Every Room Has Something Happening at Dilly Dally to the Dahl Friday Night

Dilly Dally to the Dahl returns Friday, June 26, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. as the Dahl’s annual community appreciation night. Rather than following a single program, the evening invites guests to explore the building at their own pace, discovering performances, exhibits, demonstrations, and hands-on activities around every corner.

The Adelstein Gallery will feature Tailings, a guest-curated exhibition by Marty Two Bulls Jr., who will spend the evening visiting with guests about the artwork and the ideas behind the exhibition. In the Cultural Café, artwork created by students during the Rapid City Arts Council’s summer camps will be on display, while Ms. Jewels leads a collaborative community mural that anyone can help create.

The Open Pottery Studio will offer live demonstrations by instructors Spencer Walton and Michelle Langemeier, giving visitors a chance to watch finished pieces take shape from raw clay. A building-wide scavenger hunt encourages guests of all ages to keep exploring, making sure no gallery or hallway goes unnoticed.

Short performances will rotate through the Mark & Carolyn Mollers Cyclorama Room throughout the evening. The Moreno Family Dancers, led by Jeremiah Moreno and the Stampede Drum Group, will share traditional and contemporary Lakota songs and dances while explaining the cultural significance behind the performances. Catalyst Theater Company, a downtown Rapid City nonprofit founded in 2023, will present a short production featuring members of its cast.

Beginning at 7 p.m., the John T. Vucurevich Event Center shifts the focus to music with the Emerging Performing Artists Spotlight. Kokopelli’s Cousin, a local community drumming group known for gathering beneath “Grandma Cottonwood” in Jackson Park, opens the evening before Caprice Clarinets takes the stage. The duo of Peggy Lovrien and Valerie Andrews brings decades of musical experience together, with Andrews returning to the clarinet after a 50-year break and now performing with several regional ensembles.

Food, drinks, artist talks, gallery exhibits, performances, and interactive activities are all included throughout the evening. Friends of the Dahl receive their first drink free at the Highmark Federal Credit Union-sponsored bar, which will also offer beer, wine, and soda.

Whether you spend twenty minutes or the entire evening inside the building, Dilly Dally is designed for wandering. Chances are you’ll leave having discovered a gallery, artist, or performance you weren’t expecting to find.

Event Schedule

5:00 p.m. – Doors Open

• Galleries and exhibitions open throughout the Dahl Arts Center
• Hands-on art activities
• Community mural with Ms. Jewels
• Student summer camp exhibition in the Cultural Café
• Open Pottery Studio demonstrations
• Building-wide scavenger hunt
• Bar opens (beer, wine & soda)

Throughout the Evening

• Meet guest curator Marty Two Bulls Jr. in the Adelstein Gallery and explore Tailings
• Watch Spencer Walton and Michelle Langemeier demonstrate pottery techniques
• Browse galleries and artist talks throughout the building

Cyclorama Room Performances

• 5:30 p.m. – Moreno Family Dancers
• 6:00 p.m. – Catalyst Theater Company
• 6:30 p.m. – Additional performance (to be announced)

7:00 p.m. – Emerging Performing Artists Spotlight
John T. Vucurevich Event Center

• Kokopelli’s Cousin
• Caprice Clarinets