The Minot Area Council of the Arts fulfills its mission through promotion, advocacy, and programming. The City of Minot has a surprising, diverse, and talented array of arts, particularly for the size of our city. Many of these artists, whether individuals, groups, or organizations, do not have the capacity or reach to do significant promotions. The Minot Area Council of the Arts is working hard to become the go-to location for arts information in the city. Advocacy ties in with promotion in many respects, but it goes beyond talking about what is available to do or see. We work hard to share the message of the importance of a strong arts community. Stronger arts communities lead to stronger and more resilient cities. To this end, we put time and effort into making presentations to service clubs and other local groups in order to share with the public what Minot’s strong arts community does for them. Our programming, under the title Arts in the City, includes many free, family-friendly events throughout the year. The most well-known are our summer concerts at Oak Park and on Main St. in downtown Minot. We are also developing new programming such as arts-centered social events, new ways for local businesses to engage in the arts and creating a strong volunteer program.