Artist Speaker Series: Grant Recipient Q & A

We’re back with a new season of speakers, each guaranteed to strengthen your art business! Join us at our new location, The Sweetman Atrium at the Levitt!

FEATURING PANELISTS: Brian Bonde, Fundraising Consultant and Musician Edwin Galindo, Colombian Guitarist, Composer, & Educator Mecca Rutherford, Oil Painter Xavier Pastrano, Artist & Educator Grant Recipient Q & A They Took the Plunge, Applied for a Grant – And Got It, Eventually · What is the process like? · Am I good enough or known enough to merit a grant? · Once I get it, what happens? ABOUT BRIAN: One of only 117 worldwide holding the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive credential, Brian James Bonde has raised over $450 million for nonprofits.

He received the National Fundraising Excellence Award from AFP Global and founded Arts South Dakota. A noted speaker and consultant, he also earned both the Sioux Falls Arts Council and the Governor’s Lifetime Arts Achievement Awards through 40 years of board service.

He has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the South Dakota Arts Council and Arts Midwest, and founded Arts South Dakota. A musician and member of East of Westreville, Brian has also spent more than 20 years acting, directing, teaching, producing, and marketing theater.

ABOUT EDWIN: Edwin Galindo is a Colombian guitarist, composer, and educator based in Sioux Falls. As a guitarist, he explores the rich sounds and traditions of Colombian and Latin American music, bringing them to new audiences through expressive performance and original compositions.

His work creates meaningful cultural connections while keeping these traditions alive, evolving, and inspiring new generations. ABOUT MECCA: Mecca Rutherford is a Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based oil painter known for highly textured landscapes and mixed-media still life works.

She began her artistic training at age 11 and earned dual degrees in painting and sculpture from Arizona State University in 1995. After seven years with the Phoenix Art Group, she became a full-time freelance artist in 2003, building a growing collector base across the country and internationally.

Rutherford’s honors include Best of Show at the 42nd Artists of the Plains Art Show, a Sioux Falls Arts Council microgrant, and a South Dakota Career Development Grant. ABOUT XAVIER: Xavier Pastrano (he/him) is an artist, writer, musician, and educator based in Sioux Falls, SD.

He specializes in Zentangle and collage art, and his work has been on display at Rose & Eugene Presents (Sioux Falls, SD), The Memorial Union Gallery (Grand Forks, ND), and the Shriver Square Building (Sioux Falls, SD). He is also the author of five published collections of poetry including XXX: Thirty (Prolific Press), Magical Thinking (Bottlecap Press), and The Devil in the Door (In-Betweener Art Collective).

Additionally, he has had individual poems published in South Dakota Magazine and various anthologies. When he’s not writing or making art, he can be found teaching at Lincoln High School or spending time with his family. —————— We are especially excited to collaborate with our special partners this season, Arts South Dakota and Levitt at the Falls.

These amazing partnerships will enable artists across the state to take part in our Second Tuesday series. Both Arts South Dakota and Levitt at the Falls have been a leaders in advancing the arts for our state, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have them alongside us. —————— The Speaker Series: Business Insights to Set You Apart is held at the brand new Sweetman Atrium at Levitt at the Falls, and streamed via facebook live, every second Tuesday of the month, from 6:30-8:00 PM.

FREE. No registration necessary.

NOTE: If you are joining us via livestream, the stream will start at 7 PM, after in-person introductions.