Red Cloud Indian School
Honoring Native art and expanding opportunities for Native artists, The Heritage Center’s gallery exhibitions and annual art show have brought tens of thousands of visitors to the Pine Ridge Reservation. It has grown into a nationally recognized cultural destination and hosts the annual Art Show for ten weeks each summer. All the artwork is for sale, with the proceeds used to support individual Native artists as well as the work of The Heritage Center. Additionally, the Center develops and offers innovative, arts-based educational programs to increase the public’s understanding of Native art and Lakota culture.
Historically, what began in 1968 as a collection with three early pieces of Native art now includes an estimated 10,000 pieces of Lakota and other Native art, from priceless historical artifacts to cutting-edge modern works. Since its formal creation in 1982, The Heritage Center has continued to expand this unique and diverse collection of Native art—and uses it to create groundbreaking exhibitions and arts education work.
It’s been about five months since Red Cloud implemented an emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic that included online distance learning for our students, meal delivery, webcast Masses for our parishes, and a Drive-Through Graduation to honor the Class of 2020. Although The Heritage Center and Gift Shop still remain closed to all visitors, the 52nd Red Cloud Indian Art Show’s Online Exhibition was successfully created and launched as a virtual, online exhibition and sale.
With a nimble response and continued commitment to our mission, Red Cloud prepared for our online exhibition and show with special protocols that were put in place to ensure that staff could safely handle the artwork and accept pieces delivered by artists from all over the state. The show successfully opened on June 6, will run through August 9, 2020, and can be viewed online here: https://redcloudart.show.
By responding quickly and using technology to present Red Cloud’s 52nd Indian Art Show online, we continue to create meaningful opportunities for our Native artists to exhibit and sell their artwork. Additionally, the team developed accessible, arts-based educational programs and tutorials to increase the public’s understanding of Native art and Lakota culture. Alexandra Romero-Frederick’s ribbon skirt tutorial is a wonderful example of a traditional art form that is still practiced today. Heritage Center Educational Tutorial with Alexandra Romero-Fredrick
Innovative solutions, such as the online sale for The 52nd Indian Art Show, plus the vital and important collaboration of the Red Cloud community’s staff, students and artists ensures the continued health, safety, economic opportunity, and success of everyone here at Red Cloud.
