Organization History

For more than 30 years, Backroom has provided alternatives to commercial and established arts organizations. We've produced foreign film series, discussion film series, coffeehouses and open mics, original choreography, zero-budget film festival, songwriters' events, free Music in the Park (25 years), and poetry readings, among other things. Backroom strives to support great ideas that celebrate creativity and community. 

Backroom currently has six active, major projects which contribute to the rich and diverse culture of Rapid City. We provide places where people gather together, appreciate artistry, spend money in local businesses before, during and after events, and provide opportunities for lower-income members of our community. These programs are quite diverse, implemented as Backroom saw a need in our community and evolving over time. 

1) Guitar Masters (23 yrs, annual concert featuring regional guitarists & enthusiastic audiences); 

2) Readiatrics Book Drive (22 yrs, over 180,000 new and gently-used books given to kids in difficult circumstances); 3) Dacoda Instrument Drive (21 yrs, annual drive for musical instruments); 

4) Women Behaving Badly (16 years, talks by women authors in conjunction with SD Festival of the Book); 

5) Black Hills Books Press (7 yrs, producing books by, about and of interest to Rapid City and the Black Hills); and 

6) Don't Miss This! (startup, online channel of interviews, upcoming events, and positive talk about our community).