BISMARCK, ND ( KXNET ) — Art redefines our conception of beauty, culture, and community.

It’s a way to find meaning, a way to bridge difference, and a way to be part of something greater than yourself. And at the Sacred Pipe Resource Center, it really is about that something greater.

The Sacred Pipe Resource Center is a nonprofit organization that provides Native Americans living in North Dakota with a variety of services. With a total of six community counsels, the center helps Native Americans with housing, wellness, and art.

To help promote local Native American artists and cultivate good business skills, a fresh idea popped into the heads of the art counsel: a Native American art pop-up.

Friday was their second-ever pop-up art show, with their first being at the Small Business Saturday event last November.

It’s a safe space for artists new and old. At the event, local artists sell everything from bells to home decor to ribbon skirts.

But to the artists, it’s not about good business. It’s about giving.

“It isn’t just the transaction. It’s also a gift,” said Cheryl Kary, the executive director of Sacred Pipe Resource Center. “That’s what can make people feel confident that what they’re wearing is an honoring. And what they’re doing is honoring Native people that way. You honor us by purchasing these items and wearing them with pride, knowing they were made for that purpose.”

All items are hand-made with love and spiritual intent; they’re one of a kind. From floral woodland patterns to geometric shapes, the art is as diverse as the artists who made them, with the pop-up including artists from many tribes and states.

And through the pop-up, local artists get to learn good business practices and gain some exposure in the community, especially since most of the artists can’t afford their own shops.

“To me, it brings back to my Indigenous roots,” said local artist Aprill Lorraine Perkins.

If you’re interested in engaging with Native artists and artwork, the Sacred Pipe Resource Center hopes to hold a large scale vendor show in the summer.

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