Skip to main content

BSC receives $20,000 NEA Big Read grant for community-wide reading initiative | Bismarck State College

to the top of the page
Home Page

BSC receives $20,000 NEA Big Read grant for community-wide reading initiative

Published: Sep 02 2026
BSC receives $20,000 NEA Big Read grant for community-wide reading initiative - Photo
Bismarck State College (BSC), through the BSC Foundation, has received its first National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read grant to lead a community-wide reading initiative focused on Indigenous culture, history and experiences.

BSC is one of 71 organizations nationwide selected to receive a 2026-27 NEA Big Read grant and the only North Dakota recipient this cycle. The NEA Big Read is a program of the NEA in partnership with Arts Midwest, and the $20,000 grant will support programming centered around the book “An American Sunrise: Poems” by Joy Harjo.

Led by the BSC Humanities, Arts & Sciences division, the initiative will distribute approximately 400 free copies of the book and engage readers through book discussions, art, film, speakers and cultural experiences.

Harjo, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the first Native American to serve as U.S. poet laureate, explores themes of displacement, memory, resilience, identity and connection to land and history in “An American Sunrise.” BSC selected the book to encourage greater understanding and appreciation of Indigenous cultures and the important role Indigenous people have played, and continue to play, in American history.

“As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, this project gives us an opportunity to bring people together while learning more about the many people, cultures and experiences that are part of the American story,” said BSC Dean of Humanities, Arts & Sciences Dr. Kim Weismann. “We hope these shared experiences encourage meaningful conversations about our history, including events that have directly impacted Indigenous people in North Dakota and our region.”

To extend those conversations beyond campus, BSC is partnering with the Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library, Bismarck Public Schools, Mandan Public Schools, Bowbells Public School, North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, Sitting Bull College, BSC's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the BSC Library.

Through these partnerships, books and related programming will reach middle and high school students, college students, lifelong learners, public library patrons and individuals participating in prison education programming.

Public kickoff planned Sept. 29
BSC will officially launch its NEA Big Read initiative with a free public kickoff event Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the BSC Library. The public will have an opportunity to learn more about the NEA Big Read activities planned at BSC and throughout the region and receive a free copy of “An American Sunrise” while supplies last.
Additional details about the kickoff, including planned activities, will be announced soon.
The majority of BSC's NEA Big Read programming will take place in November. Events and activities being planned include:
  • Community book discussions at BSC and throughout the region
  • An Indigenous culture speaker at BSC
  • An art exhibit featuring Native American student artwork in the BSC Gannon Gallery
  • A screening of the documentary “Waterbuster” and a panel discussion
  • A cultural experience at an upcoming BSC athletic event
  • Book discussions and programming with participating schools, colleges, libraries and North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities
Additional details about these events, including dates, times and opportunities to participate, will be announced throughout the fall.