CALL FOR ART
Submit by June 26, 2026

The Rapid City Arts Council, in partnership with the Black Hills Area Community Foundation, invites Black Hills artists to submit proposals for an interactive exhibition centered around shared hopes for the Black Hills region in the next 20 years.

The exhibit commemorates BHACF’s 20th Anniversary of partnering with donors, nonprofits, and community members to strengthen the Black Hills region together. It provides an opportunity for a Black Hills artist to create an engaging, interactive artwork that fosters community connection, participation, and dialogue around shared hopes and visions for the future of our community.

The selected artwork will be on display in the Denise Du Broy and Inez + Milton Shaver Gallery of the Dahl Arts Center from October 9 through December 26. The installation should accommodate more than 100 visitors to view, interact with, and respond to the theme at once.

Theme: Shared hopes for the future of the Black Hills region

What We're Looking For:
We are seeking innovative, thought-provoking, and accessible proposals for a participatory art experience. This means the artwork should actively involve viewers, encouraging interaction, contribution, or collaboration. This can be as simple as artistically engaging with the theme, all the way to creating an interactive work. Beyond simple interaction, we are particularly interested in proposals that embrace a community collaborative lens, where the artwork's core is the social interaction and collaboration between the artist and the visitors to the gallery and instills the belief that local engagement can make a difference.

This work can be made by a group, an individual, or an organization. Ideally, this proposal brings the voices of the Black Hills community to share their thoughts and visions for where they would like to see the future of the region. 
Consider how your piece will invite the public to engage with the theme in a meaningful way by allowing community voices, stories, and actions to become an integral part of the artwork itself.

Theme suggestions: 

• Artworks relating to social, environmental, cultural and economic well-being. 
• Invites participation across many community priorities. These could include affordable housing, healthy outdoor spaces, food security, accessible transportation, healthcare access, senior support, affordable childcare, accessible arts, access to local information, and education.
• Forward-thinking or visionary solutions that inspire optimism and action.
• Deepens belonging by revealing shared goals for our community.
• Inviting the audience to participate with their lived experiences, ideas, and hopes for their community. This could include reflection on hopes for their friends, family, and neighbors.

Stipend

The selected artist or group will receive a stipend courtesy of the Black Hills Area Community Foundation of up to $10,000 to create and install their proposed interactive/ participatory art experience. If multiple artists are selected, the stipend will be divided among the artists. This artwork and intellectual property of the artwork would still be owned by the artist. Disbursement of payment will be as follows:

• After the selection has been announced and upon signing the contract, the RCAC will allocate a check for 40% of the stipend amount for the purchase of materials 
  
• After completion of installation, the RCAC will allocate a second check for the remaining 60%.
  

Artist eligibility

• Artist currently residing in the Black Hills Region
  • For this exhibition, the artist must reside in the following counties: Butte, Meade, Lawrence, Pennington, Custer, Oglala Lakota, and Fall River 
• Knowledge and experience with interactive artworks ​

gallery spaces

Denise Du Broy Gallery is a 35 linear foot prominent lobby wall with a vertical distance of  93 inches.
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Inez + Milton Shaver Gallery is 1,000 sq. ft and is located in the central part of the Dahl galleries with walls with a vertical distance of 92 inches.

submission requirements

BEFORE SUBMITTING, please feel free to set up a meeting with Jeannie Larson at the Dahl Arts Center to review or discuss how to submit.

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1. ​Artist or Group Statement: Briefly describe your artistic practice and your interest in this commission (max. 200 words).
2. Proposal Narrative: Clearly outline your concept for a participatory art experience that invites viewers to explore their hope for the Black Hills region. Describe how the public will engage with the artwork and how their participation will be central to the piece. Emphasize the collaborative nature between you and the guests of the Dahl. Be specific about the materials, scale, themes, and duration of the experience. (max. 500 words).
3. Budget Estimate: Provide a preliminary budget outlining anticipated costs for materials, fabrication, and installation.
4. Timeline: Include a brief timeline for creation and installation.
5. Images: Submit 3-5 images that are descriptive of your vision for what the final artwork or artworks for the exhibit will look like installed. This could include diagrams of how the public interacts with the art, or how the community will be prompted to respond. The point of these images would be to show potential subject matter that may be on display, communicate the tone or style of the artwork being presented, or to show the interactive element that the community will interact with. 
   
6. Spatial Requirements: Referencing the gallery measurements above, describe how large the final art piece(s)/installation will be. This will help us determine whether or not one artist, or multiple artists, will be selected.

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Your submission will be juried by a committee of members of the Rapid City Arts Council Exhibits Committee, Rapid City Arts Council Curatorial Staff, as well as staff from the Black Hills Area Community Foundation. 

How to Submit: Please email your proposal as a single PDF document to [email protected].

Submission Deadline: June 26 at 11:59pm MDT
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Questions? For any inquiries, please contact Jeannie Larson, Gallery Director & Curator, at [email protected]

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About Black Hills Area Community Foundation

The Black Hills Area Community Foundation (BHACF) is a resource for anyone who is interested in strengthening the Black Hills region through philanthropy.
 
Back in 2006, the Foundation started as a hopeful conversation among community members who wanted a better way to invest in the region’s future. They outlined a structure for BHACF to invest in local nonprofits, help donors enjoy giving, and address key issues through charitable solutions. Twenty years later, the Foundation and donors have invested more than $75 million in grants, scholarships, charitable program expenses, and staff-led initiatives.
 
The Foundation collaborates with communities across seven counties, spanning Butte, Meade, Lawrence, Pennington, Custer, Oglala Lakota, and Fall River counties.

Reach out to their team if you’re interested in learning more