(calm music) - There are countless BIPOC artists creating works about their surroundings, experiences, environments, neighborhoods, gentrification, et cetera.

But are they receiving the same recognition or credit as those affluent artists who are creating paintings about people of color.

Art and public space is fundamentally determined by those who have access to the art world.

Our experiences shape our appreciation for art.

At the entrance of today's art world, we have the unique opportunity to construct a creative economy that will serve all people and communities in the Metro Sioux Falls area.

The role of artistic representation in our public spaces is evolving.

How can we value those that create art as much as the art that they create?

How do we design our creative future together?

(upbeat music) (calm music) - I grew up in the mountains in North Carolina.

I kind of have this funny story where I say I was steeped in the crafting traditions of Appalachia because my grandma was very into handmade things, crafts, all of that, and I was my grandma's little mini me.

So I was always following her to studios, to friend's houses, everything where people were constantly like making things with their hands.

So that's kind of like where I started.

I was always a maker of things.

Anything, give me anything to put in my hands, and I'll try to make something out of it.

I think anyone can be an artist.

As humans, we were meant to create.

I feel like everyone has that spark, but we just don't realize it.

It doesn't even have to be beautiful or pretty.

Like anytime you're creating, you're making something new.

I feel like that can make you an artist.

For me, I just have this drive to always be creating.

Even when I didn't have my studio, I was always doing something like sewing, crafting, knitting, just the idea that I am an artist because I say I am.

I have two defining moments for my artistic highlights.

The first one was in Madison, Wisconsin.

About a month before I was set to move to Sioux Falls, I was at a art show, Art Fair Off the Square and it coincides with Art Fair On the Square.

So it's a really big art scene and I won, I think it was three-dimensional best in show at that festival and I had never won any kind of award before.

So I was super excited and it was a nice way, it was a nice sendoff and a nice way to kind of wrap up my career in Wisconsin.

And then to top it all off, my oldest son was at the show and so he got to see me accept the award and during the ceremony and all that.

Moving to Sioux Falls, my most defining moment was when I first started vending at the Falls Park Farmer's Market, because before that I had a hard time finding my audience and then finding my market, finding my customers.

I would do little shows or bigger shows in the area, but some of them are very expensive.

I value my time and my work, so my prices aren't super cheap.

And so because of that, I felt like sometimes the general public wasn't really willing to support my art.

But now that I've started doing the Falls Park Farmer's Market, I feel like I've found my audience, I've found my customer base and it's kind of just been all uphill trajectory, like bigger business, more sales, doing projects for businesses, things like that.

Before I started doing the farmer's market, I was getting a little frustrated just because I couldn't find my customer base.

And so I thought about like not doing as much functional wear.

I thought about just kind of changing and like, well, if I'm not making a lot of money anyway, I might as well just do like artsy stuff, big pieces, which I love.

But I also love functional work.

And so I was a little sad and I ended up starting the farmer's market around that time.

And so then I didn't really get that chance to expand in that direction.

But I think for the best, because I do love functional art.

To me elevate means like almost to rise up to help others rise up.

I think being an artist by being authentic to what I need to do to create to feel like I'm an artist helps others feel like they can also do that.

So hopefully like by me rising up or like being seen in the more public way, like it gives other people permission to do that for themselves because it's really hard sometimes like society wants us to make money, wants us to be corporate or do this or that.

And so being an artist gets put on the back burner.

And so my hope is that by being visible in the art world in Sioux Falls, I give other people permission to like also be visible in art world and like elevate themselves to their art goals.

Organizations around Sioux Falls and like Sioux Falls, our arts council can assist artists in elevating in a lot of different ways.

Exposure is always great as long as it doesn't really cost us a lot of time because a lot of times organizations want a lot of your time for exposure and that doesn't really, we deserve to get paid for our time.

Sioux Falls Arts Council has been great.

I did get a grant from them, a micro-grant to fix my pottery wheel.

Without a wheel, I can't really create much and one of my wheels broke, so I had to buy real fast, a new one, and then they gave me a $500 grant to fix my old one, which is great 'cause now I can teach classes and through teaching classes, I've helped spreading the awareness of ceramics and how important it is to have art in our lives, especially right now in our modern technological world.

I do think they could hopefully that Sioux Falls Arts Council could get more funding in the future to give more grants to more artists, grants with higher monetary value.

The idea that there are grants out there that could literally change an artist's life like $25,000 is a huge amount of money.

And with that, artists can focus on bettering themselves, focus on the more abstract work that they wanna do, rather than the just getting by and cranking out work to make money.

I would love to see more organizations support that kind of financial support to artists in Sioux Falls.

(calm music) - What are the differences between a gift and talent?

As an artist is important to remember that dedication is not just about getting better at our craft, but it's about honoring the time that we spend on our art.

I remember being on a stage much like this one, the first time that I performed, being behind the stage, feeling the nerves that rumble in your stomach to coming out to the applause, feeling the light on your skin, the pressure of performing, all of those things have served me and helped shape me into the person that I am.

Nothing can shape a person like the exploration of learning to use one's voice to express themselves, to be able to communicate what they're experiencing and what's happening in the world around them.

That's the power of art.

One of the things in our world that is truly transcendent, that covers all aspects of humanity and binds us and brings us together.

(calm music) - I believe I've been an artist for about probably 10 years now because I've been taking pictures of my little brother since he was two years old and I still take photos and do videos and I like the creative aspect of things just creating something and just creating moments and capturing them and remembering them.

So I've been doing that for a long time and I went to school for a multimedia production and just because of, I like to be creative and I like to create things and that's what makes me an artist.

I'm a photographer, videographer and a podcast host and I just like to share things with people.

So that's what makes me an artist.

I came here as a refugee and I came here when I was 15 and graduated from high school from Roosevelt and I went to University of Sioux Falls and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my career and just with education.

And I studied entrepreneurship until my junior year and I was trying to figure out what would really make me represent myself and also represent my community, which is the Eritrean Kunama community that's in here in Sioux Falls.

And I like to represent them in a positive light.

And I felt at that time, I felt media was one point that I could use to represent them and sharing their story, sharing their experiences would be one way that I can represent them.

And when I used to take some videography classes, we would create personal stories and I got an opportunity to create my personal story and shared it.

And my Kunama people really like that because I got to share for myself what it means to me, a refugee and what it means to be a Kunama that grew up in that Eritrean country and kind moving away from your homeland and having all these experiences.

So I wanna be an artist that can at least share those stories and I wanna be able to share my refugee and immigrant experience with other people so they can be represented more accurately.

And also elevating me as a person or as an artist.

It would also elevate other people or the people that I represent.

As an artist, one of the things that I usually focus on is creating music videos for musicians.

Since COVID was going on, it was really hard to find a job as an artist or in just in media.

I had to apply for other jobs that I didn't go to school for and which I did.

But at the same time I wanted to grow out as an artist.

I wanted to create videos or do photography and I leased a small studio, which I've been there for about a couple of years, and I created videos there.

I did photography, which I really enjoyed it, but COVID was still lingering and finding a space is very crucial and that's another pivot that I had to change too.

I needed some support in which I applied for funding from Sioux Falls Art Council which I've got and I really appreciate that.

And then I was able to move into a new space and be able to create, or at least have a restart on what I wanted to create as an artist.

A lot of people that I've met along the way have been very supportive in terms of anything that I wanna do.

And there's really nice people that are willing to help.

But as an artist, it's just, the experience for me is really knowing if you're an artist or not, you know, if you're a professional artist or if you're an amateur artist.

So finding that identity or finding that place to say, to own that and say, I'm an artist.

And so a lot of places where I've been since I do a lot of other careers and I don't, I usually don't consider myself an artist, but I wanted to be able to support other artists or people who are doing arts.

The word elevate for me means just using the resources around you or the people around you and helping you get to a spot that you would wanna be.

So first of all, you have to be open to growing so other people or the resource around you can, you can use them to help elevate you.

The main thing for me as an artist or just as a person who wants to support other artists too, is that trust is very crucial.

So in order to be able to be at a event that Sioux Falls Art Council or any other art organization does, you know, I would need the feeling of that they genuinely care for me as a person or as an artist.

So if I do have that feeling that these people really care for me or these people want me to grow, then like I'll feel more encouraged to go.

So for those organizations, it's just sometimes stepping outta your comfort zone to go meet those people.

If it's resources, if it's space, if it's like just sharing the art, you know, getting to know them first and then helping them elevate them to use the word, that would mean a lot to me and that would mean a lot for other diverse artists.

I like to take pictures of my little brother and also these soccer kids are like my little brother, so I like to see their smile, I like to see their happiness, I like to capture it.

And so whenever I have a chance to capture a moment, whether they're playing soccer or whether you're just chilling or even you know, they're playing a soccer tournament, you know, like I can take videos and be able to share what they have done in the field for them to see, but also for me to just see that some days in the future or for the parents to see that their kids out there.

(calm music) - As a BIPOC artist, overcoming imposter syndrome can be difficult.

As we advance further into our artistic careers, we're likely to see fewer people who look like us, which can lead to you questioning yourself.

Do I belong here?

Overcoming imposter syndrome can be especially frustrating for those who are self-taught and didn't attend art school.

Having confidence in your abilities while learning to trust yourself as an evolving artist will eventually lead to your definition of success.

(calm music) - (speaks foreign language) is my Dakota name that I go by and it means shining star woman.

My English name is Kyrie Dunkley.

Well, I live here in Sioux Falls and I do a number of things.

I've dabbled in some modeling, fashion shows.

As an emerging designer, I have a collaboration with Sweetgrass Soapery to design and make ribbon skirts, ribbon shirts, ribbon skirt kits.

I also volunteer my time to help collaborate events, that includes singing and dancing and I enjoy spending time with my son.

I would say that my lifestyle defines who I am.

Being an artist is not just a hobby, it's an encompassment of my entire life decisions from waking up and choosing what pieces of fabric I'm gonna wear for that day, it's a self-expression.

And choosing to design those pieces also represent where I come from, the background, the history, and it tells a story.

I would say investing into myself, learning more financially about the entrepreneurship of financial management.

Taking time to develop a website and learning the modules of presenting myself in a way that is beneficial to someone outside looking in.

Developing collaborations with Sweetgrass Soapery, so that even if I'm not available in town, someone can still go to her boutique or her store to purchase an item.

Making it available, readily available to someone who's looking for something that doesn't know where to find it.

Also, just giving that ability to someone who feels that maybe they're ashamed of who they are, but they have that available to them if they want to obtain it.

Knowing who made that skirt is kind of, kind of like giving them permission to be who they are and I'm providing that to them in that way.

It's a mentality that's within our society that we should shame people into doing better or following their standards.

And I don't believe that's a mentality within the artist community.

You're supposed to go outside those boundaries and create your own pathways.

With the funding that I get that's provided to me, it's an encouragement to continue doing that and creating space for someone else who may feel the same way.

The experience has been very supportive, even blindly supportive.

There's a hunger out here for representation for the Native American community and being able to step into community events and meetings and planning committees and letting them know that there is a need for it.

Having it accepted and having that ability to include, have that inclusion is something that has been needed for a very long time, and I'm just very happy to see that it's increasing.

For me, elevate means uplift, not just yourself, but your family, your friends, your community, and getting as many people involved as possible to participate, encourage or motivate, inspire to expand your mind and to express who you are.

All those words I would say is elevate.

I like that Startup Sioux Falls is available to entrepreneurs and small businesses, but what I would like to see if it were up to me is an art space and having that available for people of color to, you know, set up shop, do a studio, have a podcast, have an area to do workshops.

And for me, I think that would elevate the community altogether is giving them that central space, a place to gather and connect and network together.

When I was speaking with the owner, Jared Holstein of Sioux Falls Women Magazine, he informed me that, you know, they just celebrated their 25th anniversary and they've never had an indigenous representative on their cover.

And I would be the first one.

For two whole months I was able to be on the cover of Sioux Falls Women magazine, which has never been done before.

I believe it's an inspiration to anyone walking by that, you know, it's not just my face on a newspaper article in a bad light, it's more of a spotlight.

I believe it's gonna break down the stereotypes within this town that have been here for a long time.

And I believe that having that representation in a full article on who I am and not just the traumatic part of my story, but the parts that I have been trying to change and the parts that I'm trying to help others with.

(calm music) - Building a network can help you connect with fellow artists who share a collective vision.

Networking plays a crucial role in building your brand and increasing your visibility.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone can be a great way to build mental resiliency.

What challenges should BIPOC creatives intentionally seek out that will push us into the unknown?

(calm music) - I am a filmmaker, a musician, a content creator.

If it's creative, I've tried it.

I love the arts, I love just doing things that are expressive and fun and you know, making something bigger out of them.

I think sometimes people find it really hard to call themselves an artist 'cause it can feel kind of self-serving, but if you enjoy doing a craft of some sort and it really just, you know, it helps build your life, I think that can define you as an artist.

And I've certainly felt that in my own life, whether it's through film, music, drawing, or you know, what have you.

So to me, when I do those things and I feel that spark and that inspiration that lets me know that I'm an artist, some of the artistic highlights I've had in my life can probably trace back to when I did a lot of music when I was younger.

I just had a moment where some friends and I, we played in a band and one of our first shows, we had just a hundred people there that we didn't know.

And seeing people that I didn't know sing lyrics that I had written down, it was such an amazing feeling and let me know that I was on the right path of doing the arts and to expand that to where I'm at in my career now, just having other people trust me to help them with their work and trust my vision and my skills is just such a big career highlight.

Being able to interview other artists about what they love and what they like and understanding that having that respect and that back and forth just is such a beautiful highlight that I think will continue.

It's not just one moment, it'll just, it'll probably be through the rest of my life, or at least I hope so.

Along the topic of just career highlights and how those have kind of affected my pathway, there have definitely been some moments where I've pivoted, or at least I've learned something really crucial that changed how I go about things.

A lot of that was, you know, when you're young you have such a free creative spirit and you don't really know a lot of the rules or bounds that are there for a reason and learning some of those hard rules really just, you know, kind of matured where I've been from that, you know, young playing shows, being audacious and loud and fun to much more refined now.

Going from loud music into photography and videography and then into journalism and then into advertising has certainly been an example of that kind of mature career path.

Learning how to just do things just quick and write and efficiently in news to more tactfully and more masterfully in advertising.

And then hopefully from there, taking all of those skills will be just another pivot along the way.

Being an artist in Sioux Falls, something that I feel like I've begun to notice a little bit more and with some reflection as well, is that a lot of people really feel like they have to go it alone if they want to level up in their craft.

And I've just found that not to be true, you know, finding the right community has been super important and it's something that a lot of people don't get the chance to do.

It's not always easy to find other people that are either on your skill level or have the same passions you do.

And then to find the time to get everyone's schedule together, it can just be so difficult.

But when it comes to fruition, it's just so rewarding.

You know, there's film clubs around town or there are local shows that people go to all the time and just to meet others and say, hey, I do this.

Oh, I do that.

Just taking the time to actually come together, it can be so crucial for someone to realize this is where I belong and these are the people around me that can help me be the best version of myself in the arts.

To me the word elevate in terms of being an artist just means to have other people lift you up.

And something I think that can be misconstrued is that, you know, they have to lift you up on their own.

It means that they're going to raise you above them.

When one person is elevated, that doesn't mean everyone else is lesser, because of that, everyone can elevate each other and it's certainly a skill that takes a lot of work.

You know, being an artist, you want to express yourself the best you can to the best of your ability to make something that will interact or touch someone else.

When that feeling comes through, you are elevating them and hopefully they elevate you back just to bring that community together so that everyone raises each other up is truly what elevation means to me.

I think beyond people's just personal community of friends and supporters that organizations can help lift people up too.

And I think the ways they can do that is just looking for maybe someone who's a little unconventional to be a leader and kind of fostering those skills within them.

Maybe someone that wouldn't always be considered.

It's usually people like that I've found that have some of the most innovative ideas or things that other people can latch onto.

Maybe the person just didn't have something in them to speak up or say an idea.

Maybe there was some kind of status quo that just kind of put them down a little bit.

But when organizations try to reach out and see those unconventional people or people that, you know, they might not always consider right off the bat, I think the best communities can come from that.

I think ways that someone like me could be assisted from organizations in town is just by, you know, believing and giving that foundation, whether it's personal projects or businesses just saying like, hey, we've seen the work that you've done, we really enjoy it.

How can we make this work for either, you know, another community or a business?

And what resources can we provide?

Those resources are so crucial, especially in things like film that takes so much longer than people would probably realize.

You know, we see so many different things of design and art around every town and you don't realize, well what goes into that?

Whether it's, you know, sewing or building or, you know, even just a movie on TV in your favorite restaurant.

It takes a lot of work to do that.

And an organization is saying, hey, we will back you up on this.

We will provide you parts that we can provide, and if you can fulfill your end, then we are all the better for it.

I think if I had to look back on my career and life so far, coming as a young artist to who I am now, some advice I would give myself is as cliche as it is, is that it will be okay.

You know, a lot of people struggle with their art at some point.

It's natural to have that and just to have that reassurance.

And if maybe my younger self was able to look at who I was now, I would certainly have had that so much more.

And then additionally, I think I would also tell my younger self is work with people who want to work with you.

I think that has been such a crucial lesson to learn that you don't need to chase a certain people or certain communities or aspirations when there are probably people you have not even noticed who want to make great art with you, and that some of your best projects will come from doing that and just believing in others who believe in you and then giving that back to them.

(calm music) - The word ally is passive.

We should find phrases that imply analysis and understanding, things like I'm standing with you or I'm doing this work with you.

The goal is to create a diverse and equitable art community by giving voice and opportunity to BIPOC artists.

The artists that are featured here are from different backgrounds and cultures.

Moses, a Kunama refugee, making a difference with a youth soccer league to promote visibility in student athletes.

Indigenous designer, Kyrie, creates an abundant life, one skirt at a time.

Sonja, a Hispanic potter, relocates to an area where pottery can thrive.

And Taylor, a director, cinematographer, musician, and editor, continues to master his craft.

How do we elevate artists like Moses, Kyrie, Sonja and Taylor, as this is only the beginning.

(calm music) (calm music)