SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A showcase of local artists is underway at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls.

The Art Collective at the Washington Pavilion is one of the largest showcases of local artists in Sioux Falls.

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“It is a gathering of over 70 local artists that are all setting up and preparing their crafts, their art, their paintings, their wares, and they’ll be selling everything for the next two days,” lead curator Jana Anderson said.

Anderson says the event will feature artists from all walks of life.

“It’s a lot of emerging artists, but there’s also a lot of artists that have been selling their work in the region for a long time,” Anderson said.

Anderson says the goal of the Art Collective is to help everyone do better.

“When you host a show individually, maybe you’re getting your ten to 20 friends to show up, but when you collectively gather as a group of over 70 artists you’re really going to get a really huge return on that investment,” Anderson said.

“This is a way for them to put food on the table for their families, for them to actually make a living wage making art,” curator Erin Castle said.

Castle has participated in past collectives and says sharing space with other artists also has value.

“To commune with them, to see what they’re working on, to be inspired by what they’re doing, to spend two days talking with them about what’s worked, what hasn’t worked, and then just meeting all sorts of different people, I think that’s really, really special to each of them,” Castle said.

The event will also feature a raffle to win pieces from the artists, including prints and originals, and maybe a duck.

“So each of the artists have an item that is up for a raffle and you can purchase tickets from any of them and then at the end of the event they’ll pick a winner,” Anderson said.

All in support of local art.

The Art Collective is free to attend at the Everist Gallery inside the Visual Arts Center at the Washington Pavilion. The doors are open until 9 Friday night, and Saturday from 1 to 9 p.m.