A collage of past Brookings Arts Council exhibition posters arranged in a grid, showcasing a wide range of visual styles, colors, and media. Poster designs include abstract imagery, illustration, photography, bold typography, and mixed-media aesthetics, highlighting the diversity of artists and exhibitions previously shown at the gallery.

Call for 2027 Show Proposals 

The Brookings Arts Council seeks proposals for individual or group art shows for calendar year 2027. Proposals from independent artists and proposals for curated group and/or themed exhibitions containing original artwork are welcome. All proposals will be reviewed by the BAC Exhibition Committee whose decisions will be final.

We ask that artists be living or working in South Dakota, or within a 150 mile radius of Brookings.

The BAC is home to two galleries, the priority for a show is to fill the larger gallery, therefore it is acceptable if artists do not have sufficient works to fill both. In such case we may offer a complimenting artist the space during the same run, or close off the gallery for other projects.

Gallery Floor Plans & Measurements
Western (larger)
Eastern (smaller)

Proposals will be accepted until March 1st, 2026. Selected applicants will be contacted in early April and will be given a list of 2027 show dates to choose from..

Required Materials

All proposals must include the materials listed below. Please e-mail completed exhibition proposals to rfunk@brookingsartscouncil.org

  • Artist statement — A statement about your processes, this body of work, what drives you as an artist, what inspired this collection, etc.

  • Artist bio — Tell us about yourself! Where did you grow up? Where do you work from now?

  • Proposal narrative — See below

  • CV or artist resume — (no more than three pages). For group artists exhibitions, please include all artists’ resumes, bios, and artist statements

  • 8-10 high quality images of work

    • 14 images will be allowed for group/joint show proposals only

  • Contact information including email and phone number

    • Proposals should present a cohesive body of work or clear curatorial concept, rather than a broad overview of an artist’s entire practice. Intentional selection and a strong conceptual throughline are encouraged.

    • Describe your current work and the specific pieces proposed for exhibition, including any new direction, evolution, or focused inquiry this show represents.

    • Exhibitions made up of unrelated works from across many years are generally not preferred, unless clearly framed within a compelling conceptual or historical context.

    • Proposal narratives may include images for reference, but all images must also be submitted as separate files.

    • Clearly indicate which images are finished works and which are concept sketches or in-progress plans. Both are acceptable when the overall exhibition vision is well defined.

    • Take care to submit high quality images of your work as they will be used to determine your acceptance into our 2025 docket of exhibitions.

    • Images should be numbered sequentially and should include artists last name. For example Smith_Title_01, Smith_Title_02, etc.

    • A link to a shared Google or Dropbox folder containing images would be appropriate for this to keep your application to one email if the attached images are too large to send together.

    • Interested parties who would prefer to mail in their proposals may do so to the address listed below. All of the above materials must be included. Materials will be kept by the BAC unless the return of them is requested and return postage included.

    Brookings Arts Council
    524 4th St.
    Brookings, SD 57006