Innholdsfortegnelse for February-March 2024/No. 49 i Native American Art Magazine

Welcome to the February/March issue of Native American Art! In this issue, you will find 152 pages of art, with more than 70 pages devoted to the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. This includes a map of the event marked with all of the advertising artists in the magazine, as well as a QR code you can scan to download the map to your phone. In addition, we now produce the entire list of artists and the complete map of the event as a hand-out for anyone who attends the market. So come by our booth and pick up both the magazine and our eight-page booth map and artist directory. You will also be able to meet the artists, hear about their traditions and methods used to create…

Red Berry Woman is a fashion line created by Hidatsa designer Norma Baker-Flying Horse, which transforms Native American traditional garment styles into contemporary ready-to-wear couture for women and men. Baker-Flying Horse is an enrolled member of the Hidatsa tribe and a member of the Dakota Sioux and Assiniboine tribes, as well as an adopted member of the Crow Nation. “[In the past few years] my time has been filled with some major events,” says Baker-Flying Horse. She won Phoenix Fashion Week Designer of the Year for 2022-2023 and was the first Indigenous designer to receive a Cultural Recognition in Visual Arts Grammy award. In addition, she’s also dressed several prominent figures for major events including Canadian actress Tantoo Cardinal for the premiere of the new Martin Scorcese film Killers of…

SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO START GETTING THIS ONE-OF-A-KIND PUBLICATION Subscribe today to get the best Navtive American art magazine in the country, and the only bi-monthly magazine that highlights the top artists, galleries, museums, fairs and auctions throughout the art market. Flipping through the pages of Native American Art magazine you’ll find unique and engaging content including: » Previews of all the biggest markets, shows and sales. » Special genre sections highlighting unique categories of art such as pottery, textiles and jewelry. » The leading coverage related to Santa Fe Indian Market, the Heard Museum Indian Guild Fair & Market and other top events. » Insight from renowned experts, authors and curators. Find out what all the artists, dealers and collectors are talking raving about by subscribing to Native American Art…

Ongoing The North Star Changes: Works by Brenda Mallory This exhibition features sculptures that Brenda Mallory has made using reclaimed and found objects, some taking the form of large-scale installations. Mallory describes her process as bricolage—something constructed or created from a diverse range of available things. Mallory notes, “The idea that an object has more than one use, more than one life in it, is what appeals to me.” Heard Museum www.heard.org Ongoing Heart of the Community: Baskets from the Basha Family Collection of American Indian Art The exhibition title recognizes Eddie Basha’s dedication to the good of his community and his appreciation of American Indian communities of which art is an integral part. Many of the baskets were woven in the early decades of the 20th century in Arizona.…

As the annual market returns to the Heard Museum, so do the museum’s distinguished guest judges. They are tasked with evaluating all of the competition artwork for the market and picking winners for the many categories, sub-categories and classifications. They also pick the Best of Show award, which goes to the top piece of art entered into the competition. These awards are not only highly desirable by the artists, but they also inform purchases made by collectors. The awards are announced during the Best of Show Reception on March 1. For guests who can’t attend the reception, look for the 2024 ribbons in the booths during the market. Classification I Jewelry and Lapidary Work Jared Chavez (San Felipe Pueblo) Nationally Recognized Jewelry Artist Jared Chavez learned metalsmithing from his father,…

The San Ildefonso Pueblo ceramicist Maria Martinez (1887-1980) became a legend in her own lifetime. She attended four world’s fairs, was invited to the White House by presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Johnson, and her pottery was collected by luminaries around the world. The photographer Ansel Adams related that he and his wife Virginia “traveled all through Arizona and ended up in Santa Fe, where we originally bought eight Maria plates. My father lent me $48 to buy them, in 1929.” John D. Rockefeller Jr. and later, his son David, met Maria and collected her work as did his other sons Nelson and Laurence. The elder Rockefeller held her in such high esteem that he invited her to participate in the laying of the cornerstone of Rockefeller Center in 1933.…

The magic of the market moves indoors at the Heard Museum Shop, where seven talented artists will showcase their wares for the entire duration of the event. While the shop artists don’t have booths in the regular market areas outdoors, having one’s artwork featured in the Heard Museum’s award-winning shop is an honor in and of itself. Since 1958, the shop has been buying and selling the highest quality, authentic works of Native American craftsmanship and artwork. Among the seven shop artists for the 2024 market are Ray Tracey (Navajo), Victoria Adams (Southern Cheyenne/Arapaho), Karen Clarkson (Chocktaw), Jackie Larson Bread (Blackfeet), Tim Blueflint Ramel (Bad River Chippewa/Comanche), Roxanne Swentzell (Santa Clara Pueblo) and Ivan Howard (Navajo). These artists capture a wide gamut of styles and modes of creation, from the…

From intricate patterns and designs with different colors and slips, to unique sculptural pieces, Native American pottery offers it all. Some artists surprise many collectors with imaginative ways in which to use the coveted medium of clay. The 2024 market will see another year of these thrilling pottery pieces, with many artists combining traditional techniques and stories with a contemporary spin. Each artist highlighted within this section takes pottery to a whole new level, while paying homage to the ancestors of their individual tribes. Continue reading to learn about each artists’ process and inspiration, and what has brought them this far today. BEHIND THE SCENES Jason Garcia (Santa Clara Pueblo) Booth: F-26 Jason Garcia’s work documents the ever-changing cultural landscape of his home of K‘haPo Owingeh/Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico.…

Sculptors take elements of the earth and transmute them into works of art imbued with meaning and life. One of the most recognizable forms of sculpture within Native American culture are that of Zuni fetishes, chiseled primarily from stone but also materials like shells and even fossils. These small fetishes hold immense importance, often used for ceremonial purposes. Within the sculpture classification, you’ll also find large and stately formations (as well as mid-sized pieces), wrought in stone, cast in bronze or molded from clay. In the words of Navajo artist Randall Beyale, “As a sculptor, I unveil what is already there in the stone.” BEHIND THE SCENES Joe Cajero Jr. (Jemez Pueblo) Booth: D-30 “My creative energy is often spiritual in nature,” says Joe Cajero Jr. Inspired by the wisdom…

Known for its robust usage of all manner of plants—grasses, barks, bushes, roots and shoots—basketry is a popular and growing segment within Native American art, where artists from coast to coast are creating tremendous new works that exemplify creative freedom, technical expertise and quality materials. Expect to see a wide variety of shapes and colors, with each region, tribe and individual artist using what is at their disposal to create bowls, plates, vases, large woven jars and, of course, traditional baskets. Although this is one of the smallest categories—less than 25 artists are registered for the classification—basketry is also one of the most sought-after by top collectors. BEHIND THE SCENES August Wood (Salt River Pima) Booth: Demo-02 August Wood, who is a traditional Akimel O’Odham (Pima) basket maker from the Salt…

SCOTTSDALE, AZ King Galleries is celebrating 28 years in business with a special show timed with the opening of the 2024 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. Aptly titled 28 x 28, the exhibition features 14 gallery artists who have each been asked to make two pieces for the show, adding up to a total of 28 pieces. “Over the years we have worked with many of today’s leading potters as well as watching younger potters begin their careers,” says King Galleries owner Charles S. King. “The artists who are participating range from Al Qöyawayma, Les Namingha and Tammy Garcia to Sergio Lugo, Jared Tso and Daniel Begay. It should be an exciting moment to view the creativity of the best in Native pottery!” Garcia’s Dragonflies and Flowers was…

TAOS, NM Raven Chacon, Pulitzer Prize-winning Diné composer and performer, will present his Three Songs at the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, New Mexico, February 24 through July 7. He honors Indigenous women with sound, video and visuals. The three works presented, “resound suppressed histories and present-day stories of Native resistance in the face of systemic power,” according to the museum. Its curator of exhibitions and collections, Nicole Dial-Kay, who has known Chacon’s work for more than a decade, notes that the Albuquerque-based artist is a perfect fit for the Harwood’s dedication to featuring New Mexico artists from different cultures. Presenting art of the highest level is an inspiration for artists of the region and the Taos Pueblo. She explains that Silent Choir is a sound installation of field…

SANTA FE, NM Santa Fe Art Auction kicks off the 2024 auction season with its Native Arts sale on February 7 and 8. The annual sale features a diverse array of both contemporary and historic pueblo and tribal artists, offering an impressive collection of Native American jewelry, sculpture, textiles, paintings and pottery. In total, more than 500 lots of 20th - and 21st-century artwork will hit the auction block, with works by leading Native American artists like Tony Abeyta, Fritz Scholder, Charles Loloma, Tony Da, Ramona Sakiestewa and Robert Tenorio, to name just a few. These offerings will be complemented by an eclectic range of traditional pueblo pottery, basketry and jewelry. Among the highlights in the upcoming sale are a pair of polychrome figures sculpted by Cochiti artist Helen Cordero…

DENVER, CO Works by Fritz Scholder, Earl Biss and Allan Houser were among the highlights in Hindman’s $2.7 million Western & Contemporary Native American Art sale. The November 1, 2023, auction saw 208 of its 220 lots sell, with eight lots selling for six figures. As has been the case for the last several years in Hindman’s Western & Contemporary Native American Art auctions, Fritz Scholder (Luiseño, 1937-2005) was the star of the sale, claiming eight of the top 10 sales prices of the day, including seven paintings selling for more than $100,000. All 10 works by the artist in the auction sold above their low estimates with eight topping their high estimates. “Fritz Scholder was a true pioneer, one of the first Indigenous artists to utilize an aesthetic heavily…

We are very proud of the connections we have made since we started putting this magazine out in 2016. We have worked with and know the top art dealers and galleries from all corners of the market, auction specialists from all the best auction houses, seasoned collectors who buy art at high levels and some of the best museum curators in the world. Many of these people have not only been sources in our coverage of the market, but they have contributed articles, allowed us to publish excerpts from their new books, invited us into their homes to photograph their collections, and worked closely with us as we produce new features and sections. These are the best people to know when writing about Native American art. But the artists are…

Welcome to the 66th annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, which will be held at the Heard Museum on March 2 and 3, 2024. We are delighted to report that last year’s 2023 market was a resounding success, with record numbers of guests—more than 18,000—and record sales by participating artists! The market is the signature annual event of the Heard Museum, and is led by the Heard Museum Guild, a dynamic organization of volunteers dedicated to supporting the museum’s mission of advancing American Indian art. Since 1959, the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market has showcased the beauty and vitality of Indigenous creative expression of artists not only from the Southwest but from across the country. We are dedicated to making our 66th year even better and…

About the Guild The Heard Museum Guild is the volunteer arm of the Heard Museum. All members of the museum are eligible to join the guild, comprised of a large, dynamic and active group of talented individuals of many different backgrounds who volunteer countless hours annually to support the museum in its mission as a premier, world-class showcase of American Indian art. Visitors to the museum will encounter volunteers leading public, private and school tours, working as sales associates in the museum store and museum bookstore, greeting them as they enter the museum and serving in numerous capacities at the annual Indian Fair & Market. Additionally, volunteers work in the library, design educational programs, plan and implement special events and support Heard Museum internships through the sale of student art…

As a second-generation artist, Raynard J. Scott (Navajo (Diné)) knows how important it is to pass on artistic knowledge to the next generation. After succeeding at the art of jewelry making—with high sales, praise within the art community and last year’s Best of Show award at the Heard market to show for it—the artist is reflecting on his long career and how he can share what he knows with new artists. Raynard J. Scott was born September 3, 1965, in Los Angeles while his father attended business school. His father and mother, Raymond and Louise Elson, are jewelry makers. They lived in Fort Defiance, Arizona, when they started making jewelry. Scott’s father pioneered the very popular overlay/chip inlay with turquoise and coral in 1969 and 1970. In 1971, Scott was…

In 2023, my Ina (Dakota, “mother”), Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty, collaborated with longtime friend Kevin Pourier on a brilliant horse mask that found its home with the remarkable Heard Museum collection. Both are master Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires of the Sioux Nation) artists working in traditional mediums and the two had always talked about working together. I spent time witnessing the collaborative process and felt something magical occur—this work, titled Cante Akisni (Dakota/Lakota, “Healed Hearts”), embodied and invoked the powers of artistic sense. Contemporary Native artists are engaging with artistic sense in phenomenal ways and this article explores a glimpse into the possibilities. Everyone carries artistic sense but these artists have the deeper skills as practitioners of their mediums. Those who carry strong artistic sense are able to see…

www.heard.org/event/fair Get the scoop on the market’s eight classifications in our annual Guide to Market section. Each classification represented here has a set of subcategories unique to each classification. The artists compete within each classification, but that does not mean they are bound to just one—some artists are skilled across many disciplines. These eight classifications are a great place to start your art journey. Each one is different, with its own set of skills, materials and nuances. It also goes much deeper, with each art form changing slightly across region, tribe and culture. The artists also add their own spin, creating limitless combinations of artwork. This diversity of material, theme, style and culture is what makes Native American art so exciting, and not just within Native American art, but also within…

Two-Dimensional Art is one of the most exciting and dynamic classifications you will find at this year’s Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, as emerging artists find innovative ways to combine aspects of contemporary Indigenous life with traditional practices, symbolism and beliefs. New digital technology has allowed for further experimentation with some artists creating paintings and photographs altered to look like weavings or carving patterns. Other artists are reinventing ledger art to address issues relevant today and employing pop culture references as a means to explain daily Indigenous life. As you can see in our selection of featured artists, women artists are coming to the forefront of the genre, making powerful statements through powerful art. Read on to learn about how cultural heritage continues to inform today’s cutting edge…

The 2024 Heard Museum Indian Market is kicking off once again in honor and celebration of Native American arts, including the beloved category of weaving and textiles. This decorative and utilitarian art form often accompanies creation stories—like that of Spider Woman in the Navajo heritage—and is a coveted skill that’s passed down from generation to generation. Today, we see textile artists upholding these traditions while also making way for their own voice and style. Featured in this section, and also found at market, we hear from several weaving and textile artists that create an assortment of fascinating visions. These works range from more traditional pieces made on the loom, utilizing natural materials, while others employ a fresh take on clothing and regalia. BEHIND THE SCENES Jaylee Lowe (Seminole Nation of…

The Youth Art Show & Sale is a must-see for all visitors to the Heard Indian Fair & Market. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to immerse yourself in a breathtaking display of creativity, where young Native American artists showcase their exceptional talents and unique perspectives. The show is open to artists in grades seven through 12 from across the United States. They will have their work professionally judged and compete for ribbons, as well as more than $10,000 in prize money. All artwork entered in the show is displayed and available for sale. The show is open on March 2 and 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Monte Vista Room of the Heard Museum. A special preview is open on March 1 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.…

SANTA FE, NM Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, encourages one and all to immerse themselves in its Contemporary Native Art exhibition opening March 15—featuring glass and bronze sculpture, painting, ceramics, jewelry and kachina dolls. Around 30 artworks will be on display by prominent artists from the gallery collection, highlighting the unification of tradition and innovation. “Blue Rain Gallery invites you to explore a meticulously curated fusion of artistic genres, where the past and present converge seamlessly,” explains Leah Garcia, director of marketing for the gallery. “With a 30-year history as a premier destination gallery in the Southwest, owner Leroy Garcia has been a guiding force in elevating contemporary Native art. [He] brings together the exceptional talents of today’s celebrated Native artists, showcasing their multifaceted works that span…

INDIANAPOLIS, IN Since 1999, the Eiteljorg Museum has offered innovative Native American artists exciting opportunities as part of its biannual fellowship initiative. 2023 marked a new fellowship year, giving rise to a fascinating exhibition titled UNSETTLE/Converge, featuring five U.S. and Canadian artists presenting around 46 works in a variety of mediums. Each artist celebrates and draws upon their Native identity in contemporary artworks while also confronting issues of colonialism—including personal experiences and insights. “Every fellowship round, an exhibition of five new fellows’ work is created,” explains Dorene Red Cloud, museum curator of Native American art. The title, UNSETTLE/Converge, maintains the thought process of the last two fellowship titles: the defining parameters of contemporary Native art have blurred, shifted boundaries and are now embarking on un-settling or Indigenizing these definitions to…

GREAT FALLS, MT March in Montana, one of the highlights of the annual Western Art Week in Great Falls, Montana, returns to the Big Sky State with an abundance of diverse art and objects from collections around the country. Native American offerings represent a significant 40 percent of the 750-lot sale with expanded selections of art, beadwork, weavings and artifacts. Last year, show presenters Coeur d’Alene Galleries and Coeur d’Alene Art Auction saw collectors clamoring over Native American textiles, so this year March in Montana has increased its offerings of weavings to more than 80 pieces, including exceptional examples of early Navajo blankets and serapes. “The weaving market has been on an upward trend for the last couple of years,” says March in Montana owner Ron Nicklas. “We have heard…

1. Territorial Indian Arts Now available at Territorial Indian Arts in Scottsdale, Arizona, is this stunning Zuni Sun Face suite of jewelry by Morris and Sadie Laahty. Included are a three-setting cuff bracelet, ring, brooch/pendant and clip-on earrings. The set was featured on the cover of Rock & Gem magazine in June 1974. Engraved on the naja is April 10, 1971, and Morris and Sadie Laahty. Each piece has its own Sun God signature. 7100 E. Main Street, #3, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 • (480) 945-5432 • www.territorialindianarts.com 2. Ancient Nations The online gallery Ancient Nations has a Fannie Nampeyo (Hopi) Thunderbird Wedding Vase from around 1975. The gallery notes: “Fannie Nampeyo was arguably the most well-known of all Nampeyo’s daughters and was prolific in her production of the ‘migration’ pattern…

A-03 Corey Stein (Tlingit) A-30 Russell A. Sanchez (San Ildefonso Pueblo) A-35 Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty (Fort Peck Assiniboine/Sioux) B-34 Kevin Pourier (Oglala Lakota) B-44 Charlene Laughing (Navajo (Diné)) B-44 Mona Laughing (Navajo (Diné)) B-46 Hollis Chitto (Choctaw/Isleta and Laguna Pueblos) M-12 Lynn Traylor (Navajo (Diné)) C-44 Ca’Win Jimmy Fred Calabaza (Santo Domingo Pueblo) D-46 Leon Misak Kinneeveauk (Inupiaq) E-05 Rain Scott (Acoma Pueblo) E-06 Raynard Scott (Navajo (Diné)) H-21 Theresa Secord (Penobscot) H-51 Pati Belgarde-Cornelius (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) I-02 Kathleen Wall (Jemez Pueblo) I-11 Nanibaa Beck (Navajo (Diné)) K-03 Greyshoes (Upton Ethelbah Jr.) K-03 Maria Samora (Taos Pueblo) M-01 Wakeah Jhane (Comanche/Kiowa/Blackfeet/Cherokee) Demo-06 ZefrenM (Navajo (Diné)) Heard Shop Karen Clarkson (Choctaw/Cherokee) Scan here to download this map for your convenience…

DOMINIQUE TOYA(JEMEZ, 1971-2023) Jemez Pueblo potter Dominique Toya, who was a strong advocate for Native American art and artists, died in December 2023. In addition to recently serving on the board at SWAIA, the organization that organizes Santa Fe Indian Market, Toya was also a talented and well-respected potter whose works were widely collected. “Dominique Toya, a fifth generation potter from Jemez Pueblo, leaves a legacy of beauty and service. A leading traditional potter, Toya received awards from nearly everywhere she showed, including the Heard Indian Market, the Eiteljorg Indian Market and multiple times from the Santa Fe Indian Market,” SWAIA said in an online statement. “Toya learned pottery from her mother, Maxine Toya, and was known for her distinctive works of native clay with a micaceous slip.” BAJE WHITETHORNE…

Between the two of them, Mona and Charlene Laughing have nearly 50 years of experience at the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. The mother-daughter pair will be showing together in 2024, the way they prefer. “We like showing together,” says Mona, who, along with her daughter, Charlene, makes the trip to Phoenix from Crystal, New Mexico. “My daughter and I prefer it that way. Weaving is all I know. I get up every morning and weave, so to show my rugs with her is always fun.” Mona learned to weave from her mother when she was in her early 20s. Mona’s mother lost her own mother at an early age, so she learned a lot about life and art from her aunt. There are at least four generations…

Napakanli um okla imma (Flowers for my family), a contemporary beaded bandolier bag by Hollis Chitto, will be a highlight of his display at the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. Chitto (Mississippi Choctaw, Laguna/Isleta Pueblos) reflects “on all of the family that has gone on before I got to talk to them and learn as much as I could. I wanted to honor them and the culture that they have passed down to me. This bag is a culmination of work that I should have learned from my Choctaw family. It is my way of bringing flowers for my family.” The stunning piece won three awards at the 2023 Cherokee Art Market in Catoosa, Oklahoma. He started beading at 10 years old, studying photos of beadwork and learning…

Although Native Americans in the Southwest only began selling jewelry made from silver and turquoise to tourists around 1900, it is now one of the most highly collected styles of American-made jewelry. Rich, boldly colored gemstones and shells set in intricately hand-worked silver are a few of the hallmarks of Native American designs. Although the traditional metalwork of the Southwest has long been recognized for the ubiquitous turquoise and silver squash-blossom necklaces and concho belts, tribes from all parts of North America create their own style of jewelry that reflects their individuality, traditions, beliefs and environment. You will find the whole spectrum represented at this year’s Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, where nearly 200 artists working in jewelry, lapidary and metalwork will dazzle you with their unique creations.…

Although there are certainly exceptions, almost all of the artists from the pueblo carvings category are Hopi or Diné, live in Northern Arizona and work primarily with one material, the cottonwood root. And yet the category is still incredibly diverse in style and form, color, pose and depictions of its katsina subjects. The carving category is a fan favorite because the artwork is simply exquisite, but also because the artists infuse their works with their humor, wit and creativity. That is on full display here in our sampling of this classification. BEHIND THE SCENES Robert Albert (Hopi) Booth: H-10 With the exception of paint and painting supplies, carving tools and sandpaper are essentially all that is used to create artwork within the studio of Hopi carver Robert Albert. Some of his…

The diverse arts classification is always one of the most fascinating by its very nature. The classification is exactly what it says—a plethora of diverse and intriguing items, too outside-the-box to fit neatly into any of the other categories. And they don’t need to fit neatly. In fact, the unrestrained, creative ingenuity of these artists and the stunning items they create is what makes this classification so special. Within this category, you’ll find expertly crafted musical instruments, weapons, parfleche boxes, cradleboards, bags, pipes and so much more. You’ll also find wearable pieces, from traditional clothing to contemporary fashion, and that’s really just scratching the surface. BEHIND THE SCENES Glenn Hill Jr. (Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe) Booth: M-05 Glenn Hill Jr. is a luthier, a musician and a father. Hill’s primary…

BEST OF SHOW Howard R. and Joy M. Berlin The Head Family Sharron Lewis Kristine and Leland W. Peterson CONRAD HOUSE AWARD Samuel J. Parker IDYLLWILD ARTS IMAGINATION AWARD Idyllwild Arts Foundation – Native American Arts Program & Festival YOUTH ARTIST SHOW AND SALE BEST OF SHOW AND BEST OF DIVISION Betty Van Denburgh BEST OF SHOW RECEPTION SPONSORS Anonymous Pamela Briggs The Head Family Ann Kaplan Frank Vickory and Newton Linebaugh BEST OF CLASSIFICATION Jewelry & Lapidary: The Head Family Pottery: John Ninomiya and Marjorie Walters Two-Dimensional Art: Deirdre and Jim Mercurio Pueblo Carvings: Craig and Barbara Barrett Foundation Sculpture: Jane Barlow and Associates, LLC. Weaving and Textiles: Shari and Bob Levitan Diverse Art Forms + Beadwork and Quillwork: Frances Burruel Baskets: Sue Snyder INNOVATION Pottery: Carol McElroy 2-Dimensional Art: Michele…

SCOTTSDALE, AZ To coincide with the Heard Museum’s Indian Market, Waddell Gallery based in Scottsdale, Arizona, hosts its annual show of Native American jewelry to open on February 29. Every year, owners Gene and Mike Waddell pull together a thrilling collection of special and unique Native American jewelry to celebrate alongside the Heard celebration, with this year being no different. “It is always such a pleasure to see and visit with artist, friends and customers who travel from all over the world to attend the Heard market,” says the Waddell’s. Gene continues, “Today’s Southwestern Native Americans create some of the finest and most innovative jewelry in the world, and [we] present a wide range of work by the established masters as well as gifted younger artists. In addition, [we] commission…

LOS ANGELES, CA The annual Masters of the American West exhibition and sale in Los Angeles has always had Native American representation among its ranks of artists, but this year’s sale is on a whole other level with 14 Indigenous artists among the 64 total artists. And not only are Native American voices being added to the show, but also their unique mediums as well, including ledger art, pottery, stone sculpture and glass blowing. The exhibition opens February 10 at the Autry Museum of the American West at the base of the iconic Griffith Park that overlooks Los Angeles. It will kick into high gear on February 23 and 24 when a weekend celebration culminates into the by-draw sale. “These [Native American] artists are really important to us, especially here…

DALLAS, TX Five Navajo weavings were among the top 10 lots during Heritage Auctions’ Ethnographic Art American Indian, Pre-Columbian and Tribal Art Signature Auction on November 9, 2023, a testament to the steady demand for classic and late-classic Navajo textiles. The offerings included chief’s blankets, serapes and women’s wearing blankets, with the top lot going to a Navajo serape from around 1865 with a diamond pattern and stripes in warm hues of rose and beige. It fetched $35,000. “I’ve found that my clients will pay a premium for rare, beautiful, intact items,” says Delia Sullivan, Heritage’s director of ethnographic art, of her overall impression of the 400-plus-lot sale. Another sale highlight was a Kiowa/Comanche bowcase and quiver, strike-a-light and awl Case from around 1865, which sold well above its pre-sale…