At the new Čhatkú Arts Center gift shop, every shelf tells a story—and every piece carries a piece of its maker with it.
For Gift Shop Manager Araceli Spotted Thunder, the expanded space is more than just a new layout. It’s an opportunity to better serve artists, visitors, and the community through Lakota and Native-made art that reflects both tradition and contemporary expression.
“Overall, it’s more space,” Araceli shared. “Our new gift shop is twice the size of our previous shop, which gives us the ability to showcase even more locally made Lakota arts and crafts. The additional space also gives us the opportunity to curate a handful of rotational ‘artist highlight’ areas throughout the new gift shop.”
That extra room is doing more than improving display capacity—it’s helping the shop deepen its role as a living extension of the CAC’s mission.
At its core, the Čhatkú Arts Center exists to elevate and celebrate Lakota, Oceti Sakowin, and Native artists. The gift shop plays a direct role in that mission by working closely with local creators.
“We work directly with local artists and sell their work in the gift shop,” Araceli explained. “The artists set their prices and we purchase their work at wholesale pricing.”
While the financial model is intentionally modest, its impact is meaningful.
“What profit we do make goes back into the funds that we use to buy from local artists. This ensures that we are able to continue to be a sort of an ‘economic engine’ for our community.”
That idea—of being an economic engine—comes up often in Araceli’s reflection on the shop’s purpose. For many artists, the work sold in the CAC gift shop isn’t just creative expression; it’s livelihood.
“There are many times when artists stop in to sell their work for groceries, gas money, to pay bills, etc.,” she said. “So the money they make when selling their work to us goes directly back into the community.”
But the impact isn’t only financial. It’s also deeply personal and creative.
“I cannot properly express how much gratitude, joy and peace artists have when they hear that a visitor complimented and purchased a piece of their work,” Araceli said. “It’s also been an incredible gift to witness an artist gain confidence in their work or experiment with different mediums all through selling their work in the gift shop.”
Every purchase becomes part of a larger cycle—supporting not only income, but confidence, experimentation, and artistic growth. It also helps carry artists’ work beyond the reservation, introducing Lakota art to new audiences and sometimes even leading to commissions and future opportunities.
Inside the shop, visitors will find a wide range of locally made and culturally significant pieces, including traditional and contemporary Lakota art forms.
“In Lakota territory, quillwork and ledger art are two very popular mediums that originate in this area,” Araceli shared. “We have artists whose work leans more traditional in design, and we also have quill and ledger artists who venture into contemporary designs.”
While each piece is unique, Araceli says there isn’t one item that stands above the rest.
“There isn’t a particular artist or piece that is especially meaningful,” she said. “I genuinely find meaning in every piece here because they all include a little bit of the artist.”
That connection is something she feels not just as a manager, but as an artist herself.
“As an artist myself, we energetically, spiritually—whatever you want to call it—put a little bit of ourselves into our work,” she said. “When a visitor purchases a pair of earrings or a stick of sage, they take home the good vibes that artist put into that piece.”
The new space itself also carries meaning through its design. Araceli and the gift shop team worked with High Rez Woods Company / High Rez Designs to create new display features, including a custom checkout counter and feature tables that will soon be revealed to visitors.
“We had the opportunity to design a new checkout counter and two feature tables,” she said. “I’m super excited to speak on the designs with visitors once we are open!”
More than anything, Araceli is excited for people to experience the space as a whole.
“I am SOOOO excited for visitors to experience the new gift shop overall,” she said. “Taylor and Henry have done a phenomenal job with arranging displays and working out any of the sigh-worthy situations we’ve come across while preparing the gift shop for June 6th.”
For Araceli, the reopening represents something bigger than a refreshed retail space—it reflects the ongoing visibility and value of Lakota art.
“Lakota art and jewelry have always been a luxury due to its authenticity, rich history, availability, resources used, and the time it takes to make such crafts,” she said. “By being in a new and updated space, I hope that even more people can truly appreciate and see how luxurious Lakota arts and crafts are.”
In the end, the gift shop is not just about what is sold—it’s about what is shared.
Each item carries a story. Each purchase carries support. And each visitor becomes part of a cycle that helps keep Lakota art thriving, growing, and being seen in the world.
As Araceli puts it, simply: every piece holds a little bit of the artist—and now, a little bit of everyone who takes it home.