Zonunpari: Discovering the beauty of supporting Sioux Falls' creative scene

Angela Zonunpari is a writer and coordinator of community engagement efforts for Fresh Produce and Ipso Gallery. This is the third of a four-part column on shopping small in the lead up to Small Business Saturday.

Four years ago, I visited this city with my partner, a Sioux Falls native, to meet his side of the family. The first afternoon we were here in 2015, we visited the Visual Arts Center at Washington Pavilion with a friend who raved about the current exhibition by an artist-art educator based in Brookings, South Dakota.

Peter Reichardt's solo exhibition, “Use | Everything,” became one of my favorite art exhibitions of all time. It was huge for me. I came in not knowing what to expect of Sioux Falls, especially with what I'd been exposed to working in the art world in New York City.

The experience was immediately followed by another art exhibition, "Boonie," showcasing works by Bryan Christiansen at Ipso Gallery.

This short trip cemented my perception of Sioux Falls and surrounding area: It is a region with great potential and talent, one that benefits the community-at-large in multiple ways.

My introduction to Sioux Falls was through art, and my connection to the community continues to be through the growing creative culture.

Local art has been at the heart of what I know of my community here, and I couldn't be more proud to be playing a part in lifting up the value of the arts in our region through my work, personally as an art writer and professionally at Ipso Gallery and Fresh Produce.

With that in mind, I want to visit this idea of supporting small and local entities through the lens of art and creativity in our region. What does it mean to shop local when it comes to this creativity and creative appreciation?

THE VALUE IN 'LOCAL'

I constantly struggle with this one.

I'm not big on talking about the value of something in regards to its economic value, especially when it comes to creative expression. I want to believe that we can recognize and legitimize the value of the arts outside of the economy of things.

We're all better off when we recognize the role art and creativity play in broadening perspective, developing motor skills, gaining social skills, strengthening language and speech, and addressing diverse conversations. The value is in how it strengthens the individual as a whole, at the very base physical level to abstractions of the mind.

There's so much beauty and wealth in this alone.

For me, the act of supporting local creators is being present and acknowledging people's contribution to our community. It can be hard to consistently contribute towards an artist's work financially as a young professional.

So, the best I've been able to do is form meaningful connections with creative minds I admire. And, when I'm good at saving money or see an artwork I truly connect with, that's when I make the decision to bring it home with me. Sioux Falls alone has so many spaces and opportunities to explore this. A number of establishments downtown carry works by artists in our region, and we're also given the opportunity to support local entities in their art education programs.

Starting next week, you can visit art markets to meet local artists and makers while buying small wares for your friends and family. At the end of the day, this gesture of being present and interacting with creatives in our community is an act of recognizing the value of 'local.'

CREATIVE PRACTICE

Outside of the act of shopping local during this holiday season, a good thing to consider is how we can support local art professionals and entities beyond buying their goods.

The space that I work in allows me the freedom to explore creative practice from two perspectives: From the inside as a creative professional and from the periphery as an arts advocate.

What I've gained through this practice are insights on our community, its passions and pain-points, and the wealth of knowledge the creative community holds. This is where the conversation about shopping local for services starts. This is where our considerations for promoting local creativity in our region should start.

A lot of us are nearing or at the end of our budget, and as we plan for the next fiscal year, let's think about how can we consider local services in our roles as advocates for talent in our region.

We're lifting each other up and highlighting the valuable resources we have to work with, while supporting people in our community (and yes, our local economy). How special that providing this support for others also provides us knowledge, insight and experience. Best of all, it further cements our bonds to the city and state we call home.