The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council is excited to announce that Rom Ogaard of Crookston was awarded the Northwest Arts Advocate of the Year Award.

Ogaard has been a radio host at KSRQ 90.1 radio at Northland Community and Technical College and is retiring at the end of the month. As Ron West, he has partnered with the NWMAC to offer a weekly radio segment that promotes artists, the arts, and arts organizations. He has also produced weekly segments that feature the Campbell Library in East Grand Forks, and the North Dakota Museum of Art in Grand Forks. These radio programs have brought news and information about the arts to our region and beyond and highlighted our regional artists.

Ogaard has 43 years of broadcasting and management experience that includes 10 years at KROX in Crookston, 10 years at KNOX-AM Grand Forks, 5 years at WDAY-AM Fargo, a variety of other local radio stations, and 14 years at Northland Community and Technical College as Radio-Television Program Coordinator. He received a broadcast diploma from the nation’s broadcasting school Brown College in Minneapolis and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Crookston. Ogaard serves as the caretaker of Bethel Cemetery, northeast of Beltrami.

According to Pioneer 90.1 station manager Mark Johnson, “Rom brings his warm, friendly personality to everything he does for Pioneer 90.1. Over the past 14 years, he has interviewed hundreds of area artists. Because of his natural conversational talents, these segments are less like formal interviews and more like neighborly visits. Rom’s easygoing style puts his guests at ease and brings out the best in each of them. When compiling our legislative report each year, I am always amazed and proud of the array of photographers, painters, sculptors, woodcarvers, vocalists, musicians, actors, directors, arts advocates, educators, and festival and county fair organizers that have been part of the program. Having all these voices on the air has been integral to making Pioneer 90.1 a successful community radio station. I congratulate Rom on this well-deserved recognition from the Arts Council and wish him the very best in retirement!”

NWMAC Board Member Therese Masters Jacobson served as the NWMAC’s Exhibit Specialist from 2012 to 2016. She said, “Rom has made time throughout the past 20 or so years to advocate for the arts to his wide audience, reaching thousands daily, who, like me, feel he is a friend. He is humorous, light-hearted (though deep-voiced), and invested in the northwestern Minnesota community.”

When asked about what he has learned about the arts over the past 14 years since this radio segment began, Rom spoke about the diversity and amazing variety of art and talent in the region. “We live in a rich area of art and culture. When I started I thought of art as painting.” Rom came to learn about all the art forms, including the arts on stage, theater, and music. He spoke about how artists “use art as a way of expressing themselves.” Rom explained that the purpose of the radio segment has been “to highlight art and to bring a platform to a larger audience and to add more flavor on air. The mission has been to promote the arts and culture through the Legacy Amendment.”

NWMAC Promotions Specialist Kristin Eggerling talked about working with Rom and the partnership with the radio station. “Rom has a reassuring and comfortable style that draws in interviewees and the listening audience. In 2018 and 2019, I presented workshops at arts conferences about our radio interviews and podcast program. Rom worked with me beforehand to record segments about the podcasts that I could use in the presentations. Because of these workshops, we were able to share a unique marketing tool that arts organizations throughout the country could duplicate.”

North Dakota Museum of Art Director Matthew Wallace explained, “Rom Ogaard has been one of the most vocal art supporters in the region that I know of. For over 14 years Rom has been with Pioneer 90.1 and has consistently supported artists, art events, and art organizations in both NW Minnesota, and NE North Dakota. For much of the 14 years he has been on Pioneer 90.1, Rom has devoted time each week for the North Dakota Museum of Art to talk about programming, exhibitions, events, memberships, and how the Museum can play a role for those living just across the river in Minnesota. Not only has Rom spent years promoting the North Dakota Museum of Art, but he has worked with the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council and the Campbell Library in East Grand Forks to help get the word out on the arts and culture available in the region, and without a charge to these organizations. This is something that most not-for-profits struggle with daily. As the cost of advertising increases, not-for-profits struggle to get the word out. Having Rom dedicating time each week to these organization is a lifeline.”

This award was presented on Sunday, April 21 in Lake Bronson at the Kittson County History Museum. Three awards are given each year to recognize artists and arts advocates within our seven-county region who stand out in terms of artistry or volunteerism in the arts. Of the Year Award winners were nominated by area residents. Our Arts Advocate of the Year award is $500 and includes arts from all disciplines. Funding for this award comes from the Minnesota State Legislature.

Congratulations, Rom!