SURF Foundation honors Sacred Circle Garden donations with limited-edition prints

LEAD, SD— The Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) Foundation will honor donations to the Sacred Circle Garden fundraising campaign with limited-edition prints of four significant Black Hills landmarks.

The Sacred Circle Garden, or Cangleska Wakan, will be an ethnobotanical garden located in Lead, South Dakota, near the Yates Complex on site at SURF. Building the garden is an extension of SURF’s commitment to community and includes a strong desire to protect, respect and understand the environment, human connections and indigenous cultures of the Black Hills (Paha Sapa or He Sapa).

“This is a keystone project to honor and respect the people that have come before us, to honor and respect the land, and to create a place for education and multicultural exchange,” said Casey Peterson, ex officio member of the SURF Foundation Board.

“For those who hold the Black Hills in high esteem, our Native community and those of us that have come later, the Sacred Circle Garden will provide a real point of reflection for what the Black Hills have been and what it can be in the future,” said Dana Dykhouse, SURF Foundation Board chair.

Each limited-edition print features one of the following Black Hills landmarks: the Badlands, Black Elk Peak, Bear Butte or Bear Lodge. Each of these locations are sacred sites for the Lakota and other regional tribes. The four sacred sites will be incorporated into the design of the garden.

The 24-by-36 inch images are bonded to brushed aluminum using a metal dye sublimation process. Part science experiment, part printing, the process uses heat to infuse special dyes onto a pre-coated aluminum sheet. Each print will include a certificate of authenticity that records the title of the work, the artist’s name, the edition size and the print’s number within the edition. Just 100 of these prints will be produced to support the construction of the Sacred Circle Garden.

Donors who donate $1,500 to the Sacred Circle Garden campaign will receive one limited-edition print of their choice. Donors who give $5,000 will receive all four prints.

“Each print honors the extraordinary history and sacredness of the Black Hills and brings a piece of the outdoors into your home or office,” said Staci Miller, SURF Foundation director. “The prints are a one-of-a-kind way to showcase your support of the Sacred Circle Garden.”

The SURF Foundation announced plans for this project in July 2021, after an employee fundraising campaign raised initial support for the project. The SURF Foundation aims to raise 50% of the funds by December 2021 and 100% by Summer 2022. Groundbreaking for the Cangleska Wakan is anticipated for Summer 2022.

To make a donation to the SURF Foundation or learn more, contact Staci Miller or visit the Sacred Circle Garden webpage.

SURF is operated by the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA) with funding from the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Our mission is to advance world class science and inspire learning across generations. Visit Sanford Lab at www.SanfordLab.org.