EAGLE BUTTE, SD — The Cheyenne River Youth Project’s 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam hit the halfway mark on Thursday evening, July 11. The 14 featured artists wrapped up painting at their nine large-scale mural sites around Eagle Butte, and now the action moves to CRYP’s 3-acre Waniyetu Wowapi (Winter Count) Art Park.
Today and tomorrow, July 12-13, the artists will be painting murals in the public art park while CRYP staff and volunteers engage youth of all ages in a variety of activities. These include arts and crafts, skateboard painting, spray painting, teen art classes, and a hoop-dancing workshop. Community members and visitors also are welcome to come to the art park for a free evening meal and live performances on both Friday and Saturday.
In addition to welcoming two Maori artists from New Zealand to the RedCan family this year, CRYP also is hosting Native youth leaders from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona; Native youth and staff from the American Indian Community Housing Organization in Duluth, Minnesota; representatives from the Aspen Institute’s Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival; and large volunteer groups from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Ohio’s Ursuline College.
Saturday, 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 Brothers
2 p.m.: Youth art activities
4 p.m.: Art class with 179
6 p.m.: Community meal sponsored by the University of Missouri-St. Louis; performances in the art park (The Wake Singers and the Sampson Brothers)
To view our new RedCan short film, “Owášte,” and our other documentary projects, visit CRYP on Vimeo at vimeo.com/lakotayouth.
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