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
7:30 a.m. Sunday: The key, I’ve learned, is to get here early on Sunday. Parking meters are free, and I find a spot. Most serious collectors are finished shopping, so the market will slow down on Sunday. Sort of. Already a zillion tourists are flocking to the plaza, and the market doesn’t officially open until 8 a.m.
No one’s around the main stage, so if I stay put, I’ll have a great view of the clothing contest. But wait ... isn’t that Al Chandler Good Strike over there? I love his stuff.
Good Strike, a Gros Ventre and Arapaho from Montana, is known for painted buffalo hides—part of the appeal of any Indian art market. This isn’t just Navajo silver and Santo Domingo pottery. It’s more than oil-on-canvas and life-size bronze. It’s traditional—a Lakota drum, a Southern Cheyenne knife sheath or the parfleche Good Strike’s showing me. It’s contemporary—a necklace by Picuris Pueblo/Navajo Connie Gaussoin or Spokane Betty David’s handmade, hand-painted, lamb-shearling coat.
“The most notable change in the last 15 to 20 years is the growth of sophistication and quality of the art,” Nottage says. “Artists today can still be very traditional in their jewelry or other arts, but they also embrace new ideas quickly and constantly develop their work. Fetishes, for example, have existed for many centuries. As a collectible art form, they only have their growth from the 1970s on.”
9:07 a.m. Sunday: Maybe it was a mistake to wander away from the main stage. A poodle’s at my feet. Why would anyone bring a small dog to Calcutta? The clothing contest has begun. Get the &#*@!*%! out of my way! I’m trying to take a photo here!
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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