[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 7 (Monday, January 31, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING THE DAHL ARTS CENTER

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the Dahl 
Arts Center in Rapid City, SD for all that it does to expand access to 
the arts and theatre to the entire Rapid City region. This corner stone 
of the Rapid City community has cultivated contemporary visual arts, 
community theater, and arts education since 1974, when Mr. and Mrs. Art 
Dahl bequeathed a generous gift to the Rapid City Arts Council. Not 
only has the Dahl Arts Center provided a forum for South Dakota artists 
to display their works and talents, but the center's free art galleries 
and art education classrooms provide the Rapid City community and its 
visitors the opportunity access our shared artistic heritage.
  The Dahl Arts Center is one of a dozen free attractions on Rapid 
City's Star Tour. The Center also houses a 200 foot oil-on-canvas mural 
painted by Bernard P. Thomas. This cycloramic mural depicts 200 years 
of American history and is enhanced by a taped narration and special 
lighting effects. A large special viewing room was built to house this 
epic creation and has become a great attraction for visitors of all 
ages. The Dahl also houses two galleries that feature paintings, 
crafts, sculptures and original prints selected from the works of 
regional artists. For the past 30 years, the Dahl has been a wonderful 
venue to enjoy a variety of art works from people of all ages and 
talents.
  I am very pleased that Rapid City has partnered with the Dahl Arts 
Center to expand this facility, double the seating capacity in its 
performance theater, expand space for education, rehearsals and 
meetings, create a children's education gallery and library, and 
provide climate-controlled space for the Dahl's permanent collection. 
Rapid City's generous financial commitments combined with the $2 
million in private donations and pledges that have been collected thus 
far provide the bulk of the funding required for the Dahl Arts Center's 
expansion. I was pleased to work with my colleagues in the Senate to 
secure Federal funding of $250,000 to assist in the expansion effort of 
the Dahl Arts Center. When completed, this addition will ensure that 
the Dahl Arts Center will continue to serve as a cultural arts center 
for generations to come. All of South Dakota benefits from the 
continued growth of the Dahl Arts Center and its excellent 
programs.

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