Buffalo Love Event bringing art to the Heart of the Hills

On June 14 the Heart of the Hills will beat with creativity as the Buffalo Love Event returns to Hill City, transforming downtown Hill City into a town-wide art gallery. 

The event, centered at Gypsy Rose Tattoo Studio, will showcase a wide range of local artists, from seasoned professionals to rising stars from the Hill City High School Art Club. These young artists will display their artwork at Gypsy Rose as well as other downtown businesses. 

“Kids from the art club are going to be all over town,” said JamesAnn Barlean of Gypsy Rose.

“We’re going to host a couple of the young artists here, and we know several businesses around town are going to do the same thing. We’re pretty excited about that, because as artists and business owners here, it’s important to us that young people know that not only can they make a living and thrive as artists and creative people, but that they can do it here in Hill City and the Black Hills. That they can not only succeed, but thrive and have a really worthwhile creative career here,” Barlean said. “We’ve done the Buffalo Love Event once before, but we had done it in September, and at that time, we did it to raise money for the ambulance building. We had fun with it, and it was a great success.”

Fine Art in the Hills usually takes place in June, but the event is taking a temporary hiatus this year in order to make the event “bigger and better,” according to the Hill City Arts Council website.

Buffalo Love organizers wanted to ensure the art lovers still had a reason to visit Hill City this year, so they moved the date from September to June.

“We wanted to make sure that people still remember to come to Hill City for art that weekend. So we moved Buffalo Love to that weekend, and we expanded a little bit. We are going to host some other artists and other vendors here at our studio and out in the parking lot,” said Barlean. 

Visitors to the event can expect unique art displays, the opportunity to meet local artists, shop for hand-crafted pieces, enjoy lunch and participate in a silent auction—all while supporting a great cause. 

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Beta Tho Sorority Scholarship Fund that presents scholarships to Hill City High School senior girls each year to help them pursue higher education and “take some of the edge off of going to that next chapter,” according to Barlean.

The silent auction, hosted at Gypsy Rose, will feature local artwork and items donated by businesses and individuals. Meanwhile, the Beta Rho sisters will serve up lunch items and treats just outside the studio.

“Just like in all of our fundraisers and our other Buffalo Love Event, all of that money is going to stay right here in Hill City,” said Barlean.

Whether you’re an art connoisseur or simply looking to spend a meaningful day downtown, the Buffalo Love Event is a perfect way to support local talent and education while celebrating the creative spirit.