July 27, 2026:
Walls across the city of Eagle Butte came alive with fresh murals during the Cheyenne River Youth Project’s 12th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam on July 8-11, 2026. While local youth artists worked alongside 10 nationally recognized muralists on the large-scale pieces, children and teens throughout the festival created their own art, performed original poetry and explored musical expression.
By the time RedCan 2026 came to a close on the evening of Saturday, July 11, the festival had once again turned the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation into a celebration of public art, Lakota culture and community. This year, however, organizers said one thing stood out above all else: the energy and leadership of young people who shaped the event from beginning to end.
“We’ve heard so many people say this was the best RedCan yet, and I believe our young people made the difference,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s founder and chief executive officer. “They weren’t just watching artists create. They were painting, writing, performing, learning and sharing their own work. We didn’t simply see and hear art this week. We experienced it together, and it was profoundly moving.”
On Wednesday and Thursday, July 8-9, artists spread out across Eagle Butte, bringing their murals to life at seven community locations. Throughout the process, they mentored the local youth who worked alongside them, teaching techniques, answering questions and encouraging their contribution to works that will remain part of the community’s landscape long after the festival.
Among the week’s highlights was a striking buffalo mural by California artist and first-time RedCan contributor Wes77. Garreau said the piece resonated deeply with community members because of the Lakota people’s sacred relationship with the buffalo.
“The buffalo saved us when we emerged from Wind Cave,” she explained. “We are forever connected as relatives, and we must always care for one another.”
Reflecting on his first RedCan experience, Wes77 praised the CRYP team — and the young person who worked alongside him at his downtown mural site.
“I’m deeply grateful to Julie and the Cheyenne River Youth Project for inviting me to RedCan 2026,” he wrote. “Huge shoutout to my youth artist and helper Gabby — you’re an amazing student. Thank you to the staff, volunteers and fellow artists who made this week possible.”
On Friday and Saturday, July 10-11, activity shifted to CRYP’s Waniyetu Wowapi Art Park, where the youth project’s new arts and culture center is currently under construction. Featured artists painted murals in the park while youth and families enjoyed arts and crafts, spray painting, skateboard painting, hoop-dancing classes with the Internationally acclaimed Sampson Brothers, “Water Day” games, live performances and community meals.
Meanwhile, RedCan guests continued to enjoy youth art at every turn. The festival showcased the work of CRYP’s art interns through a special exhibit, highlighting the creativity and growth of teens who participate in the youth project’s year-round arts programming.
The exhibit underscored RedCan’s broader purpose of nurturing artistic expression among young people. In recent years, that work has expanded beyond the visual arts.
One of the week’s most powerful moments came during the poetry slam on Friday, when award-winning two-spirit Lakota storyteller Taté Walker took the art park stage with their teen poetry workshop participants to perform original pieces inspired by their lives.
“Giving youth the space to create, the opportunity to express themselves and a platform to be heard is everything,” Garreau said. “It takes tremendous courage for a young person to stand up and share their heart. As adults, we need to listen. When we truly pay attention to their words and their art, we begin to understand who they are, what they’re experiencing and what they need from us. They are our why.”
Music played an important role throughout the week as well. Festival guests enjoyed performances by well-known American rapper Murs, Cheyenne River Lakota and Crow Creek Dakota artist Bazille, Oglala Lakota singer Reed Two Bulls and Mvskoke Creek/Seneca hoop dancers The Sampson Brothers.
During Bazille’s performance, the set incorporated recorded music and spoken-word pieces created by teen participants in his music and beat-production workshop, weaving their voices into the live show.
The Cheyenne River-based Wakinyan Maza drum group opened and closed each day with prayer, songs and blessings, grounding the celebration in Lakota culture and values.
Preliminary numbers show that 213 children took part in scheduled RedCan youth activities over the four days. In addition, nearly 200 people gathered for free community dinners in the Waniyetu Wowapi Art Park on Friday and Saturday, hosted by the University of Missouri-St. Louis volunteer group and the CRYP staff, respectively. Many more visited the mural sites, engaging with the artists and youth participants as passing drivers offered appreciative honks and waves.
“Every year, RedCan reminds us what’s possible when we invest in our young people,” Garreau said. “Our artists leave behind beautiful murals, but they also leave behind relationships, inspiration and memories that last far longer than paint on a wall. That’s what makes RedCan so special.”
For details about RedCan 2026, visit lakotayouth.org/redcan/.
To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visit lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Vimeo and YouTube.
CRYP CEO Julie Garreau and rapper Murs with this year’s featured RedCan artists.
Courtesy photo.
Wes77 and his buffalo mural at the old nursing apartments in downtown Eagle Butte.
Courtesy photo.
The closing drum circle included a round dance, bringing artists, volunteers, staff, youth and community members together.
Courtesy photo.
July 6, 2026:
June 10, 2026:
The Cheyenne River Youth Project will host its 12th Annual RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam on July 8-11. The Native-led nonprofit organization will welcome 11 nationally recognized graffiti and street artists from across the country for the four-day festival, which brings together public art, Lakota culture and youth engagement in the heart of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.
Returning this year are Cheyenne River Lakota artist TamiJoy, who created the design for this year’s RedCan poster and merchandise; Cyfi, a Yaqui and Azteca artist from Minneapolis; 179, a Latine artist from Seattle; Hoka, an artist of Oneida, Oglala Lakota and La Jolla Band of Luiseño descent from Albuquerque; Minneapolis-based artists Biafra and Wundr; J.Duh, a first-generation Nicaragüense artist from the San Francisco Bay Area; Amp, a Ponca artist from Kansas; and Brady Scott, a Midwestern artist also based in Kansas.
Two California-based artists are joining RedCan for the first time in 2026: Native painter and muralist Deity and muralist Wes77.
On July 8-9, the artists will create large-scale murals at sites across the city of Eagle Butte, transforming public spaces with imagery rooted in Lakota culture, history and contemporary life. Many of the works will incorporate Lakota language, an increasingly important element of RedCan’s visual storytelling.
“Through the years, our RedCan artists have brought 125 murals to life across our community, and that number does not include the countless pieces they created in our art park,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s founder and chief executive officer. “It’s hard to put into words the transformative power of this kind of public art. It turns passive and even blighted spaces into vibrant, welcoming landscapes that celebrate who we are.”
The youth project’s teen interns and Lakota Art Fellows will work alongside the visiting artists throughout the week, gaining hands-on experience while building relationships and confidence. Meanwhile, younger children will have opportunities to create their own artwork through volunteer-led activities under the CRYP tent at 7th Generation Cinema and Dairy Queen.
On July 10-11, the action will move to the youth project’s Waniyetu Wowapi (Winter Count) Art Park. All 11 featured artists will paint in the park while guests enjoy skateboard painting, chalk painting, hoop dancing, water games, spoken-word performances and more.
While on campus, festival-goers also will get a firsthand look at CRYP’s new arts and culture center, which is currently under construction in the art park. When completed later this year, it will expand year-round arts programming — a welcome development, as the youth project has long since outgrown its small art studio in the Cokata Wiconi (Center of Life) Teen Center.
In addition, Taté Walker, an award-winning two-spirit Lakota storyteller, will be returning to RedCan this year to conduct their popular youth poetry workshops. Workshop participants will have an opportunity to share their work through spoken-word performances in the art park.
Special performances are also on deck from American rapper and singer Murs, who will be participating in his first RedCan event; Bazille, a Cheyenne River Lakota and Crow Creek Dakota rap artist, producer and sound designer; Oglala Lakota singer Reed Two Bulls; and the renowned Mvskoke Creek/Seneca hoop dancers The Sampson Brothers. Lumhe and Samsoche Sampson will teach youth hoop-dancing workshops prior to their Saturday evening performance to close the four-day festival.
As always, the Cheyenne River-based Wakinyan Maza drum group will begin and end each day with songs and a blessing.
Since RedCan started in 2015, its murals have become part of Eagle Butte’s landscape, creating a growing public gallery that celebrates Lakota identity, tells cherished stories and showcases Lakota language in highly visible public spaces. Garreau said the murals are deeply valued on the reservation, cementing RedCan’s place on Cheyenne River’s annual calendar.
“When we first imagined RedCan, we wanted young people to see professional artists doing extraordinary things and learn new skills in a medium that interested and excited them,” she said. “All these years later, RedCan has evolved into something we couldn’t have imagined. It brings together art, culture, language, mentorship and community pride in a way that is unique to Cheyenne River — and it shows our young people that their own voices and stories have value. They deserve to be seen and heard.”
During RedCan 2024, CRYP invited an outside team to assist with documenting participation and assessing the program’s impact. Garreau and her staff learned that 616 youth participated in RedCan art activities, 436 people enjoyed free evening meals in the art park on Friday and Saturday, 535 people directly engaged with artists at their mural sites, and more than 8,600 people walked, rode or drove past the murals over the course of four days.
“These numbers confirmed something we’ve known for years,” Garreau said. “RedCan isn’t simply about creating murals. It’s about creating opportunities for people to connect with their language and culture, with the artists and with one another.”
The festival’s impact also is reflected in youth feedback. In CRYP’s internal surveys, more than 90 percent of youth said that RedCan made them feel proud of their culture and their local community, nearly 80 percent said it strengthened their cultural identity, and 60 percent said RedCan participation improved their Lakota language.
Nearly 100 percent said they wanted RedCan to continue.
To learn more about RedCan 2026, this year’s featured artists and special guests, and how to help support the event, visit www.lakotayouth.org/redcan. Additional details and a full schedule of events will be available in the coming weeks.
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