The Cheyenne River Youth Project’s 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam is in the books. Nine new murals have come to life around Eagle Butte, and the public Waniyetu Wowapi (Winter Count) Art Park is filled to the brim with new pieces from the 14 featured RedCan artists, CRYPs Lakota Art Fellows and teen art interns, local youth and community members of all ages.
On RedCan’s final day, the art park bustled with spray painting, skateboard design, youth arts and crafts, hoop-dancing lessons, and field day games — with plenty of water activities and a frozen T-shirt contest to help kids beat the heat. Despite temperatures in the 90s and high humidity, the community came together for a hearty evening meal in the park and live performances by Oglala rock band The Wake Singers and acclaimed Mvskoke Creek/Seneca hoop dancers The Sampson Brothers.
The CRYP team was able to button up all tipis, shade tents, art and youth activity supplies, performance equipment, and meal supplies before a powerful line of storms hit the region with 80-mile-per-hour winds and heavy rain. Thankfully, the CRYP campus — including its 2.5-acre Winyan Toka Win Garden — saw minimal damage from the severe weather, and artists, guests and volunteers were on their way home on Sunday, July 14 as planned.
For more information about artists, special guests and mural sites, see details below. More details are available at www.lakotayouth.org/redcan.
ARTISTS:
Returning RedCan artists:
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 artists in 2024:
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:
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 began and ended 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).
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.