Running Strong Presents SACRED Arts Festival in Sacramento this April

SACRED Arts Festival, presented by Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, is a two-day event in the heart of Sacramento that will celebrate Native art, culture, and community. Immerse yourself in live mural painting. Join us for indigenous film screenings and live musical performances. Explore vendor booths showcasing crafts, jewelry, and art. Discover local Sacramento food and beverage. We are creating a platform to honor and represent Native artists and communities while sharing the richness of Native culture and contemporary art with the wider public.

Native artists are valuable contributors to the American art world as they protect and sustain their culture, and connect Indigenous traditions and perspectives to a modern, ever-changing, and challenging world. Running Strong is proud to support Native artists and communities as they share their work, preserve their traditions, gain exposure, and claim space in the art world.

“Our traditions and our culture are passed down through generations through art,” says Billy Mills, our co-founder and longtime Sacramento resident. “Sacramento and Northern California have beautiful tribal communities, but Native people often lack representation and visibility. This event will bring the entire community together, Native and non-Native alike, to celebrate the diversity of our Indigenous art and culture.”

This event will be open to all people and exclusively feature the artistic talents of Indigenous artists, across genres and mediums. Local artists and craftspeople are invited to host vendor booths for the public to shop, while murals are being live painted by artists including Bobby Martin. Food and beverage will be available featuring Frybread from Bigfoot Frybread, and wine from Seka Hills. Saturday evening will transform into a lively concert with performances from Supaman, and Aysanabee and as we close our event on Sunday night we will feature short films, trailers, and teasers for films by Dreamstarters Anpa’o Locke, Loren Waters, and an exclusive look at “Remaining Native”, a film produced in part by Running Strong created by talented filmmaker Paige Bethman and her production company She Carries Her House.

We invite you to join us in our inaugural year of SACRED Arts Festival.