WHAT WE DO
Our Vision
Be the key collaborative partner driving Vermillion’s cultural future.
Our Mission
To make Vermillion the creative center of the region by developing and supporting cultural opportunities for the community
Our Values
Access to art opportunities. The VCA is committed to the inclusion of the arts in everyday public life. We host and promote events aimed at entertaining and enriching our community.
Support for arts & culture partnerships. The VCA uses its spaces and resources to facilitate programs and partnerships that respond to the cultural needs of our community.
Mirrored Medicine Wheel by Mark Hall sits at the corner of Elm & Main Street in downtown, as part of the Vermillion SculptureWalk.
(2) The visibility of VCA in the community: To accomplish those things, VCA is taking a more public role in arts advocacy. We will be expanding our program offerings, consolidating artist resources on our website, reaching out in new ways and in new spaces, and continuing to make the case that arts organizations and artists are credible resources for civic problem solving and community engagement.
Cinema longevity. VCA is the nonprofit, independent owner of the Coyote Twin Theater, an anchor downtown business and the only cinema within a thirty-mile radius of Vermillion. Movies might come from Hollywood, but exhibition is a Main Street industry—and in Vermillion that’s literal. We are dedicated to keeping the Coyote Twin doors open and screens lit to provide area residents with everything from first-run summer blockbusters to community screenings of old favorites. Unfortunately, 2024 was a low year for the movie attendance nationwide, and our box office revenue was down close to 40% as compared to 2023. Compounding that challenge, our projectors both needed emergency upgrades, resulting in our first budget deficit since the pandemic. An unexpected big expense in a tough financial year is a blow we’re still working to bounce back from, but we remain excited about the new technology. Laser projectors produce crisp, vibrant pictures. They use less power, produce less heat, and require fewer repairs. If you haven’t seen a movie at the Twin since we installed the new projectors, pick a title and come experience a laser show! It’s technology that will carry us into the future. Movie-going is a rich and irreplaceable experience, and we’re committed to keeping it affordable and fun for everyone.
Arts sustainability. In early 2025, Vermillion was voted the Best Small Town Art Scene in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice poll. We may hold the title for only one year, but it’s a reputation that will take a sustained effort to uphold. For our part, the VCA has begun strategic discussions about long-term development for arts funding for the community—a necessary rethinking of financial resources and partnerships given the uncertain future of federal grants. This comes as VCA officially steps into the role as the community arts council. Our merger with the Vermillion Area Arts Council was finalized in June 2025. VCA will now serve the community as the primary resource for artist support; arts advocacy at the local and state levels; and of course, events, exhibitions, and educational programs.
Community visibility. This goal is twofold.
(1) The visibility of Vermillion as an arts community: As our 2025 Best Small Town Arts Scene title proves, art is a core of Vermillion’s identity and we are well positioned to capitalize on that as an arts tourism destination. In South Dakota arts & culture is a $1.4 billion industry—that’s 2% of the state’s economy. Our job as arts council is to work with city partners to provide unique, appealing arts and cultural engagement opportunities that will draw visitors and enrich citizens.
Current Goals
Proudly participated in the campaign to help Vermillion seize the title of Best Small Town Arts Scene 2025 in the USA Today Readers’ Choice Awards 10Best poll.
Folded the Vermillion SculptureWalk under our programming umbrella as of 2023. VCA now serves as the stewards of the six artworks in downtown, in conjunction with SculptureWalk Sioux Falls.
Organization Achievements
Renovated the Coyote Twin concessions area in 2022 (including a new popcorn machine!)—the first time in 40+ years the space had been fully refreshed.
Administered a $75,000 CDC Foundation grant for The Barn Quilt Project, which has received national recognition as part of the Trusted Messengers exhibition in the CDC Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.