyone! At The Arts Partnership, we have been incredibly fortunate to all stay healthy and […]
November 19, 2020
I’m a big believer in the Biblical principle that to whom much is given, much is expected. I believe it […]
November 10, 2020
My birthday is just a few days past Christmas, and I always throw myself a birthday party for about 30 […]
November 5, 2020
Last week, I wrote about my perspective around the new public art selection for the water tower in Fargo. But […]
October 26, 2020
Last week, the Forum reported that the City of Fargo Arts and Culture Commission selected the new Fargo water tower […]
October 8, 2020
Earlier this week we met up as a staff under the Fargo Theatre marquee to mark a special milestone – […]
October 1, 2020
We’re celebrating 50 years – join us! We have a surprise thank you for when you donate to #supportlocalart It’s […]
September 23, 2020
Many of you may know I was recently on a two-week writing retreat as part of the North Dakota Museum of Art’s […]
August 25, 2020
When I interviewed for my job at The Arts Partnership ten years ago, I told the hiring committee I thought […]
July 5, 2020
It’s said that when Handel finished “The Hallelujah Chorus,” the skies opened up and he heard the Heavenly Chorus singing […]
July 2, 2020
The following video message was presented by President and CEO Dayna Del Val during The State of the Arts 2020 […]
June 24, 2020
I remember walking in to The Arts Partnership’s office the morning of July 1, 2010, and sitting down in a […]
June 11, 2020
This is the most honest video I have ever posted in my nearly 10 years at The Arts Partnership. […]
June 3, 2020
From Dayna Del Val: I’ve done very little reading during this sheltering in place period, which is extremely odd for […]
May 28, 2020
Have you voted in the Metro yet? If you haven’t, I invite you to join us today at 3:44 to […]
May 21, 2020
From CEO Dayna Del Val This morning, I was reading this article in Forbes by Michael C. Wenderoth, and I […]
May 14, 2020
The Arts Partnership, as you may already know, is celebrating our 50th year in 2020. We had lots of ideas […]
May 7, 2020
I have been doing a lot of thinking these past few weeks about the disrupted patterns of spring that we’ve […]
April 23, 2020
I’m posting the letter I wrote to President Anne Blackhurst and her administration because, in so many ways, it sums […]
April 16, 2020
Two days ago, faculty from MSUM started getting zoom calls to let them know that their positions were being eliminated […]
April 9, 2020
The Arts Partnership is looking out over the landscape of our Metro from the same vantage point of nearly everyone […]
April 1, 2020
Here are some links to follow up the video: TAP’s Facebook page (where you can livestream TAPpy Hours on Fridays […]
March 26, 2020
Back before the whole world became fixated on our global pandemic (you know, like four weeks ago), we at The […]
March 17, 2020
In response to the negative economic effects of Coronavirus/COVID-19 on the local arts nonprofit sector, The Arts Partnership (TAP) has […]
February 11, 2020
The sixth annual Art-A-Fair hosted by Minnesota State University Moorhead’s School of Art recently brought around 300 students from 25 […]
January 30, 2020
The Start of Campus FM In October 2017, CEO Dayna Del Val first heard Deborah Diamond from Campus Philly speak […]
January 9, 2020
It’s our birthday, and we’re excited to celebrate all year long with you! Founded in 1970 as the Lake Agassiz Arts […]
January 2, 2020
You may have read my arts sector wrap up in Monday’s Forum, but I want to take some time to […]
November 27, 2019
This Saturday, November 30th, is Small Business Saturday–it’s the perfect day for everyone to get out and support local businesses […]
July 31, 2019
Six years ago in June, The Arts Partnership (TAP) entered into a content relationship with Forum Communications Co. to write […]
June 24, 2019
These past few weeks and months have been an important time of personal reflection for me. If you read this […]
May 28, 2019
Last week, we wrapped up our 2019 Arts and Business Breakfast series with PlazaCorp founder and CEO Jeff Nicholson and his wife, […]
April 29, 2019
“Keep your foot on the pedal and keep going. Because you better believe communities all around the Midwest have their […]
March 26, 2019
“I’d rather lead the change than react to it,” noted David Brown, CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce in […]
February 25, 2019
Every meeting I go to involving the business sector asks the same basic question: What are your biggest concerns for […]
January 28, 2019
Last year at The Arts Partnership, we implemented another touchpoint in our relationship with the nonprofit arts organizations that receive […]
January 1, 2019
I recently attended an Americans for the Arts conference in St. Louis, Mo. Among many interesting points at “Artists at […]
November 26, 2018
I have been thinking about the word “Thanksgiving” lately. Broken down, it is two pretty interesting words in their own […]
October 29, 2018
The arts often get dismissed for not having specific, measurable examples of why they matter. This column couldn’t get any […]
September 24, 2018
I meet monthly with a number of local arts leaders for coffee and conversation. It’s a casual affair, and topics […]
August 28, 2018
I had a conversation with an established business leader recently. We were talking about some connections The Arts Partnership could […]
July 30, 2018
So I’m a few weeks late to the Netflix phenomenon “Hannah Gadsby: Nanette.” I’ve seen various social media posts about […]
June 18, 2018
One year ago, I was at the Presidio Institute’s Cross Sector Leadership Boot Camp in San Francisco, and I left […]
May 29, 2018
The Arts Partnership operates on a fiscal year, making our year-end June 30th. That means the end of May is […]
April 23, 2018
I read an article recently that had me standing up and shouting, “Yes!” over and over and over again. In […]
March 19, 2018
Last week I had my first opportunity to practice advocacy at the national level, and I loved it. In January, […]
December 22, 2017
I’m declaring 2018 the Year of the Arts in the Metro. 2017 was a huge year for The Arts Partnership […]
November 27, 2017
Forty-one point six million dollars. That’s a big number by almost any standard. In 2015, the arts nonprofit sector generated […]
November 21, 2017
I was recently invited to judge an art show for the City of West Fargo. Given my job title, that’s […]
October 20, 2017
Thirty-two hours. That’s how long it took, from the unveiling of the new piece of public art by Steve Knutson […]
September 18, 2017
My friend and glass blowing artist extraordinaire, Jon Offutt recently sent me a Huffington Post editorial called “Stop ‘Defending’ Music […]
August 28, 2017
I’ve adopted a new word lately: audacious. Audacious is defined as “showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.” Synonyms […]
July 31, 2017
Last week, I had the rare opportunity to spend an hour with the type of person I don’t normally encounter. […]
June 26, 2017
I’m in Hawaii with my husband for (his) work and (our) vacation. This is my second trip to paradise; if […]
June 26, 2017
I had the recent good fortune to attend the Presidio Institute’s Cross Sector Leadership Boot Camp in San Francisco, thanks […]
May 31, 2017
It’s Memorial Day. A somber day by many accounts. A day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for […]
April 17, 2017
The Arts Partnership was honored to receive the Governor’s Art Award in March and to be added to the illustrious […]
March 27, 2017
I met recently with a longtime donor. I asked him what he liked about The Arts Partnership. He thought for […]
February 21, 2017
As you no doubt know, one of the “rules” of being a nonprofit 501(c) 3, of which The Arts Partnership […]
January 30, 2017
Why did you put on the clothes you are wearing this morning? What did the dishes you ate breakfast on […]
December 27, 2016
“Please, sir, I want some more.” This famous line from Charles Dickens’ novel “Oliver,” connotes the heartbreaking image of a […]
December 21, 2016
The end of the year is a time for us all to look back and reflect on the progress we’ve […]
November 21, 2016
It’s the week of Thanksgiving, so let me start off by saying how grateful I am for the art in […]
October 31, 2016
The metro is at a pivotal time. There’s so much at stake. So much at stake for the small-business owner […]
September 19, 2016
I met with a board member of the Moorhead Business Association last week to discuss a very cool addition to […]
August 29, 2016
Sometimes you know something intuitively, but then it’s validated through research; for example, that getting enough sleep makes you feel […]
July 28, 2016
I firmly believe that we don’t do enough storytelling about why the arts matter to us personally. I’m not just […]
June 21, 2016
If I say the name Michelangelo, just about everyone knows whom I am referencing. Perhaps you are conjuring up an […]
May 30, 2016
TO: Metro Angel Investors FROM: The Arts Partnership (TAP) RE: Investing in an organization with a proven track record that […]
April 18, 2016
It’s spring and, for a lot of nonprofits, that means getting serious about attracting new board members for the upcoming […]
March 23, 2016
I had an interesting exchange recently on social media. I had seen an absolutely incomparable clip of Mikhail Baryshnikov, at […]
February 29, 2016
Last week, I had the opportunity to debate public funding for the arts with Fargo City Commissioner Tony Gehrig at […]
January 25, 2016
[sgmb id=”1″] Last week was an interesting week for me at The Arts Partnership. I received a text message early […]
December 29, 2015
I’m sorry to sound like a broken record at the end of every year, but again, in looking back over […]
December 6, 2015
Public art is getting a lot of attention in the metro lately. Fargo City Commissioner Tony Gehrig recently wrote an opinion […]
November 23, 2015
We’re in it now, the full swing of the holiday season. Thanksgiving is just days away, and then the tidal […]
November 2, 2015
I recently attended the North Dakota Governor’s Summit on Economic Growth. Gov. Jack Dalrymple touted many of the lists where […]
October 28, 2015
The latest episode of Unplugged with Dayna Del Val aired on Saturday, October 24th on KFGO. I talked with Charley Johnson, […]
October 5, 2015
I as at an informal gathering recently with the Bush Foundation. We were talking about the issues of access and […]
September 8, 2015
Labor Day. These two words today are synonymous with the lake, the end of summer and gearing up for the […]
August 26, 2015
I’m writing this post as President of Arts North Dakota and as Executive Director of The Arts Partnership, but mostly […]
August 20, 2015
This week, I was so sad to learn that Eddie Gasper, co-founder of the Red River Dance and Performing Company […]
July 27, 2015
ChalkFest 2015 is nearly upon us. From 1 to 8 p.m. Aug. 6, about 6,000 to 8,000 people—including kids, teenagers, […]
July 8, 2015
A recurring conversation that I am part of on a relatively regular basis is how to engage the many rural […]
May 26, 2015
It’s the end of the school year, and as kids are piling out of classrooms, dreaming about what they will […]
April 27, 2015
I attended my son’s first orchestra concert at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology last weekend, and I […]
April 7, 2015
Right before I began at The Arts Partnership (July 1, 2010), the “Wall Street Journal’s” Terry Teachout wrote a piece […]
March 30, 2015
I come from a basketball family. My grandfather, Mike Del Val, was inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of New […]
February 23, 2015
Recently, a variety of local radio and television hosts have criticized the city of Fargo and its funding of the […]
January 15, 2015
Last fall, you might remember that the North Dakota Council on the Arts and the North Dakota Humanities Council put […]
January 14, 2015
In my time at The Arts Partnership, I have been fortunate to have an excellent working relationship with many of […]
December 3, 2014
I first met Mayor Walaker in 2010, the week before I actually took over the position of executive director of […]
November 24, 2014
Last year, I encouraged you to shop at independently owned shops on Small Business Saturday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It’s […]
November 3, 2014
I was fortunate to be invited this fall by Mike Williams, Fargo city commissioner, and Charley Johnson, president/CEO of the […]
September 29, 2014
Public art is a great thing, right? It promotes community, encourages foot traffic, enhances a location and helps to define […]
August 28, 2014
Robin Williams’ untimely death has many of us thinking about how and why something like this happens, particularly because depression […]
July 28, 2014
My friend, North Dakota State Sen. Carolyn Nelson, recently had an interesting post on Facebook. “About 18,000 folks from the […]
June 19, 2014
Last summer, The Arts Partnership was privileged to receive an intern through the Philanthropy and Youth program. Anjali Lall was […]
May 27, 2014
It’s no secret the nonprofit world is largely run by women. In looking at the nonprofits served by the Impact […]
April 29, 2014
Do you remember the story of “Stone Soup?” As a child, I had a version where animals played all the […]
April 2, 2014
The Forum published a recent opinion piece reflecting the appropriateness of “a huge (as in an 8-foot-by-6-foot) handgun. A revolver. […]
March 29, 2014
Last night, something magical happened here. The FM Opera premiered two, never before seen operas based on the writing of […]
March 25, 2014
Connections are important in every facet of life – particularly in business. It’s true that who you know is oftentimes […]
February 24, 2014
Last week I got to share why the arts matter for 21st Century learning to West Fargo School’s Insourced professional […]
January 20, 2014
There’s been quite a bit of buzz lately around local public art. Earlier this month, the FMWF Chamber of Commerce’s […]
December 31, 2013
As shoppers panic on this last full day of gift-buying, convinced there’s nothing out there for that person on their […]
November 4, 2013
Sometimes there are giants who tread among us so gently and silently it’s easy to not notice them. We lost […]
October 15, 2013
It’s no secret that Moorhead’s downtown has struggled for quite some time to step out from the impressive shadow of […]
September 30, 2013
FARGO – The old expression, “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?” is as true […]
September 13, 2013
About a month ago, Susie Ekberg Risher became the first person to create a personal granting fund through The Arts […]
August 26, 2013
Last month, I introduced the idea of creative placemaking, explained in Michael Fallon’s article “An Arts Funding Revolution” as communities […]
July 25, 2013
FARGO – Based on our geography, climate and population, those of us who live in the southern Red River Valley […]
June 24, 2013
As the executive director of The Arts Partnership, a nonprofit that serves as the primary communicator of the arts in […]
June 24, 2013
We are fairly buzzing at the office with the printing of the article in today’s Forum about some of the […]
July 2, 2012
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe it’s the middle of the calendar year and the beginning of my third […]