CRYP is recruiting teen applicants for an innovative new art internship program at its East Lincoln Street campus in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. This comprehensive program will provide 10 Cheyenne River teens with the opportunity to build their skills in a variety of artistic disciplines, including traditional art, graffiti art, and street art.
During this four-month internship program, the young people also will engage in leadership development workshops and explore the many available career opportunities for artists. According to Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director, the internship program is a natural extension of the 26-year-old, not-for-profit youth organization’s Waniyetu Wowapi (“Winter Count” in the Lakota language) Art Park initiative. Waniyetu Wowapi was formally dedicated in September 2014 and is garnering acclaim throughout the region.
“Our art park is a free public space where community members and visitors can express their own unique voices and life experiences in a positive healthy way,” Garreau explained. “Our interns will receive firsthand instruction from acclaimed local and regional artists, and they will have critical roles in further developing the art park as they collaborate to create new murals.”
Each month, the interns will participate in both training opportunities and open studio time. They will be responsible for planning community events to promote the art park and all related arts activities, and to formally unveil their own work within the public space when it’s ready.
The teens must complete 80 hours of instruction during February, March, April and May to complete the program. Upon successful completion in May, they will receive a $500 award for their time and commitment.
“These kids are going to learn so much,” Garreau observed. “Not only will they develop their artistic techniques, build their skill set, and learn the history of various art forms, they’ll also complete an Artist Marketing and Financial Literacy course, which will provide valuable guidance on how to be successful if they do choose to pursue a career in the arts.”
All internship applications are due to the CRYP offices at the Cokata Wiconi teen center no later than Friday, January 30. Candidates will be invited for in-person interviews in early February, and applicants will be notified of final selections by February 9.
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.
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