Exhibits

Our Exhibits and Programs offer a wide variety of opportunities for artists of all ages. The Brookings Arts Council hosts about 100 events, classes, receptions and programs in the Brookings community, with about 75 percent of them free to the public. Most of them take place in the Brookings Arts Council's Community Cultural Center at 524 4th St.

Youth Art Exhibits and Learning Opportunities

The BAC partners with and supports public school art education by proudly hosting six area K-12 school exhibits throughout the year in our downtown Brookings facility, a historic 1914 Carnegie Library.

We seek to support and enhance art education in Brookings County by offering classes taught by master instructors in pottery, watercolor, silk painting, and more.

Fees for our children’s art classes are free or of minimal charge to make art education as affordable to as many as possible. Full and partial scholarships are sometimes available for those needing financial assistance.

Adult Artist Exhibit Opportunities

Judged Exhibitions: The BAC supports talented artists in many disciplines from across the state by holding open fine arts, photography and performance exhibitions throughout the year. It is a privilege for the BAC to make exhibition space accessible to emerging and established artists. Forms for this event can be downloaded after October 1 (Fine Art Photography Open Exhibition – January) and June 1 (Fine Art Open Exhibition – August) of every calendar year on the BAC’s web site under our Entry Forms link.

Solo Exhibitions: Our organization also strives to give the community opportunities to enjoy professional exhibits from local and statewide artists through solo exhibitions. Interested artists can download a Call for Entries prospectus off this web site after Oct. 1. Applications are due by Jan. 15, for those interested in exhibits for the following year. The program and exhibits committee reviews the completed applications and notifies those who are awarded solo exhibits by or around Feb. 15.

Family-Orientated, Communitywide Events

There are no admission fees charged for any of our exhibitions and our classroom space is made available to local woodworkers, silk painters and quilting groups.

One of our favorite annual community traditions is the Festival of Trees, which is a “condensed” version of the Christmas Trees at the Capitol in Pierre. The Festival, which features 25 decorated trees, is attended by thousands of area families and offers baked goods, raffles and a book sale.

The trees themselves truly are miniature works of art in themselves and boast the talents and pride of our community during Christmastime. Some of the groups and individuals who have decorated trees in the past include: The Brookings Area Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, the Little Leprechauns 4-H Club, GAP, The Boys and Girls Club, OEO Extension Club, The Dakota Memories Doll Club, the Dakota Driftbusters Snowmobile Club, the Red Hatters, and the South Dakota Art Museum, just to name a few.

To participate in future BAC Festival of Trees events, information can be downloaded off the BAC web site after Oct. 1 under the Entry Forms link.

Performing Artists

As one of the city's representatives to the SDSU Performing Arts Center, the Brookings Arts Council Exhibits and Programming Committee felt the need to develop a program that would allow talented individuals (especially in the dozens of smaller, area rural communities) the chance to use the beautiful, spacious, technically-superb performance space at the PAC. In 2004, the Brookings Area Talent Showcase was formed. The event is open to high school aged and older performers who want the chance to perform their original materials in an alcohol-free, smoke-free setting.

The Brookings Area Piano Teachers Association also organizes "mini recitals" for the Festival of Trees. Students of all ages perform popular Christmas carols for the public as they view the beautifully decorated trees.

Throughout the year, there are also opportunities for performers to play at artists’ receptions, annual meetings and other BAC community partnership events. Contact our office for more information.

Our board of directors, staff, volunteers and the thousands of artists who participate in our programs see the potential for the local arts in our expanding community and our mission statement reflects this positive growth.

The Brookings Arts Council encourages community connections through the arts by providing a supportive environment for awareness, appreciation and participation.