Cheyenne River Youth Project
Waniyetu Wowapi (Winter Count) Art & Culture Institute
Eagle Butte, SD
The Cheyenne River Youth Project (CRYP) is a Native nonprofit organization founded in 1988 that serves Lakota youth ages 4–18 on the Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux Reservation and provides access to culturally relevant, enriching, and enduring opportunities that build stronger, healthier communities and a more vibrant future. CRYP’s Waniyetu Wowapi (Winter Count) Art & Culture Institute & Art Park provides access to art classes, workshops, and camps; internships and fellowships; and the award-winning RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam.
WWACI will be the first net zero building on the Cheyenne River Reservation as well as its first community-centered art and culture space. With a focus on fine art, graffiti and street art, beading, and other traditional Lakota artforms, WWACI plans to expand to include sculpture, photography, and screen printing on completion. The building will house not only studio and exhibition space, intergenerational gathering areas, and specialized art-making spaces, it will also feature multimedia classrooms, offices, and a multipurpose outdoor gathering space. Its construction and upkeep will work with the environment in alignment with Lakota values.
Milestones
New 6500-square-foot building
Installation of geothermal heating system
70 percent reduction in operational costs
Drastically lowered greenhouse gas emissions
Header: Rendering of the art center’s front. Above: Rendering of the art center’s reception desk. Aerial rendering showing the new art center’s position in the center of the art park, solar panels visible on the roof. Images courtesy of Ferguson Pyatt Architects Inc.