Fest of Both Worlds

The way a culture expresses itself through art is often one of the most remarkable inroads to gaining a new understanding amidst presumed difference. And the crux of Sioux Falls’ own Festival of Cultures, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this summer, is sitting solely at the center of that intersection.

“Art transcends language. It transcends any sort of barrier that’s there,” said Kadyn Wittman, director of marketing and development for the Multi-Cultural Center of Sioux Falls (MCC) and first-time Festival of Cultures organizer. “We’ve seen historically how cultures have come together through music and art. You don’t need to be able to speak the same language to look at someone’s art and tell it’s close to their heart and that it’s indicative of their community.”

The festival is an exploration of the city’s diverse populations’ arts and crafts, food, dance and more—this landmark year’s event included performances from local Chinese lion dancers, Bhutanese dancers and Native American hoop dancers, among other cultural experiences.

“It’s really just a time where we can shine a light on the many diverse faces that make up Sioux Falls,” Wittman said.

This iteration also marked its second time as an outdoor event, having previously been held at the MCC in downtown Sioux Falls. This allowed for some unique partnerships that highlighted the lineup for the 25th anniversary, including the Stockyards Ag Experience at Falls Park, which hosted a panel of immigrant agricultural workers who spoke on the industry in their respective home countries and how it’s translated to the work they do in South Dakota.

All of these key elements of Festival of Cultures get at the mission of the annual event, as well as that of event producer MCC, according to Wittman.

“My hope is that people who don’t regularly get exposed to this type of cultural experience come and realize that the world is so much bigger than Sioux Falls and South Dakota and that there’s not a lot to be afraid of in the greater world,” she said. “Most people that exist within other cultures are just like you and I. They might look different, they might eat differently, dance differently or produce different crops or art. But like most of us, they just want to live a happy and fulfilling life with their loved ones.

“It brings that barrier down a little bit and makes this experience more accessible to people in South Dakota who otherwise wouldn’t get to experience it.”

And the hope of breaking down barriers goes even further than simply learning about a culture different from one’s own—it’s about truly embracing what makes it special, unique and relatable, across generations.

“I just think this is such an easy event to bring young children to and to bring families to,” Wittman said. “When families in Sioux Falls are thinking about what to make for dinner, they’re not usually thinking, ‘Let’s try making an Ethiopian meal tonight,’ or ‘Let’s order in from an Indian restaurant,’ so putting them in a scenario or at a festival where all of their options are multi-ethnic is kind of exciting. It’s a different experience than they can have anywhere else in Sioux Falls.”

Through the efforts of MCC, which engages diverse populations in Sioux Falls through workforce development, translation and interpretation services and community outreach, as well as the work that Lutheran Social Services does to humanize and support refugees in the community, Festival of Cultures serves as another tangible example of the growing and thriving diversity here.

“If you don’t see it, you don’t think it’s there,” Wittman said. “I have a lot of folks I talk to who are CEOs or in positions of power, and they aren’t often exposed to multi-ethnic communities, so just getting that confirmation that it does exist—that more than 140 languages are spoken in Sioux Falls, that 41 percent of our schools are students of color—just starts to acclimate people to the fact that our reality is that we live in a diverse community.

“They just aren’t always sure how to best interact with and support these communities. So providing clear and easy avenues for how they can do that is the best way I can do my job.”

As the MCC team and its community partners look to next year’s event, continuing to bring in a variety of community members to share their own experiences is always at the forefront, from the selection of vendors to the lineup of musicians, dancers and speakers.

“A lot of the work we’re doing now, we won’t see the impact that was had until down the road,” Wittman said. “I think that, although the experience of Festival of Cultures may be small for some people, that might be the first thing that starts them on the road towards actively promoting, working within and with other cultures.

“I think by doing an event like this, by highlighting the beautiful diversity that makes up our city, we’re going to be seeing dividends down the road as the years go by.”