Arts and Culture Plan

Bismarck's first Arts and Culture Master Plan was adopted by the City Commission on November 13, 2025. This plan translates feedback from artists, community and arts organization leaders, city staff, the business community and members of the general public into a series of action steps that advance their shared vision for art and culture in Bismarck. It provides a framework for policies, procedures, programs, and systems/organizational structures to support artists and the integration of public arts within the community.

The City of Bismarck was awarded an Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2022 to create an Arts and Culture Master Plan for Bismarck. The effort to create this Plan stemmed from several factors including the City’s 2019 Strategic Plan objective to create a vibrant local art community; a series of community arts conversations among artists, performers, culture bearers and arts administrators in 2022; and the creation of Bismarck’s Together 2045 Comprehensive Plan in 2022 which included goals T8(a-d) related to arts and culture.