The annual RedCan Graffiti Jam on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota just celebrated its tenth anniversary. The Native youth art festival is held on the Cheyenne River Youth Project campus in Eagle Butte.
Executive Director Julie Garreau says the jam is about more than art She says part of their mission to provide opportunities for kids.
“You know, it’s community development. It is youth development. I would also say it’s like cultural reclamation. I think it’s language revitalization, because we’re using Lakota language on our walls. I think it’s also healing.”
This year’s event featured hoop dancing, poetry reading, community meals, skateboard painting and a rock band from Rapid City. Fourteen graffiti artists from across the world made nine murals in the campus’ art park and the community.
Garreau says the jam was designed as a one-time event a decade ago to improve decrepit buildings in town. But it was so well-received, she says the organization keeps hosting it. Next year, the group has been invited to bring a version of the RedCan Graffiti Jam to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival being held in Washington, D.C.
Additionally, Garreau says the Cheyenne River Youth Project is also doing summer internships for kids covering topics such as Lakota culture and arts, sustainable agriculture and Native wellness.
“We have these kids who are working jobs and learning specifically about those areas. And I get the biggest kick out of it. I’ll be listening to kids when they’re on break, and they’ll take a phone call and they’ll say, ‘No, I’m at work.’ They see it as something, like, really big.”
Garreau says the internship program, which started this year, helps kids build confidence.
CRYP is a Lakota youth advocacy organization founded in 1988.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-1.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-2.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-3.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-5.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-6.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-7.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-8.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-9.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-10.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-11.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-12.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-13.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-14.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-15.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-16.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/07/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-071324-17.jpg)
RedCan Graffiti Jam 2024.
Photo courtesy of the Cheyenne River Youth Project.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-1.jpeg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-2.jpeg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-3.jpeg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-4.jpeg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-5.jpg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-6.jpeg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-7.jpeg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-10.jpeg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-9.jpeg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-11.jpg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-12.jpeg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-13.jpeg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/05/cheyenne-river-youth-project-cryp-redcan-2024-artists-050924-14.jpeg)
CRYP will welcome 14 graffiti and street artists to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in July 2024 for the 10th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam. Eleven of the featured artists have indigenous heritage, including Māori artists Phat1 and Lady Diva.
Courtesy photo.
JUNE 24, 2024:
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