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Film Produced by Zeke Hanson of Micro Film Series, Featuring Ryan Light of the Art Alley Guild.

Art Alley 2005

Art Alley 2007

Art Alley 2013

Humans have always used art to express themselves to future generations. The desire to speak beyond one’s self and leave a mark runs deep in the soul. Collectively, we wish to shed light on the beauty of our day, warn of the dangers and provide direction for those who come after us. The area known as Founder’s Rock, just a short distance northwest of Art Alley, bears inscriptions made by some of the first people to create “Rapid City” alongside petroglyphs left by people who had called this place home for thousands of years before that. Many of the buildings downtown have initials, dates and other inscriptions scratched into the soft brick, dating back to the years they were built.

The alley that runs from Sixth to Seventh Streets was no exception to this phenomenon. The early 2000’s found this alley populated with an eclectic mix - business people and bohemians, artists and musicians, professionals and wayward travelers from all directions. As the group grew, the alley became a canvas where these people began to tell the story of their time. At some point, and quite organically, it became known simply as “Art Alley.”

 In 2016, Art Alley Moved to a permit system and is now managed by the Rapid City Arts Council. In this system, Art Alley became more solidified as an official collaborative public art project. 

In 2023, Black Hills Energy completed a transformational construction project that buried infrastructure and expanded access to exposed brick walls and an open sky view. Today the walls change constantly, sometimes many times a day– making Art Alley a vibrant public art space and popular destination for artists, locals, and visitors.