LNI hosts the largest art show in the state

RAPID CITY – The Lakota Nation Invitational Art show is among the various competitions at the annual Lakota Nation Invitational. LNI Art Show coordinator Madonna Crow Eagle told Native Sun News Today that this is the largest art show in South Dakota. It features many different mediums providing a wider opportunity for students to find the right vehicle to express themselves. They can choose to work with crafts, ledger art, photography, mixed media, pastel, watercolor, acrylic, ceramics, drawing, black and white drawing, printmaking, graphic arts as well as traditional arts like beading and leatherwork. Mediums like printmaking offer a broad category of various art techniques to create artworks usually on paper but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces.  Native American artists today use both traditional and modern techniques.

The annual Lakota Nation Invitational began in 1976 as a basketball tournament for high school and middle school students, held at Pine Ridge High School. Crime on the reservation had been increasing after a dispute arose between tribal members and the American Indian Movement and their occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973. Because of that school districts across the state refused to let their athletes play at Pine Ridge.

That’s when Bryan Brewer, who was the basketball coach at Pine Ridge at the time, decided to start his own tournament. After contacting schools in other states, 7 schools agreed to participate in that first tournament. A few years after that, the event moved to the Monument, formerly the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

While the event has grown not only in size but in community acceptance, it has become one of the premiere events in West River, bringing in at least 6 million dollars annually.

In the 47 years since the event began, it has expanded to not only include a wide variety of other sports events but also events for students who aren’t athletes to have the opportunity to showcase their skills and talents. Those events include but aren’t limited to the Poetry Slam, Business Plans, Lakota Language Bowl, Knowledge Bowl, Hand Games, Chess, E-Sports, Archery and Fine Arts.

The entire event focuses on Native youth and building characteristics of goodwill and camaraderie as well as other tribal values.

This was reflected in much of the art showcased during the 4-day event as student art submissions shared tribal themes of caring for nature, concerns about water quality, handprints depicting the MMIW movement, historical trauma and other tribal issues.

LNI Art Show coordinator Scott Fischel said this year they also included some art submissions from elementary students. While those students were not eligible to compete, Fischel said it’s a way to get young artists interested and perhaps keep them interested as well as give them a sense of accomplishment. Fischel noted two young black and white sketch artists from Red Cloud Elementary School whose talent was beyond their age: 5^th grader Josephine Stinson’s self-portrait of the girl with the braid and 2^nd grader Seanna Ghost who also did a self-portrait. Fischel said all of the art sent from Red Cloud Elementary School was exceptional. “They must be doing something special there at Red Cloud”, said Fischel.

Fischel said it’s also an opportunity for budding artists to sell their art, learn how to sell their art, and build self-esteem, whether they become a commercial artist or not. The LNI Art Show coordinators keep an inventory should an art enthusiast want to purchase any student art piece. While students can learn there are many ways to earn a living making art, it isn’t necessarily about making money.  

Art pieces in tribal culture had a more functional purpose in traditional life, but art has always been a part of everyday Lakota life.

Kim Randall (Oglala Lakota), who is now an attorney, was a young artist the first year that the Invitational held the art show. She was perusing the 2023 entries and told Native Sun News Today that she had been the winner of that first show. “I still do my art but in the privacy of my own home. And I’m good,” she said, not boastful or arrogant, but with confidence. “My art comes out how it comes out. It brings me joy and I know when I make something, it’s one-of-a-kind. It brings me happiness.” Even though she didn’t become a commercial artist, she said it was important to have encouragement. “I think it’s really important to have a role model. I pursued drawing because my art teacher in high school pushed me and put me in a summer art camp.”

While the pandemic had a disruptive effect on the economy, businesses, and events, the cancellation of the LNI that year didn’t have any impact on the events popularity. The absence of the 43^rd LNI was noted by city economic leaders. In a 2021 interview with KOTA TV, Elevate CEO Tom Johnson said it’s a “big deal for this economy. If you just look at the Native American communities that come to Rapid City during the entire year, it’s about a hundred million dollars of spending in our economy and probably represent about 1,500 jobs.”

Native Sun News spoke briefly with LNI President Chuck Wilson who said their team would be assessing numbers and looking at what went well and what needs to be done better for next year’s LNI. He said they would be doing that after the beginning of the new year.

(Contact Marnie Cook at staffwriter@nativesunnews.today)

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