The 10th annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam got under way this morning at the Cheyenne River Youth Project’s campus in Eagle Butte. Joining CRYP staff and volunteers this year are 14 featured artists from around the world, including two Maori artists from New Zealand.
Also joining the RedCan family this year are a Native youth group from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona, and Native youth leaders and staff from the American Indian Community Housing Organization in Duluth, Minnesota. Longtime volunteer groups from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Ohio’s Ursuline College also are on hand for the four-day event, which draws hundreds to CRYP’s Waniyetu Wowapi (Winter Count) Art Park and community mural sites.
Today and tomorrow, July 10-11, artists will be painting and working with local youth artists at large-scale mural sites around Eagle Butte (see locations below). On Friday and Saturday, July 12-13, the action will move to the Waniyetu Wowapi Art Park.
ARTISTS:
Returning artists include:
East, an artist of Cherokee descent from Denver; Cyfi, a Yaqui and Azteca artist from Minneapolis; Dwayno, a Salt River Pima-Maricopa and Tohono O’odham artist from Arizona; 179, a Latine artist from Seattle; Hoka, an artist of Oneida, Oglala Lakota and La Jolla Band of Luiseño descent from Albuquerque; TamiJoy, a Cheyenne River Lakota artist; Yukue, from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Guadalupe, Arizona; Rezmo, a Diné and Mexicá artist currently living in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona; and Minneapolis-based artists Biafra and Wundr.
New this year are:
Phat1 and Lady Diva, Māori artists from Aotearoa (New Zealand); Midwestern artist Brady Scott; and Kansas-born Ponca artist Amp.
GUEST PERFORMERS:
Guest performers for 2024 include The Wake Singers, an Oglala Lakota band from Mni Luzihan; Cheyenne River Lakota storyteller Taté Walker; entertainer Jackie Bird, a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Tribe of South Dakota and Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota; and renowned Mvskoke Creek/Seneca hoop dancers The Sampson Bros.
As always, the Cheyenne River-based Wakinyan Maza drum group will begin and end each day with songs and a blessing.
COMMUNITY MURAL SITES:
Sturdevants, East Side: US-212 &, Main St, Eagle Butte, SD 57625 (Artist: 179).
Old Agency Building: in front of the CRST Bingo Hall, On Lincoln Street between Jefferson Street and Highway 212 (Artists: Biafra, Cyfi, Wundr).
Si Tanka Trailer: Located on Landmark Avenue between Main Street & Cedar Avenue behind the CRST Fitness Center (Artist: East).
Sturdevants, North Side: US-212 & Main St, Eagle Butte, SD 57625 (Artists: Brady, Amp).
Wakpá Wašté Animal Shelter & Clinic: 16514 Rodeo Grounds Road, Eagle Butte, SD 57625 (Artist: TamiJoy).
Veterans Building: Trailer is located on the Corner of E Tituwan Lp and Highway 212 (Artist: Dwayno).
KIPI Radio: 724 Main St., Eagle Butte, SD 57625. Located on the corner of B Street and Main. (Phat1, Lady Diva).
CRST Vets Food Pantry: Located off Lincoln Street in the same parking lot as the Old Agency Building and the CRST Bingo Hall, all of which are just north of CRYP’s Campus (Artists: Yukue, Rezmo).
Golden Rule, North Side: 212 Main St., Eagle Butte, SD 57625. Located on Main Street and Pioneer Ave; the wall is facing north with a large empty lot (Artist: Hoka).
SCHEDULE OF FREE ACTIVITIES:
July 10: Community
9 a.m.-5 p.m.: Painting at community mural sites.
11 a.m.: Youth art activities at former nursing apartments on Main Street between H and G streets. Kids will make bejeweled sun catchers and wind catchers, and engage in sensory activities. Hot dogs will be served.
2 p.m.: Youth art activities at former nursing apartments on Main Street between H and G streets. Kids will make keychains and backpack charms, engage in sensory activities, and enjoy cotton candy.
July 11: Community
9 a.m.-5 p.m.: Painting at community mural sites.
11 a.m.: Youth art activities at former nursing apartments on Main Street between H and G streets. Kids will make kaleidoscopes and “animal hands,” and engage with sensory bins. Hot dogs will be served.
2 p.m.: Youth art activities at former nursing apartments on Main Street between H and G streets. Kids will make turtle Island crafts, play Field Day games, and enjoy cotton candy.
July 12: Waniyetu Wowapi Art Park
9 a.m.-5 p.m.: Painting at mural sites throughout the park.
11 a.m.: Youth art activities.
11:30 a.m.: Youth spray painting.
12 p.m.: Skateboard spray painting.
1 p.m.: Spoken word performance.
2 p.m.: Youth art activities.
4 p.m.: Teen art class.
5 p.m.: Performance in the Art Park with Jackie Bird and Taté Walker
5:30 p.m.: Community meal
July 13: Waniyetu Wowapi Art Park
9 a.m.-5 p.m.: Painting at mural sites throughout the park.
11 a.m.: Youth art activities.
11:30 a.m.: Youth spray painting.
12 p.m.: Skateboard spray painting.
1 p.m.: Hoop-dancing class with the Sampson Bros.
2 p.m.: Youth art activities.
4 p.m.: Art class with 179.
5 p.m.: Performance in the Art Park with the Wake Singers and the Sampson Bros.
5:30 p.m.: Community meal, sponsored by the University of Missouri-St. Louis
To view our new RedCan short film, “Owášte,” and our other documentary projects, visit CRYP on Vimeo at vimeo.com/lakotayouth.
To purchase our new RedCan 2024 merchandise, visit www.lakotayouth.org/shop/redcan-merchandise. All purchases directly benefit CRYP’s youth programming and services.
To learn more about this year’s RedCan artists and performers, and to make a tax-deductible contribution to support RedCan 2024, visit www.lakotayouth.org/redcan.
And to learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visit www.lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
The Cheyenne River Youth Project, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.