How to support local art without stepping foot inside a gallery

Simplified: A new group calling themselves the "Backartigans" is working to bring a variety of art to backyards in the downtown Sioux Falls area as a way to support local artists and give people a new way to experience their work.

Why it matters

• 2020 was a tough year for artists, and when 23-year-old Hannah Grapevine graduated with an art major in the middle of a pandemic, she knew her options to showcase her work would be limited.
• Grapevine worked with two of her classmates to found the Backartigans with the goal of finding a way to feature artwork in a socially distant, community-focused way.
• The Backartigans' events will give artists a place to not only show, but also sell their creations.

"The whole industry was basically dead for a year," Grapevine said. "I figured I kind of have to make my own opportunities from here on out."

Tell me more about the event

As the name implies, the first show will take place in one of the founders' back yards near downtown.

It'll feature work from 10 to 15 artists in various media including ceramics, painting, prints, stickers, textile work and more. That includes work from Grapevine, who said she specializes in print making, painting and figure drawing.

The event takes place at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 28. Check the Backartigans social media page for more details on the location as the event gets closer.

It'll be free to attend, and some artwork will be for sale.

"It's a way to rethink art by just throwing it out in the open instead of having it staged on a wall," said co-founder Destiny Pinder-Buckley.