Rapid City Arts Council Staff
Founded in 1968, our mission is to champion inclusive, innovative and inspiring arts opportunities for the communities we serve.
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JACQUI DIETRICH
Executive Director Jacqui believes in the power of the arts to connect people and create community. She previously held a variety of leadership positions in the public and private sector focused on innovative approaches to economic development and community building that promotes creativity. She has helped economic developers nationally find creative ways to spur new business creation through community building. At the Downtown Denver Partnership in Denver, Colorado, she managed a community center in a public-private partnership with the City and County of Denver to foster entrepreneurship and new business creation. Jacqui holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Colorado Boulder and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Black Hills State University. She studied anthropology at Augustana University. She is originally from western South Dakota and resides in Rapid City. |
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Noah Geiger
Curator & Gallery Director Noah has a deep-rooted passion for the arts and its significance in our community. He is an artist who grew up immersed within the arts in Rapid City. He was involved at the Dahl in his formative years and went on to study sculpture at the Kansas City Art Institute. Noah worked in several artist-run spaces and art galleries in Kansas City, including the H&R Block Artspace and Haw Contemporary. There he became well versed in gallery work, curation, and installation. He continues to sculpt and is inspired by architecture, fabrication, art history, and community arts engagement. |
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MELISSA NELSON
Education Director Melissa Nelson grew up in Rapid City, but only recently moved back home. She has her Bachelor of Arts with a major in Comprehensive Art from Chadron State College along with a minor in Marketing and a Master's in Education. She also received a teaching certificate in K-12 Art from Arizona State University. She has 4 years of management experience and several years of experience in teaching art. Melissa's main goal is to bring art education to elementary students and to encourage the youth to find their future in art and how it can open creative career opportunities. She looks forward to meeting with the educational leaders in the community to build programs that fit our communities plans and needs. She believes we all play an essential part in supporting the arts in education. |
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MAGGIE JEAN WINCE
Marketing Director Maggie Jean Wince has called Rapid City home all her life. It's where she first fell in love with art. She spent a brief time in Oklahoma for college, where she graduated with a Media Design and Strategy degree from Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Maggie now employs her talents as the Marketing Director at the Rapid City Arts Council. Her passion is storytelling and ensuring the Black Hills community knows all the incredible opportunities to enjoy art right here in this town. Maggie enjoys life by reading good books, gardening in her backyard, being outdoors, and surrounding herself with friends and family. Maggie and her girlfriend have two cats named Pepper and Tofu, a 17-year-old puppy named Daisy, and Leonardo DiGeckio (Lenny), a leopard gecko. |
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VALERIE HRESKO
Operations Specialist & Administrative Assistant As the Rapid City Arts Council’s Operations Specialist and Administrative Assistant, Valerie works closely with the Director and the entire staff to coordinate on all internal office and staff processes and procedures and ensures smooth operations of the Dahl Arts Center. Valerie is a USAF veteran and military spouse. She moved countless times around the country prior to making the Black Hills her forever home and is thrilled to no longer be considered a Perpetual Newcomer. She earned a bachelor’s in business administration and marketing from the University of Notre Dame and studied dance education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her diverse educational, volunteer and work experiences have prepared her to manage all the things at the Dahl with humor and kindness. |
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JEANNIE LARSON
Assistant Curator & Volunteer Coordinator Jeannie is the Assistant Curator and Volunteer Coordinator for the Rapid City Arts Council. She holds her Masters of Fine Arts in photography from the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Prior to being employed as the Assistant Curator, Jeannie was a volunteer for the RCAC for several years. Jeannie enjoys working directly with artists to make sure their exhibiting experience at the Dahl Arts Center goes smoothly. In her spare time, she enjoys anything to do with the outdoors, whether it be fishing or hiking throughout the beautiful Black Hills. |
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JOSH MIRANDA
Events Coordinator Born and raised in Chamberlain, South Dakota. Josh worked as a nature and landscape photographer for the Outdoor Network's adventure and outdoor television division as well as ran his own stock videography/photography company which took him to live in Austin, TX; Los Angeles, CA; and Denver, CO. Josh now calls the beautiful Black Hills home and handles event and venue coordination at the Dahl Arts Center. Be they charitable gala's, corporate dinners, gallery receptions, film festivals, fundraisers, weddings, concerts, non-profit initiatives, etc. Anything event and PR based Josh has you covered. Works directly in developing client acquisition and rapport for revenue and account profitability for the Rapid City Arts Council 501(c)(3) non-profit. |
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VICTORIE WILSON
Guest Services Coordinator Victorie is our Guest Services Coordinator, if you have a question big or small, need help finding information, or want recommendations for lunch downtown she’s the one to ask. They also help with memberships and art sales and is the first face you see walking in to our galleries, ready to check you in. She has a B.S. in Production Animation and loves helping with marketing and video editing for the organization. When not at the Dahl you can find them on trails through the Black Hills with her dog or at home playing video games and crocheting. |
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KASS ESSES
Events & Arts Education Assistant If you have held an event at the Dahl since 2023, you have likely talked to Kass. They set up and tear down event spaces and see to event organizers’ needs during events. But this isn’t all they do; they also help out on the education side with camp/class registration, OPS and OAS registration, and attend the front desk during business hours. It is a lot of work, but they feel fulfilled in their position here. Being a military child, they have moved to many places before landing in Rapid City for college. They got their B. S. in biology before coming to the School of Mines for geology training. Despite focusing on sciences, Kass has always found comfort in art, particularly white charcoal and digital art, and would have been a scientific illustrator otherwise. Since arriving in Rapid, they developed a love for many things in the Black Hills Area, like hiking trails, some local small businesses, and the arts community. When absent from the Dahl, they’re likely hanging out with friends, reading, playing video games, or petting dogs. |
Would you like to join our team?
Check out our open positions!
OUR STORY
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The Rapid City Arts Council (RCAC) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that manages the Dahl Arts Center under contract by the City of Rapid City. We are one of the oldest and most respected arts councils in South Dakota, incorporated in 1968.
We bring art and people together to inspire creativity and innovation and to encourage diversity through dynamic partnerships that strengthen the communities we serve. |
As responsible leaders, we carry out our mission through visual arts, performing arts, arts education programs, and by supporting artists and arts organizations in the community. Through a public-private partnership with the City of Rapid City, we provide artistic and cultural development for the community, and manage the Dahl Arts Center.
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