The Santa Fe Indian Market is an annual art market held in Santa Fe,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

on the weekend following the third Thursday in August. The event draws an estimated 150,000 people to the city from around the world. The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

hosts the market, which showcases work by about 1,000 Native American and

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

artists from Native American tribes and Indigenous nations from coast to coast.

History

1920s

The first Indian Market, called the annual Southwest Indian Fair and Industrial Arts and Crafts Exhibition, was part of Fiesta de Santa Fe sponsored by the Museum of New Mexico. Kenneth M. Chapman credits art advocate Rose Dougan (life partner of Vera von Blumenthal) for first suggesting the idea of a competitive

Native American art The visual arts of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas encompasses the visual artistic practices of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from ancient times to the present. These include works from South America and North America, which in ...

fair in 1922 as part of an expanded Santa Fe Fiesta. Edgar L. Hewett, director of the Museum of New Mexico, viewed the early Indian Fair events as part of his efforts for public anthropology. The events were held inside the National Guard Armory with an admission fee charged. Pueblo pottery, Navajo textiles, and Pueblo Flatstyle paintings, such as produced by artists at the

Studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...

and the Santa Fe Indian School, were the primary art forms represented; however, the first place award for best tribal display went to beadwork from Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana. Initially, museum staff and later Native artists and educators served as judges, screening work and awarding prizes. Potters themselves were not present for the sale of their works. These early markets were intended to counteract museum and anthropological professionals’ concerns that tourist curio market's demand for pottery was reducing the quality and authenticity of Pueblo pottery.

1930s

In 1936, the New Mexico Association on Indian Affairs took over the event.Tryk, Sheila, ''Santa Fe Indian Market: Showcase of Native American Art'', Santa Fe: Tierra Publications, 1993. . Between 1933 and 1936, events were held at multiple pueblos, rather than in Santa Fe. Maria Chabot returned events to Santa Fe and the NMAIA organized transportation for artists and attached "labels of approval" to the works they believed represented the best works. Today, the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts organizes the market.

2020s

During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the market went virtual for the month of August 2020, under the guidance of executive director Kimberly Peone ( Colville Confederated Tribes/ Eastern Band Cherokee). The market took place in a hybrid format in 2021, with in-person and virtual events. Only 600 artists were accepted for in-person booths. The remaining 500 artists juried into the market waitlisted and offered opportunities to participate virtually. For the first time, in-person attendance was ticketed rather than free. Santa Fe Indian Market returned to fully in-person operation in August 2022.

SWAIA leadership

Kenneth Chapman helped launched the fair. The first Native American to lead SWAIA was Ramona Sakiestewa (Hopi), a textile artist and designer, who led the organization from 1980 and 1982 for no pay. At the time, SWAIA only had one paid employee and a loaned office at La Fonda on the Plaza. Sakiestewa raised enough funds that her successor finally had a salary. John Torres Nez, PhD ( Diné) was chief operating officer from 2012 to 2014 before resigning and cofounding an alternative art market. Dallin Maybee ( Northern Arapaho/ Seneca) became interim COO in 2014, then COO until he stepped down in 2018. Ira Wilson ( Diné) served as director from 2018 to 19 Kim Peone ( Colville Confederated Tribes/ Eastern Band Cherokee) was director from 2020 to 2023. When her contract was terminated, Jaime Schulze (

Northern Cheyenne The Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation () is the federally recognized Northern Cheyenne tribe and a Plains tribe. The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation is reservation located in southeastern Montana, that is ...

/ Sisseton Wahpeton) became interim director in 2023 and permanent director in 2023.

Featured art

The market features pottery, jewelry, textile weavings, painting, sculpture, beadwork,

basketry Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...

, and other traditional and contemporary work. It is the oldest and largest juried Native American art showcase in the United States. The economic impact of the Market has been calculated at more than $19 million. Beginning in 2014, the annual market began including a couture runway

fashion show A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons. This is wh ...

event in its programming. The event has grown annually. The 2022 program included two runway shows at the Santa Fe Convention Center with more than 1,000 spectators each night. The shows featured celebrity runway models: Quannah Chasinghorse, Amber Midthunder, Zahn McClarnon, Jessica Matten,

Kiowa Gordon Kiowa Joseph Gordon is a Native American actor of Hualapai heritage. He is best known for his role as shapeshifter Embry Call in ''The Twilight Saga (film series), The Twilight Saga,'' as well as Junior in the TV series ''The Red Road (TV series ...

, Eugene Brave Rock and D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai. The founding director of SWAIA's Indigenous Fashion Show is curator and art historian Amber-Dawn Bear Robe ( Siksika Nation.)

Art standards

Artists display their work in booths around the

Santa Fe Plaza The Santa Fe Plaza (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Plaza de Santa Fe'') is a National Historic Landmark in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico in the style of traditional Spanish-American colonial cities. The plaza, or city square is a gathering place ...

and adjacent streets, selling directly to the general public. In order to participate, all artists must provide proof of enrollment in one of the

federally recognized tribe A federally recognized tribe is a Native American tribe recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs as holding a government-to-government relationship with the US federal government. In the United States, the Native American tribe ...

s, and their work must meet strict quality and authentic materials standards. Art experts judge the work and distribute awards and prize money in various categories.

Contemporary and awards

On the evening before the Market's opening, members of SWAIA may attend a preview of representative works by the artists as well as the winners in each category. It is a way for potential buyers to preview the winning artworks and items for sale. Many buyers arrive downtown well before dawn. Collectors used to sleep in the Plaza overnight. It is not unusual for prominent artists to sell out within a few hours.

References

External links

Southwestern Association for Indian Arts
official website {{coord missing, New Mexico Culture of Santa Fe, New Mexico Native American history of New Mexico Native American topics Native American art Native American arts organizations Native Americans in Santa Fe, New Mexico Tourist attractions in Santa Fe, New Mexico Recurring events established in 1922 Art in New Mexico Indigenous fashion designers of the Americas Indigenous art of the Americas