Chief Dull Knife College — Courtyard Installation Project

Lame Deer, MT (2003)

Project Team: Sam Dennis, Michael Rios, Bently Spang, Penn State School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture students, Northern Cheyenne Boys and Girls Club

Partners: American Indian Housing Initiative, Chief Dull Knife College

Sponsors: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation

The construction of youth identity is a double-edged sword. Increasing media demonization of youth is coupled with the fact that youth represent the most actively targeted group of consumers in the marketplace. These social constructions fail to provide a space for youth to articulate their diverse fears, desires, and identities. In the case of youth on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in the United States, this lack of agency is complicated by stereotypes of “native” identity and the lack of specific Northern Cheyenne references in mainstream culture. In short, Northern Cheyenne youth are doubly exiled.

The Northern Cheyenne Youth Restoration Art Project (YouthRAP), a new community arts and design program in Lame Deer, Montana, is a response to the contemporary condition of Northern Cheyenne youth. The aim of YouthRAP is to bring art back into the spaces of everyday life as a guiding force for future generations. YouthRAP centers on a unique trans-cultural collaboration between local youth, a Northern Cheyenne artist, and a group of Penn State faculty and students.  

One of YouthRAP's first projects was a courtyard design and installation on the campus of a tribal college. Through a series of interactive workshops and photography exercises, youth explored aspects of their own identity and reservation landscape. The results of this activity led to the courtyard design that centers on a series of words inscribed on stones that give voice to participating youth. The stones are placed around a campfire typical in Northern Cheyenne culture and invite visitors to reflect on the meaning of words chosen.