Surviving the Santa Fe Indian Market
And why it’s the “Indian Artist Oscars.”
Categories: Featured Travel Stories
By: Johnny D. Boggs 05/01/2008
This year, the Heard Museum’s Guild Indian Fair and Market in Phoenix, Arizona, celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the Gathering of Nations powwow in Albuquerque, New Mexico, turned 25. The American Bus Association named the 75th Annual Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture, scheduled July 5-6 at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Arizona, the top 2008 event in the United States. The Haskell Indian Art Market, put on by Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, will celebrate its 20th anniversary September 13-14.
You’ll find Indian art markets everywhere from small museums (the Smoki Museum’s Summer Navajo Rug and Cowboy & Indian Art Auction in Prescott, Arizona) to national parks (Mesa Verde Country Indian Arts & Culture Festival at the Mesa Verde National Park in the Four Corners region).
Not enough? More than 200 artists and performers are expected at the Tesoro Foundation’s Eighth Annual Indian Market & Powwow on May 17-18 at the Fort restaurant in Morrison, Colorado. Oklahoma City plays host to the Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival on June 6-8. Afterward, you can head up to Indianapolis, where the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art will put on its prestigious Indian Market on June 21-22.
Big and small, regional and national, heralded and not-quite-famous, Indian art markets abound. But on August 23-24,
Santa Fe—featuring 1,200 artists—will rule again.
“It’s the Indian Artist Olympics,” says Marcus Amerman, the Choctaw master of beadwork. “It’s the Indian Artist Oscars. It’s the Indian Artist Mecca. It’s all of them rolled into one.”
“They’re all good markets,” Comanche painter Nocona Burgess says. “But nothing compares to Indian Market because of the volume, the versatility and the amount of people. Plus Santa Fe just has that appeal.”
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The Indian Market in Santa Fe is truly a unique experience in a unique place. But there is an equally good show just a few day before Indian Market in Santa Fe called the Antique Indian Art Show. Produced by Whitehawk, this show is in it's 31st year of bringing together the country's, actually the world's, top dealers of antique art from tribes across America. Over 125 booths of top quality baskets, pot, beaded items, jewelry, tools, weapons and so much much more, in a fun and lively setting. In 2009 the shows will be at the beautiful new Santa Fe Community Convention Center. For more information visit www.whitehawkshows.com