MARSHALL — Next week, southwest Minnesota residents will have a chance to talk with state arts leaders.

Nicole DeBoer, executive director of the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council (SMAC), said members of the public are encouraged to be part of the conversation.

The Minnesota State Arts Board, and arts advocacy group Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, will be visiting communities in southwest Minnesota next week. The visits are a chance for people to share how arts funding has made a positive impact for them and their communities, SMAC said.

“The invitation is for interested citizens, but we really do want to hear from arts supporters and people who regularly experience the arts,” DeBoer said. “In addition, our local legislators have been invited, and I’m hopeful they can be there.”

Leaders from MCA and the MSAB will be at the SMAC office, located on West Main Street in Marshall, on Wednesday morning. Later in the day, they will stop at the Barn Theatre in Willmar.

The MCA announced this week that it will also be making a stop at the Martin County Historical Society in Fairmont on Monday evening.

DeBoer said part of the discussion will be an economic impact study conducted by MCA.

“That is going to be one of their key messages that they share,” she said. The study found that in 2025, arts and culture had a statewide impact of about $13 billion.

“We are the top state in the U.S. for supporting the arts,” DeBoer said. But the arts also have a broader impact on Minnesota communities, she said. The MCA reported that a person attending an arts event spends an additional $20 at other businesses in the community.

Members of the public can look at the regional and county economic impacts of the arts through an interactive map at artsmn.org. According to the MCA’s data, the arts and culture have a total $29.1 million impact on the 18 counties in southwest Minnesota.

MCA and the MSAB will be visiting the SMAC office in Marshall at 11 a.m. Wednesday. DeBoer said people interested in attending the meeting can register online. A registration link is available at the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council’s Facebook page, she said. The meeting at the Red Barn Theatre in Willmar will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

MCA said it would be visiting the Martin County Historical Society in Fairmont at 6 p.m. on Monday as part of a statewide tour of community conversations. People can register for the tour online at artsmn.org.