Creation.Story Artists' Reception held in Tandem with the Black Hills Powwow

For Immediate Release: September 20, 2023
Creation.Story Artists' Reception held in Tandem
with the Black Hills Powwow
 
WHAT:  Creation.Story
EXHIBIT DATES:  09.22.23-12.09.23
ARTISTS’ RECEPTION: October 6 | 4-6:30pm
OPENING PRAYER: 4pm
WHERE:  Sen. Stan Adelstein & Lynda K. Clark Gallery | Dahl Arts Center
WHY:  Bringing ART + PEOPLE together
 
The Rapid City Arts Council (RCAC) is pleased to present Creation.Story, an exhibition curated by Keith BraveHeart and Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center at St. Joseph’s Indian School. Jhon Goes In Center and Dwayne Wilcox are co-curators of this exhibition at the Dahl. The show will run from September 22 through December 9, 2023 in the Sen. Stan Adelstein & Lynda K. Clark Gallery. The artists’ reception will be held in tandem with the Black Hills Powwow on October 6 from 4-6:30pm.
 
This exhibition is centered on the significance of creative expressions and traditions among the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ cultures. Multiple artists have provided visual artworks, artifacts, and creative concepts representing their Očhéthi Šakówiŋ heritage. Creation.Story presents ancient spiritual entities and narrative figures culturally recognized as transcendent “relatives” and acknowledged as the central foundation of Očhéthi Šakówiŋ's beliefs, values, and lifestyles. The intention of this exhibition is to share and encourage the continuum of these cultural practices.
BraveHeart calls himself a contemporary native artist. Through this exhibition, BraveHeart allows the artwork to shift, to allow “for chance to happen,” and for the artist to determine the direction of their work. By bringing contemporary interpretations of these traditions to a broader audience, this exhibition ensures that the heritage of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ remains vibrant and relevant in contemporary times.
The exhibition arrived from Akta Lakota Museum with 17 works by 11 different artists, including 8 large-scale oil paintings that made up Keith BraveHeart’s MFA thesis presentation at the University of South Dakota. The RCAC commissioned two artists, Billy Janis and Leland Benoist, to create new pieces for this exhibition. The co-curators have selected numerous other unique pieces to be displayed within Creation.Story at the Dahl.
 
Funding for this exhibition was provided by Jackalope and the South Dakota Arts Council through the South Dakota Arts Council with funds from the State of South Dakota through the Department of Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts.
 
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For More Information:
Noah Geiger
Rapid City Arts Council
605.394.4101 x2
[email protected]

The mission of the Rapid City Arts Council (RCAC) is to champion inclusive, innovative, and inspiring arts opportunities to enrich the communities we serve. This organization was founded in 1968 by visionary artists and art enthusiasts, and in 1987, RCAC became the official partner in expanding the city’s arts and cultural resources. Since 1974, RCAC has been the proud steward of the Dahl Arts Center (thedahl.org), a civic resource owned by the City of Rapid City. RCAC is dedicated to advocating for the arts and amplifying the artistic voices of the region and offers a wide range of public arts programs, including exhibitions, live performances, and educational classes. This important work is made possible through the generous contributions of individual donors and organizations including the Black Hills Area Community Foundation, John T. Vucurevich Foundation, South Dakota Community Foundation, and the South Dakota Arts Council with funds from the State of South Dakota through the Department of Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Rapid City Arts Council and the Dahl Arts Center are located at 713 7th St in Downtown Rapid City. The center is open from Monday to Saturday, between 10 am and 5 pm and admission is free. Learn more at rapidcityartscouncil.org.