Anyone who has grown up in the Midwest with a parent who has a penchant for summer road trips has likely checked out the attractions near Rapid City, S.D. Mainly Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the Crazy Horse Memorial and the nearby Black Hills National Forest and Badlands National Park.
However, more recently Rapid City has developed into an arts and culture boomtown—a movement centered largely around Main Street Square and the downtown area.
“The arts truly are on fire in Rapid City right now,” says Anna Huntington, community arts coordinator with Destination Rapid City and executive director of Arts Rapid City. “There’s a new public art project around every corner, including the murals downtown, a new really significant work of public art in the making in Main Street Square, and there are plans for a lot more additional art.
“Also, there are incredible museums and galleries here,” Huntington continues. “They’re well ahead of their time actually, and there’s terrific performance space here. You really can’t walk half a block without bumping into a gallery or a restaurant where somebody’s playing music. It’s really just a lively, vibrant, creative place.”
The referenced “significant art” is the Sculpture Project: Passage of Wind & Water, an ongoing multimillion-dollar public art project led by expert sculptor Masayuki Nagase that will ultimately feature 21 sculptures in the Main Street Square district, representing the region’s storied history and culture.
Art Alley is the other major art project downtown, a free-from graffiti mural spanning several blocks that started back in 2005, and has continued to evolve, most recently receiving a touch-up from some renowned graffiti artists who were in town for the final day of the Red Can Graffiti Jam July 11.
What does this burgeoning arts movement mean for meetings and events? A lot, really, but most importantly it motivates attendees to take some time to explore downtown and allows them to connect with the community in meaningful ways, an experience that more and more groups are seeking out.
Meetings Meet Art
There are a number of notable arts-related meeting facilities in Rapid City, including the area’s largest, the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, which offers nearly 250,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space between its multipurpose arenas, Fine Arts Theater and two large convention/exhibit halls.
Just last March there was a vote on whether or not to proceed with an ambitious $180 million expansion to the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center’s Barnett Arena, but this was shut down after Rapid City residents voted against it. However, progress is still being made on necessary upgrades for ADA compliance.
“We’re quietly developing the next step,” says Julie Jensen, executive director and vice president with Visit Rapid City (the Rapid City CVB). “The Civic Center is a beautiful property, it’s just in need of an update ... This city is very proud of the space, so nobody wants it to become unmarketable.”
Expansion setbacks aside, the Civic Center and other downtown facilities continue to book steady group business, particularly from agriculture, Native American, medical, science, education and government groups. Military reunions are also a big draw due to the close proximity of Ellsworth Air Force Base.
The Journey Museum & Learning Center is another popular meeting spot, whose facilities include The Stanford Adelstein Gallery, with standing reception space for up to 250; Wells Fargo Theater, with 143 cushioned seats; and the Joe Revere Library, with space for 50 theater-style and a 15-person Board Room.
PageBreak
“It’s kind of our natural history museum and it’s just a terrific institution that has both geology and cultural history threads, and a significant Native American art aspect,” Huntington says.
The Journey Museum also offers over five acres of western South Dakota Native Gardens that can be utilized for outdoor events. The museum has an open F&B policy and holds a beer and wine permit.
Moving along, just a five-minute drive away (including a quick jaunt through Memorial Park, where a new promenade connects many of the arts facilities to downtown), is the Performing Arts Center of Rapid City. This venue houses the Black Hills Community Theatre, Black Hills Symphony Orchestra and Black Hills Showcase, along with several other local performing arts groups. It also makes for a great place to meet.
The Performing Arts Center includes a 170-seat studio theater and an 830-seat historic theater available for group rental, depending on availability between theater productions, concerts and more.
The Dahl Arts Center is another iconic cultural spot that includes the 280-seat John T. Vucurevich Event Center, with over 3,000 square feet of space, alongside a number of smaller galleries and rooms.
“The Dahls Arts Center is the nicest gallery space in our region,” Huntington says. “It showcases work primarily by Black Hills artists, though it’s still part of the larger, institutional facilities.”
Making Memories
Groups looking to connect with the community on a more personal level can explore the local arts scene made up of what Huntington describes as “a bubbling network of galleries and places to hear music.”
“We have an amazing vinyl store here, cool microbreweries that often have people playing, and even a winery right downtown that also has gallery space,” she says.
Huntington lists the Suzie Cappa Art Center as a favorite local venue where artists of all abilities, including those with mental disabilities, can create, exhibit and sell their work to the community.
“It is amazing, beautiful, incredible art,” Huntington says. “It’s super unique.”
The Suzie Cappa Art Center is located in downtown Rapid City and offers two rental options for groups: the Venue Package, which allows access to the gallery and kitchen areas; and the Art Experience, which includes canvases and use of the facility’s studio space for a maximum of 15 participants.
Other easily overlooked arts spaces include the Rapid City Public Library, which has public meeting rooms and features its own collection of art, and the Prairie Edge Trading Company and Galleries, which showcases an impressive collection of Native American fine art for perusal and purchase.
