Contact us at: whispernthunder1@gmail.comOglala Lakota Artspace
~ Mary Burrows
“Art is the greatest asset Indian people have in our communities, yet it is the most underdeveloped.” Elouise Corbell, 1945-2011
“This was a culmination of the work of a Lakota woman, Lori Pourier; she had an idea, a dream, and it has come together.” Cecelia Fire Thunder, Lakota artist, 2024
THIS is Oglala Lakota Artspace (OLA) in Kyle,
South Dakota: an 8500-square-foot arts facility
that includes Artist Studios; a Recording Studio
and home base for the Wicahpi Olowan Music
Program; Classrooms; Gallery, Community
Gathering, and Performance spaces; Lakota
Federal Credit Union branch; and a garage
for the Rolling Rez Arts Bus.
THIS is a Native-run program administered by
Oglala Lakota Artspace LLC, which provides “a
collaborative and inter-generational
environment for artists to learn, share, and
grow their businesses. It offers artistic,
business, and financial services to Native
artists” across Oglala Lakota Nation.
THIS is a building designed by the first
certified Native woman architect, Oglala
Lakota Tammy Eagle Bull, co-founder and
president of Encompass Architects.
“The building is designed around the Lakota star map. The stars are a guidebook for the Lakota people that tell of the journey from the Spirit/Star World to the Earth/Material World. In each group of stars on the Lakota star map, there are stories and teachings that help guide, teach, and inspire, which is also the hope for this building,” Eagle Bull said.
Lori Lea Pourier, Oglala Lakota, long-time artist advocate and activist, founded First People's Fund in 1995 with the mission of supporting Native artists and culture-bearers in pursuit of healing in Native communities, leading to healthy, thriving people. First People's Fund operates on the commitment to the connectedness of all things: the Collective Spirit ™, which is essential to sustaining Native communities and their ability to thrive.
Oglala Lakota Artspace (OLA) opened slowly, beginning June 2021, because of conditions surrounding the Corona virus pandemic. On Saturday, May 20, 2022, during the official opening, Pourier remarked that the event “is a significant milestone in a collaborative effort between the First People's Fund, Lakota Funds, Lakota Federal Credit Union, and Artspace; this momentous occasion heralded the unveiling of a space designed to nurture artists and culture bearers on the Pine Ridge Reservation.” Pourier went on to say, “This fills me with pride and joy!...This Oglala Lakota Artspace is a testament to our resilience, creativity, and unwavering commitment to preserving and sharing our cultural heritage as Indigenous people through the arts.”
Approximately 26,000 tribal members live in the sovereign Oglala Lakota Nation, an area roughly the size of the state of Connecticut in southwest South Dakota. A sizable number of those residents are 25 years of age or younger, and approximately 30 percent identifies as artists.
Noted Lakota Ledger artist Donald Montileaux, who decorated The Rolling Rez Art Bus, was among those artists honored during the opening. “I remember seeing Lori when First People's Fund was just starting, they were raising money,” Montileaux remarked. “Down here, it started with the Rolling Rez Art Bus that traveled to each district with raw materials, workshops, and seminars...the bus has a home now...This is a dream come true, the college is across the street, the chamber is right next door, this is in the center of the res; it's going to be beneficial to a lot of people.”
Playing for Change Foundation (PFC) assisted in creating the Wicahpi Olowan (Star Songs) Music Program (PFC's first music program in the United States) and Studio in 2023. The program provides opportunities to Oglala Lakota youth, and new music from local youth and musicians has already been produced. Music education in multiple genres is available, including traditional Oglala Lakota music, Hip-hop, Rap, and Folk.
A study in 2013, 'Establishing a Creative Economy: Art as an Economic Engine in Native Communities,' identified challenges Native artists faced, such as lack of access to resources and information about growing a business, a place to work, and a place to learn. The Oglala Lakota Arts Center is a partnership among First People's Fund, Lakota Funds, and Artspace that provides a centrally-located fixed structure with computers for digital work and access to electronic markets and creates a hub for establishing connections with other artists and cultural activities in western South Dakota.
Lakota Funds developed when a community think-tank defined roadblocks to prosperity on the reservation that focused on lack of access to capital, technical assistance, business networks, and infrastructure. First Nations Development Institute and Oglala Lakota College assisted in the establishment of the first ever Native American Community Development Institute (CDI) in 1986. At the time, the Funds began as a micro-lender when there were only two Native-owned businesses on the reservation. The client base included people who had never had checking or savings accounts, or never had a loan, and 95% of them had no business experience. Lending is the core of the program designed to transform the economic landscape of Oglala Lakota Nation, but a holistic approach is taken with a focus on wide-ranging asset-building strategies.
Today, Lakota Funds continues to contribute to improving life in Oglala Lakota Nation. They have issued loans totaling over $25 million, created 2200 permanent jobs, and assisted or expanded 1000 businesses.
Artspace works in three major areas across the country: Consulting Services, Property Development, and Asset Stewardship. The mission is to “Create, Foster, and Preserve Affordable and Sustainable Housing and Work Space for Artists, Entrepreneurs, and the Creative Workforce.”
On a warm Thursday in Decembr, a friend joined me on a journey to Oglala Lakota Nation to visi
Although we arrived unannounced, we were warmly greeted by Avanelle “AJ” No Braid of the Three Affiliated Tribes and FPF's program manager at OLA. AJ graciously escorted us through the facility and ushered us into the work space occupied currently by Waylon and Helene Gaddie, who work in costume and regalia making and weaponry. Other spaces are currently utilized by Keith Brave Heart, a fine artist and Oglala Lakota College faculty member, Gus and Tianna Yellow Hair who work in painting and creating parfleche, and Catlin Clifford, who focuses on leatherwork. The OLA Artist-in-Residence Program rotates the use of the four work spaces among Oglala Lakota culture bearers and artists working in the continuum of Lakota art.
Gaddie was preparing to process a Bison by tanning its hide using the brain-tan method. He expressed gratitude at being able to share his knowledge and skills with the youth coming up.
The Rez Bus's garage has its own mural. We were shown the impressive recording studio that is home to the Wicahpi Olawan Music Program, sponsored in part by Playing For Change Foundation. AJ pointed out that inset panels in the outside canopy over the Six Directions Monument contain positive words. All artworks and creative endeavors throughout the facility are done by local artisans.
OLA is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and can be reached by calling 605-455-1344 or 605-441-9086. The facility is located at 7904 Lakota Prairie Drive, Kyle, SD 57752. More photos are available at the WnT Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/162325317708
Oglala Lakota Artspace | Artspace https://www.artspace.org/oglala-lakota
Home - First Peoples Fund. https://www.firstpeoplesfund.org/
https://www.lakotafunds.org/
Lori Pourier - First Peoples Fund Team
https://www.firstpeoplesfund.org/about/our-team/lori-pourier
Allen Youth Center Appoints Director - Lakota Times Waylon Gaddie
https://www.lakotatimes.com/articles/allen-youth-center-appoints-director/
Avanelle "AJ" No Braid - First Peoples Fund Team
https://www.firstpeoplesfund.org/about/our-team/avanelle-aj-no-braid