Open call to display art at Washington Pavilion leads to big response

The call went out: The Washington Pavilion’s Visual Arts Center was putting together a new exhibition and literally every local artist who followed the requirements would be accepted.

As long as artists lived within a 10-mile radius of Sioux Falls, followed size and content standards and had not had a solo exhibition at the Visual Arts Center, their work would be included.

“We wanted an opportunity for any emerging artist to have the chance to show in the largest gallery in the state of South Dakota,” lead curator Jana Anderson said.

The response to “Breakthrough ’25” was huge.

“We had 70 artists bring us their artwork, and we were able to fill the Everist Gallery,” Anderson said. “One of our volunteers told me how exciting it was for many of these artists to be getting the chance to show here and how she saw the impact first-hand how this opportunity inspired many of these artists, both young and old.”

That was the hope of Sioux Falls Stage & Gallery, which usually highlights local talent in theater but saw an opportunity to expand the reach.

Since being founded more than five years ago, the group has tried to find new ways to spotlight the performing and visual arts, executive director Luke Tatge said.

That includes the annual Sioux Falls Stage Awards and Rise Up, an arts mentorship program held each summer in McKennan Park.

“This year, we wanted to engage visual artists in an even more direct way, and the idea came to mind to showcase emerging artists who haven’t already solo-exhibited in a space like the Visual Arts Center at the Pavilion,” Tatge said.

“We have so many worthy artists in our community who work so hard to hone and share their gifts, and seeing as though Sioux Falls Stage & Gallery’s core mission is to tell the Sioux Falls arts story, this feels like a really positive way to continue to do so for artists seeking more eyes on the incredible work they’re creating.”

The response exceeded the group’s expectation, he added.

“The submitted work is honestly kind of extraordinary, so we are looking forward to the exhibition being made available to the public this fall,” Tatge said.

On Oct. 9, the Visual Arts Center will host a free reception with live music, an adjudication and cash prizes for selected artists.

“We know the Visual Arts Center can seem intimidating to someone that hasn’t been here or shown their work here before, but we want all artists and our community as a whole to know that this space is for everyone,” Anderson said.

“More so than what the Pavilion as an organization represents, I say all of that to truly lift up the work that Luke at Sioux Falls Stage & Gallery is doing in this community. He is providing a space to tell the stories of this community’s local talent and creating opportunities for our creatives to develop, grow and show off their talents. We are so grateful for this unique collaboration and can’t wait to celebrate these artists.”