Summer Art Lovin’
By Jaclyn LanaeNative Sun News Today Correspondent
nativesunnews.today RAPID CITY - The art and culture of the Lakota, and Indigenous people as a whole, has long been a part of the greater arts community - and its presence is ever more front-and-center. From events like RedCan to the Native POP festival, the work of Lakota and Indigenous artists from around the country have been showcased brilliantly right here in our little corner of South Dakota - and we’re only half-way through the summer! So - in case you missed it, here are some highlights.
RedCan Graffiti Jam
Held over three days in Eagle Butte South Dakota, this event is a celebration of art and community spotlighted through the lens of graffiti. Renowned street artists from across the country are invited to convene with local and emerging artists to, quite literally, paint the town. Education reigns as the overarching goal; established artists mentoring youth and emerging artists, elders and community educating established artists, but tantamount to that endeavor is the exuberant ‘lifting up’ of the people as a whole.
As hip-hop artist and award-winning Sicangu Lakota rapper Frank Waln notes in the coming documentary film of the project, “(RedCan) being the only indigenous graffiti jam in the country is a pretty big deal. I think it deserves worldwide attention, what’s happening here… I’ve never seen anything like this.”
If you missed this year’s graffiti jam, stay tuned to the Cheyenne River Youth Project’s Facebook page for the anticipated August 2018 release date of the full documentary.CRYP would like to thank @FrankWaln for performing at #RedCan2018! Here are some thoughts he shared about the importance of #Native artists having a place to express themselves through the arts. Please retweet! Wopila! https://t.co/HK5jYmV2SH
— The CR Youth Project (@LakotaYouth) July 14, 2018
Native POP: People of the Plains
Touted as a “cultural event” by committee member Peter Strong, Native POP 2018 certainly delivered. Kicked off on Friday evening (July 20) with an Awards Ceremony held at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City, the event was a study in the myriad ways indigenous art is expressed in contemporary culture. Phenomenal traditional arts like bead and quill work were punctuated by moving pieces created in digital format and collage style work crafted from delicately cut paper and precise acrylic paint.
Saturday’s art-market style portion of the festival featured artist booths arranged around Main Street Square in Rapid City, and invited Culture Bearers were situated in the center of the space to educate any and all attendees in traditional games, language, and other creative mediums.
“I just keeps growing,” mentioned Strong, as shoppers milled among the booths. Not only in attendance and - arguably - anticipation, but the event itself; this year, in addition to the art, artists, Culture Bearers and dancers, there was a portion of the event devoted to film, and the fashion show entranced with a beautiful mix of color, texture, and design.
SDPB Living: Native POPThe 2018 Native POP: People of the Plains art show and market filled Rapid City’s Main Street Square over the weekend. The event features musicians, artists and even a fashion show from plenty of local artists and some works from around the country.
Posted by South Dakota Public Broadcasting on Tuesday, July 24, 2018
July 27 - Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City
Artists of the Black Hills Annual ExhibitionFor more than a decade, artists of the Black Hills have come together to showcase and sell their work; pieces across the range of mediums. Pieces will be available for sale and artists will be on hand for discussion.
July 28 - Racing Magpie in Rapid City
racingmagpie.comAccording to the event listing, Oglala Lakota Performance Artist Suzanne Kite, known simply as Kite, will be in Rapid City for just two performances of her work “Listener: Mapping the Future”. Both performances are free and open to the public, so don’t miss this chance to engage with an artist and researcher studying epistemologies (the branch of philosophy devoted to the theory of knowledge) of Lakota Culture.
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