Near the main door of Black Hills Workshop's Suzie Cappa Center, a men's white dress shirt has been decoupaged onto a canvas. In another gallery room, a kitchen chair is covered completely with stamps.

Circling the main gallery are huge sheets of painted canvas, formerly used on highway signs. They are hung high above visitors' heads and painted with enormous portraits. A tree made entirely of shoes nestles near the music corner, which provides a backdrop for music lessons and karaoke events.

Virtually every inch of the Suzie Cappa Center is saturated in art, from clay work to painting to music to decoupage.

And at the heart of the room and the heart of the center is Brad Winter, the guy responsible for such things as a chair covered with stamps.

"What I lack in color blindness, I guess I make up in creativity," he says with a laugh when asked how he came up with the idea for the chair.

The genesis of the stamp chair evolved when a local woman donated a box filled with stamps to the center. Wondering what could be done with them, Winter decided to have his artists plaster them on a chair and a vase. He hopes to display the chair at the post office.

That kind of spontaneous creativity doesn't surprise photographer Erica Johnson, at least not anymore.

"I consider myself pretty creative, but some of the ideas he comes up with …," she said. "I usually go to him when I'm running low on ideas for my class."

Johnson is one of seven volunteers at the Suzie Cappa Center, working with the artists in a wide variety of art forms. She teaches a photography class once a week, but has also done clay and other craft projects.

The center helps people with disabilities to discover and appreciate the role that art has in their lives. People served by the workshop visit the center to paint, study music, sing karaoke and, in general, explore the arts.

Johnson initially came to the center as a paid photographer, assigned to document some of the work being done there. She quickly set aside her salary and began volunteering.

"I think people are finally realizing how important art is for these people …" she said. "When you walk into the room, you wouldn't even think that people with disabilities did the work."

A large part of the credit for that goes to Winter, she said. "He pushes them to achieve their best," she said. "It's really nice that he has a passion for that. Not many people could do that."

When Winter started at the Black Hills Workshop in 1996, he worked as a pre-vocational instructor. But when the workshop's director saw an art center in Germany, he recommended starting one in Rapid City. In 2001, Winter was handed the assignment.

Winter's not exactly sure how he got the job. "I don't have an art degree, and I'm color blind," he laughs. It didn't stop him from giving it his all.

He decided early on to explore all of the arts, from visual art to theater to dance and more. "That's what makes us so unique. We explore everything," he said.

Through the Suzie Cappa Center, artists have performed in Black Hills Community Theatre productions. Starting July 10, center artists will present "Flutter," a collaborative production with the theater.

The center presents an annual art show at the Dahl, which displays various works by Suzie Cappa artists. The next show runs July 8 through 26 and features 28 pieces with the theme "Peace."

Winter said one goal of the Suzie Cappa Center is to provide more interaction between the artists and the community. There's even talk of opening a gallery of Suzie Cappa artwork in downtown Rapid City.

Last year, the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce recognized Winter's work at the center, awarding him a Rushmore Honors award for his contribution to the arts in Rapid City.

The honor didn't surprise Johnson at all. "It's pretty impressive," she says of the Suzie Cappa Center. "And as of late, people have been starting to notice."

Winter said he keeps a constant eye out for artistic avenues for his artists, looking through magazines and online for new ideas. It's occasionally daunting, he admits. "I always wonder what I'm going to do next," he said.

But Winter can't see doing anything else. The potential and the opportunities seem endless to him. "I have a wonderful job," he said. "It's exciting to see where it's going to go."

No matter where it does go from here, Johnson feels pretty confident that one thing will remain constant - Winter's artistic vision and his effect on the center's artists.

"When I think of the Suzie Cappa Center, I think of Brad," she said.

If you go

Artists from Black Hills Workshop's Suzie Cappa Center for Art Expression and Enjoyment open their annual art show Wednesday, July 9, at the Dahl Arts Center.

The show, titled "Peace," runs through July 26. An artists' reception will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, July 18.

About 28 art pieces will be on display, including the featured painting "Doves," created by Black Hills Workshop Artist of the Year Sara Mellegard. The show includes various media, including painting, quilting and sculpture.

Festival of Fun

Black Hills Workshop service coordinators will host the "Festival of Fun" on Thursday, July 24, in honor of the workshop's 50th anniversary.

The public is invited to the free event, between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. behind the workshop's maintenance shop at 3603 Range Road, near West Middle School. Along with free food, there will be entertainment throughout the day.

For more information, contact Suzette Coy or Nancy Zogorski at 343-4550.

Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com or 394-8414.