Art Alley: Rapid City's Hidden Treasure

Protect the Sacred

Rapid City, you surprised me. I expected something small-town and folksy with plenty of nods to your gold mining, Old West history. I didn't know I'd stumble upon a hip, urban graffiti scene nestled in a city that's a gateway to the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mount Rushmore and the Badlands.


We were walking back to our hotel after dinner on a summer evening. Behind us, families sat around a big screen showing a Disney Princess movie in Main Street Square. In the gathering dusk, a brightly colored picture spray painted on a wall caught my eye. Looking down between the buildings. I noticed figures here and there silhouetted against the lights. They stood still, gazing up at whatever was on the walls. I was curious but too cautious to drag the kids with me to discover what was down that dimly lit alley.

The next morning, I pulled aside the hotel room curtain to see if I could get a better look at what had caught those people's interest.

The view from my room in the Hotel Alex Johnson

All the way down the block, it seemed that every reachable surface, even the trash dumpsters, were decorated with street art. I definitely wanted a closer look. And I think that the fact that I was in wholesome Rapid City instead of a more worldly metropolitan like New York City made me comfortable that I wasn't setting myself up for a mugging.

Here are some of my favorites.

Pizza Bandits

By Kazilla, world renowned female street artist

Lakota Warrior

Blue Owl

The Sacred, pop culture, and the weird. Virgin Mary, Homer Simpson and who knows what

Van Gogh quote

Although, it seems that not all property owners wanted to be part of this piece of public art.

I do like that the persons said Thanks with 2 exclamation points. That seemed to fit in with the friendly, welcoming vibe of Rapid City.

Lots of room for self-expression

Prefer something more traditional? Check out Rapid City's official public art project, City of Presidents. Life-size bronze statues of American presidents stand around the downtown area. 

Slapping palms with John Adams, 2nd president of the USA

IF YOU GO:

• This is a service area for businesses. I walked through it early in the morning before they opened, but I'm sure that mid-day has lots of delivery trucks zooming down it. Keep an eye out so you don't get run over.
• Art Alley is located in an alley in downtown Rapid City, South Dakota. It connects 6th Street and 7th Street between Main Street and Saint Joseph Street.

Do you like searching for Street Art when you travel?

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