SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Artists from across the region will have their work on display Saturday for a special event at Good Earth State Park in Sioux Falls.
It’s a quiet, hazy morning at Good Earth State Park, but this weekend it’ll be bustling with activity.
“We’re doing our Indigenous Artists of the Prairie event. It’s our third annual where we invite Native American artists and vendors to come out to share their talents and skills,” Park Naturalist Jen Stahl said.
Jen Stahl is a park naturalist at Good Earth and says there will be 40 vendors and a long list of items.
“We have lots of ribbon skirts out here, beadwork, different kinds of pottery and woodworking skills, everything that you can imagine. Some are traditional art and some are modern art, so we’ve got a little bit of both going on,” Stahl said.
The Indigenous Artists of the Prairie event will also include an open mic for the first time.
“So dancing, singing, poetry, storytelling, everything. Any kind of talent that they want to share with us,” Stahl said.
“As someone who’s not part of that culture, I really appreciate learning more about it and Indigenous Artists is a chance to do that,” park volunteer JoJean Callison said.
JoJean Callison is a volunteer at Good Earth State Park. She enjoys watching the drum group perform.
“When the drum group is playing it just reverberates through the whole park, it seems like the spirits of people are here in the drums,” Callison said.
Which is only fitting, as the history of Good Earth dates back to 1600.
“When 10,000 people were living here, but other tribes were coming here to trade and tell stories and to do fellowship, and we’re just trying to bring back that tradition and that history,” Stahl said.
Indigenous Artists of the Prairie is Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Good Earth State Park. There will be food trucks on hand from 11:00 to 1:00.
The event is free to attend but a state park pass is required.
