POP CULTURE
Cultural celebration Native POP highlights the work of Great Plains artists.
Cultural celebration Native POP highlights the work of Great Plains artists.
RAPID CITY, SD
Packed with art, film, fashion, culture and more, Native POP: People of the Plains - A Gathering of Arts and Culture returns for its seventh year. The free day-long event takes place on July 20 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Main Street Square in Rapid City, South Dakota. Not only does the gathering include a juried Native American fine art market focusing on Great Plains culture, but it also includes a notable cultural celebration featuring performances, demonstrations, culture bearers, Native fashion show, film showcase and evening concert.
“Native POP is a terrific opportunity for Indigenous emerging and established artists to showcase their artwork,” says participating artist Joanne Brings Thunder. “The atmosphere is inspiring, inclusive and culturally appropriate. I appreciate the opportunity this show allows.”
Among the event’s highlights are activities presented by culture bearers—individuals who carry ancestral knowledge and pass on the traditions and life ways of their people—which, in past years, have included traditional games, lacrosse, regalia making, fashion design, bow and arrow making, quillwork and beadwork. Native musicians and performing artists will also be in focus on the Native POP performance stage, which has featured flute performances, powwow drumming, folk music, blues bands, hiphop performances, alt-rock music and spoken word performances during previous years of the annual event.
This year marks Native POP’S fourth annual fashion show as well as film showcase, which is presented in partnership with Vision Maker Media and South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB).
Taking place at the SDPB Black Hills Studio, the film showcase will feature documentaries of regional interest and presents an opportunity for local filmmakers to showcase music videos, short films and works in progress.
At the heart of Native POP, however, is the art market, which will feature the work of Native artists Angela Babby, Keith Braveheart, Roger Broer, Cecelia Fire Thunder, Evans Flammond, Charles Her Many Horses, Emil Her Many Horses, Rhonda Holy Bear and Terran Last Gun, among others.
“I appreciate Native POP, as it represents an opportunity for us artists who call the Northern Plains home to collectively share a voice that magnifies our significance,” says Braveheart. “The artistic moments that accompany the market are even more special to me, as the Black Hills and Lakota makoce (land) are indeed home. I always find enjoyment in creating new works that uplift my relatives and our culture, but that also further critical dialogue concerning who we are as people of the Plains today.”
To commence the event, Native POP will host a ticketed artist awards reception on July 19 at the Dahl Arts Center. The evening promises entertainment, refreshments, a sneak peek at the artwork available during the market, a chance to mix and mingle with the artists and $17,000 in artist awards.