SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Sufu Creative hosted not one, but two events on Saturday to further its mission and support its vendors for Small Business Saturday.
Art is at the heart of Sufu Creative’s mission. Since moving into a new permanent location earlier this year, they’ve had more capacity to provide a space for creativity to all ages.
“We really like to build confidence in kids. We have seen actual behaviors of kids change by being here. One kid’s dad said he hasn’t gotten in trouble this year at school and it’s because he has a creative outlet,” said Heather Cain with Sufu Creative.
Sufu Creative is an open art studio that is open from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. They also offer multiple art classes throughout the week.
They are funded through donations and grants and strive to make art accessible and remove any financial barriers to the ability to create.
They usually hold art shows to fundraise for other causes in the community, but as a nonprofit, they rely on donations for themselves, too.
Their first fundraiser for themselves was already scheduled, but they wanted to also bring people into Nordic Hall for Small Business Saturday.
The result was two events at the same time.
“There’s a lot of nice retail stores here, so we kind of wanted to do something more as a Nordic Hall family. We decided to knock two out,” Cain said.
What they called Colors of Christmas at Falls Overlook Cafe and Creative Christmas at Nordic Hall each gave vendors like Lexi Erikson a place to showcase their work.
Erikson owns Trykket Flowers, where she creates artwork from preserved floral arrangements.
“This is a great partnership. It means a lot to me. I know it means a lot to the other vendors here to have this opportunity. It’s the holiday season, so to get those chances to get out and to be able to chat with people and show people stuff that I have available means a lot to me.” Erikson said.
Cain said that many artists may not be rightly considered small business owners and she is happy to promote their work.
“It’s nice for those vendors to get seen on small business Saturday and noticed as what they are,” Cain said.
Art has been able to do so much for those involved in these events. It’s not just an outlet or just helping vendors succeed, though that’s important. It’s creating a network and a community with art at the center.
“Art is so critical to all of us. It stretches our abilities. It makes us think outside of the box. It will extend into any type of work a person does,” Erickson said.
You can find more about Trykket Flowers and her projects on their website or their Facebook and Instagram pages.
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