Innholdsfortegnelse for August-September 2025/No. 58 i Native American Art Magazine

Welcome to the August/September issue of Native American Art! We are the official magazine of Santa Fe Indian Market, and this marks our eighth year with Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, better known as SWAIA. Time flies when you are having fun! August in Santa Fe is the best time of the year in our opinion. Much like the curtains opening for the first scene of a grand play, it is the same feeling when the market opens Saturday morning as 900+ artists greet visitors to their booths. Downtown Santa Fe is the place to be. We could not be more proud of this partnership with SWAIA, especially because of the way SWAIA curates, supports and cares about every artist and collector. It truly is magic! You will find our…

Step into the heart of the plaza during Santa Fe Indian Market and you’ll feel it: the packed streets, the hum of voices, the heat rising off the pavement, the presence of something larger than all of us. This energy isn’t merely excitement; it’s memory, movement and meaning converging in real time. This year’s theme, “Iconic Beginnings: Legacies in Motion,” reflects the truth that Santa Fe Indian Market has never stood still. What began over a century ago as a gathering rooted in preservation and education has endured because of the artists who have carried it forward with brilliance and an unshakeable strength of creative vision. Every artist here stands at the intersection of past, present and future. Some continue family traditions passed down through generations. Others are forging new…

When people refer to Santa Fe Indian Market, they are largely referring to the two market days, which are Saturday and Sunday during the third weekend in August. These market days are the centerpieces and starring attractions of the annual event, but what constitutes Santa Fe Indian Market goes well beyond the actual market. One of the key events for market visitors is the Best of Show Ceremony on Friday, August 15, at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. Starting at 11:30 a.m., all of the award-winning art will be shown together in a large ballroom. It’s the only time these works of art will ever share a room together, and it provides great opportunities for collectors to strategize their Saturday morning, since so many of the award winners are…

Lukachukai Creek ran alongside Sheldon Harvey’s boyhood home on the Navajo Nation in northeast Arizona, nestled up against the Lukachukai Mountains. “I had a lot of freedom to explore outdoors,” he says. “Growing up there I used my imagination, putting stuff together at a very early age, playing with rocks in the creek and the wet sand under the cottonwoods. Later, at the local school I was introduced to art tradition. I didn’t excel in the studies. I was more attracted to making art, drawing from nature.” A member of the Red Running Into Water Clan of the Diné, he was trained as a medicine man by his grandfather and great-grandfather, but art kept calling him. “I recall as I got older, maybe third or fourth grade, I really felt…

Growing up, I was always drawn to the way our people dressed for ceremony—for celebration, for protection, for expression. Every stitch and stone seemed to carry something more than beauty: a story, a prayer, a memory. I didn’t know it then, but that early sense of reverence for what we wore would shape how I saw fashion—not as trend or commodity, but as a language. Our language. For too long, the world has admired Native design from a distance, often through non-Native interpretations that borrow the aesthetics without the understanding. But we are more than inspiration. We are the origin. And today, we are telling our own stories boldly, beautifully and on our own terms. As August approaches, so does one of the most anticipated celebrations of Indigenous creativity: Santa…

among the many brilliant categories at Santa Fe Indian Market, jewelry is found in abundance, as many Native American tribes have passed down the knowledge of the art form through generations. This abundance also means that there’s a large variety of “wearable art” options from squash-blossom necklaces and earrings, to rings, bands, cuffs and so much more. Artists also utilize an array of styles and designs, often blending traditional visions with the contemporary. This section, bringing together impressive jewelry highlights, is but a mere taste of what to expect at this year’s market. 2024 Winner Best of Class I: Jewelry Sarah Aragon (Navajo (Diné)) Back in the Saddle, horse headstall with silver female ring bit: handcrafted sterling silver from Tufa-cast ingots, shaped by chiseling, chasing and filing secured on a…

The two-dimensional art classification is one of the most highly anticipated categories at Indian Market. Every year, these dynamic works dazzle collectors—everything from ledger art, printmaking, charcoal and graphite drawings, to sandpainting, photography and traditional paintings. These exceptional artists are carrying the stories and traditions of their heritage, while simultaneously drawing inspiration from the many resources, materials and experiences of modern-day life. “I’ve always looked up to the Old Masters and contemporary greats for inspiration. I see art as a process of discovery with no limits. Through paintings, I get the chance to reinterpret my dreams and visions of the future,” says Derek No-Sun Brown, whose work will be part of the 2025 Indian Market. Read on to learn more about this exciting classification at this year’s market. 2024 Winner…

The diverse arts classification is where all of the art goes that was so unique, so avant-garde, so outside-the-box that it simply couldn’t fit anywhere else. Because of that, the artwork and artists you’ll find within this classification are as diverse and dynamic as its name suggests. Exploring these works, you’ll find meticulously crafted items—both ornamental and utilitarian—like musical instruments, handbags, shoes, parfleche boxes and cradleboards. Last year’s classification winner, Dan Vallo, crafted a bow, quiver and arrows that resembled the weapons pueblo warriors used during the Pueblo Revolt. The set of weapons also won the 2024 best of show. 2024 Winner Class VII: Diverse Arts Dan Vallo (Acoma Pueblo) Pueblo Revolt Ensemble, rendition of a set of weapons used by many pueblo warriors during the time of the Pueblo…

SANTA FE, NM At first glance, Tony Abeyta’s newest work explores climate change in the West. One theme that makes a recurring appearance in the new paintings is fire, which is rendered as a terrifying and abstract force that sweeps over the land. But the new collection of work goes deeper than just climate and wildfire. In Abeyta’s own words, he’s interested in the “relationship between conflict and the natural world.” The works will be part of a new show opening August 15 at Owings Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “There is so much narrative in these new pieces," Abeyta says. “The forest fire paintings—as well as works that show the land changing from tornadoes, hurricanes, extreme temperatures—were part of me bearing witness to these incendiary moments in California,…

SANTA FE, NM A short walks from the Santa Fe Plaza, and in the heart of the action, is Faust Gallery’s new location in Santa Fe’s historic arts district on Marcy Street. The gallery’s annual Santa Fe Indian Market Show, which opens August 15 with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m., is the perfect opportunity to experience their new space and the impressive array of jewelry and art that Faust Gallery has built its reputation on. This year’s show will highlight the next generation of Native American jewelers, including Robert Begay, Jarad Chavez, Isaac Dial and others; as well pieces by historic and well-established artists such as Charles Loloma, Sonwai, the Monongye family of jewelers, and many others. One piece on offer is a three-generation collaboration by Preston Monongye,…

Carly Treece of Tvlse Studios is curating a powerful group exhibition featuring contemporary Native artists from Oklahoma. “[These artists are] exploring deep-rooted connections between Indigenous people and land—spiritually, physically and emotionally between past, present and future generations,” Treece says about the exhibition. The show is titled Keepers of the Land, and it returns to Sovereign Santa Fe from August 15 through 17 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The show takes place in the ballroom at La Fonda on the Plaza, in the heart of the Santa Fe downtown area. In addition to art, this year’s show will also feature signed copies of Joy Harjo’s Washing My Mother’s Body, featuring illustrations by Dana Tiger, who will be on hand to sign books and meet fans. Other artists include Shane Brown, Johnnie…

Every August/September, we invite the executive director of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, or SWAIA, to write a brief letter to welcome readers into our coverage of Santa Fe Indian Market. Starting in 2023, Jamie Schulze, who has been triumphantly leading Indian Market into its second century, has represented SWAIA with this brief note to our readers. You can read this year’s welcome on Page 89. I want to draw your attention to one particular part. There is a remarkable line in her letter that has rung out to me from the moment I first read it. She writes, “Thank you for showing up with curiosity, care and respect.” I’ve been coming to Santa Fe Indian Market for 10 years, and if you had to boil the market down…

Also in New Mexico: Allen Aragon Gallery 2061⁄2 San Felipe NW, Unit 7.5, Albuquerque, NM 87104, www.allenaragongallery.com Cowboys & Indians Antiques 4000 Central Avenue SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108, (505) 255-4054, www.cowboysandindiansantiques.com EXPO New Mexico 300 San Pedro Drive NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108, (505) 222-9700, www.exponm.com Gallup Native Arts Market 215 W. Aztec Avenue, Gallup, NM 87301, (505) 863-1227, www.gallupnativeartsmarket.org Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial 206 W. Coal Avenue #6306, Gallup, NM 87301, (505) 863-3896, www.gallupceremonial.com Institute of American Indian Arts 83 Avan Nu Po Road, Santa Fe, NM 87508, (505) 424-2300, www.iaia.edu Museum of Indian Arts & Culture 710 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe, NM 87505, (505) 476-1269, www.indianartsandculture.org Poeh Cultural Center 78 Cities of Gold Road, Santa Fe, NM 87506, (505) 455-5041, www.poehcenter.org Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts 1590…

Thursday, August 14, 5:30 p.m. Get Indigenous Film Festival (GIFF) New Mexico History Museum Tickets: TBD Friday, August 15, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.  Best of Show Ceremony & Luncheon Santa Fe Community Convention Center Tickets: $250 Friday, August 15, 2-4 p.m. Member’s Only Sneak Peek of Award-Winning Art Santa Fe Community Convention Center Tickets: $100 Friday, August 15, 4:30-6 p.m. General Preview of Award-Winning Art Santa Fe Community Convention Center Tickets: $50 Saturday, August 16, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.  Santa Fe Indian Market Santa Fe Plaza Free Saturday, August 16, 5:30-9 p.m. Gala & Live Auction Santa Fe Community Convention Center Tickets: $350 Sunday, August 17, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.  Santa Fe Indian Market Santa Fe Plaza Free Sunday, August 17, 3-4 p.m. SWAIA Native Fashion Show Santa Fe Community Convention Center Tickets: Starting at…

What is required of an artist? Talent, inspiration, motivation, innovation. It’s a big ask. What about collectors? If artists are expected to be bold and take risks, should the same be expected of collectors? Tse Tsan (Santa Clara Pueblo) knows “the look.” The look on the faces of potential collectors when she tells them her artworks are digitally produced. Digital illustrations. Drawn on a computer and printed by an electronic machine. She got “the look” exhibiting at her first Santa Fe Indian Market in 2024. “The bias was definitely there,” Tsan says. “There was that initial impression where [visitors] come up, they love the work, they love the concept and then they learn the medium. I see that little pause where I can see them reevaluating the way they’re looking…

What takes place Sunday afternoon at Santa Fe Indian Market takes root that morning. Sunday afternoon is the SWAIA Native Fashion Show, while Sunday morning is the Native American Regalia Showcase. All the celebrity designers with the big Instagram followings trace their inspiration back to the traditional regalia featured in the showcase. Native American regalia continues thousand-year-old traditions. The Regalia Showcase, however, is new. Sort of. The event is an evolution of the former Native American Clothing Contest started in 1991 by Jeri Ah-be-hill (Kiowa-Comache, 1933-2015). Last year, was the first year the event was officially renamed the Native American Regalia Showcase. “It became not a good look for SWAIA to be putting one tribe’s regalia up in competition against another tribe’s regalia,” says Natasha Ashley-Brokeshoulder (Diné), the creative director…

as is true for sculpture in general, Native American sculpture can be created out of an array of mediums including stone such as marble, limestone and alabaster, as well as bone, steel, bronze, clay, wood, glass and more. Like other forms of Indigenous art, sculptors often work with the materials most readily available to them, often sourced from their own land or region. In terms of subject matter, Native American representational sculpture often depict what the artists are most familiar with: local fauna, human figures and mythical beings that reflect the beliefs, designs and traditions of their ancestors. 2024 Winner Class V: Sculpture Ryan Benally (Navajo (Diné)) Feathered Prayers, sculpture inspired by the Navajo feather ceremony: Italian marble, black granite, stainless steel base, CNC cut design on the base, carved…

The popular and time-honored classification of pueblo wooden carvings is a beloved area of collecting at Santa Fe Indian Market not only because the works are stunningly made, but also because they frequently represent important cultural figures and deities, especially for the Hopi people. Many tribes can appear within this classification, but it is the Hopi who have elevated katsina carving to the art form it is today and has been for centuries. In addition to the katsina carvings, the classification also features traditional scultpure, bas reliefs, pottery forms and even wearable artwork. There is much to see and collect from this category. 2024 Winner Class IV: Pueblo Wooden Carvings Arthur Holmes Jr. (Navajo (Diné)) Aaron Honyumptewa (Pueblo of Picuris) Using natural materials and complex new designs, Aaron Honyumptewa is on…

Popular among top-level art collectors and market visitors is the beadwork and quillwork category, which has long been an exciting classification in Santa Fe. The category encompasses a wide range of items from attire like beaded clothing, moccasins, jewelry and accessories to Plains and Southwestern-style dolls, soft sculpture and cradleboards. While there are more artists who make beaded items at market, don’t ignore the quilled works, which are rarer but just as beautiful and cherished. Traditionally used to embellish textiles using dyed porcupine quills and sometimes bird feathers, the practice has taken on new and experimental forms. The 2025 market will see a wide range of traditional and contemporary examples of both mediums around the Santa Fe Plaza. 2024 Winner Class VIII: Beadwork & Quillwork Monica J. Raphael (Anishinaabe/Sicangu Lakota) Indede…

DALLAS, TX On September 13, Heritage Auctions will present selections from the William and Joey Ridenour Collection of ethnographic art. The collection largely features American Indian art consisting of predominantly Plains beadwork and Anasazi pottery, as well as Western Americana and Pre-Columbian art from Mexico to Peru. Highlights from the sale include a 43-inch Crow beaded hide cradleboard from around 1900. The cradleboard is decorated with confronting triangle motifs in various shades of glass seed beads and trimmed with red wool trade cloth. The piece is estimated at $18,000 to $22,000. Elsewhere in the sale will be a Sikyatki polychrome seed jar from somewhere between 1400 and 1625. The jar has geometric motifs painted in red and black beneath the shoulder. The lot, measuring more than 13 inches in diameter,…

1. Canyon Road American Indian Appraisals Now available in New Mexico, is a rare Palhlik Mana Katsina from the late-19th century. The carving will be offered via the Alan Kessler Gallery on Canyon Road. The gallery notes it is “of unusually large size. It is rare for a doll to have a monumental scale like this. It’s wearing a white ‘embroidered’ ceremonial costume and white case mask with rectangular eyes, and chin painted with colorful lines radiating from the mouth. Her elaborate stepped tableta incorporates cloud and rainbow symbols. A large corn filial is seen on the top of the case mask, along with a very large tableta. This museum-quality katsina checks all the boxes, and our ranking puts it up there with a Hopi Shalako Mana that sold at…

Ongoing Art Collection Tours La Fonda on the Plaza www.lafondasantafe.com Ongoing Makowa: The Worlds Above Us The Museum of Indian Arts & Culture www.indianartsandculture.org Ongoing The Stories We Carry Institute of American Indian Arts www.iaia.edu Aug. 1-Sept. 1 Daniel McCoy: Scenes Along the Rio Grande Hecho a Mano www.hechoamano.org August 2-3 Great Southwestern Antique Show VIP preview, Aug. 1, 11 a.m. Charity preview, Aug. 1, 1-6 p.m. Show, Aug. 2, 9-5 p.m. Show, Aug. 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Manuel Lujan Jr. Exhibit Complex Albuquerque, NM www.gswevents.com August 8-11 Whitehawk Antique Indian & Ethnographic Art Show Preview opening, Aug. 8, 6-9 p.m. Santa Fe Community Convention Center www.whitehawkshows.com August 9-30 Reservation for Irony: Native Wit and Contemporary Realities Opening reception, Aug. 9, 7-9 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art, Santa Fe www.icasantafe.org…

There are many mysteries in the Hopi katsina carving tradition. One of them is the established tradition of antiqued, worn and distressed Hopi katsina carvings. To those who lay eyes on these carvings, there is a presence, a personality, an inner energy. Others feels something they can’t put their fingers on, but it’s there, humming within the carving. Hopi katsina carvings have been collected since about 1880. Examples in museums and personal collections from this era often show considerable wear. This may be due to handling by the girls who received them as presents from the katsinam (plural) at ceremonies. In addition, the old mineral and vegetal paints used during this early era tended to slough off and disappear. An example from the 1880s showing considerable wear is shown in…

Dan Vallo’s best of show winner at the 2024 Santa Fe Indian Market spotlights his multifaceted practice—one that includes wood, feathers, stone and leather—with materials he sources and processes himself. Titled Pueblo Revolt Ensemble, the elaborate bow, arrow and knife combination offers a glimpse into 17 th-century technology, and commemorates a seminal event in New Mexico history. Vallo formed the bow using traditional stone tools and scrapers, and harvested his own sinew, a stringy tendon that is braided together to make the bowstring. The quiver, also sewn with sinew, was made from cowhide he scraped and tanned. After winning the bow-and-arrow category at Indian Market in 2023, Vallo wanted to level up with even more artistry in 2024, he says, so he backed this bow with more than 100 iridescent…

PRESENTS Welcome to our annual Guide to Market section for Santa Fe Indian Market. Inside you will find information on all nine classifications recognized by SWAIA for the market. These nine categories are mostly used for judging purposes—awards are given for each classification, and even more for sub-categories within each—and yet they also represent so much more to the artists, to the various cultures and to the collectors. Although the booths at market are not separated by classification in Santa Fe, we are separating them here so you can learn about each classification, meet some of the artists and see what is possible with the materials. We hope this fuels new curiosity once your feet are on Santa Fe soil in August. Enjoy!…

Pottery is one of the most celebrated Indigenous art forms, and beloved by collectors and makers alike. Many North American tribes create pottery—their materials, process, shape, designs and symbology unique to each tribe’s region and deeply-rooted cultural traditions. In the Southwest, pottery differs between each of the nearly 20 puebloan tribes; while surrounding tribes have their own distinct styles. Beyond the Southwest, the Cherokee, Shoshone and Iroquois are also noted potters. From highly traditional forms to the cutting-edge contemporary, and ranging from vessels like pots, jars, ollas and bowls to figurines, Native American pottery is stunning in its variety, and as diverse as the tribes that produce it. 2024 Winner Class II: Pottery Garrett Maho (Hopi) Gentle Rain, hand-built pot: traditional clay, paints and paintbrushes, stones used to polish, outdoor…

While artists creating for the textile category for Santa Fe Indian Market continue to rely on traditional methods and designs, the 2025 event welcomes contemporary visions to its roster as well. In a wide range of creations, including wearable garments, tapestries, rugs and quilts, artists usher in the “new” while honoring their ancestral backgrounds. This section is dedicated to the textile arts, where collectors can witness an impressive sampling of market’s textile artists—many of whom “weave” together history with fresh perspectives, calling us to action, providing awareness and giving voices to those who may be long gone, but should never be forgotten. 2024 Winner Class VI: Textiles Isabel Gonzales (Jemez Pueblo/Walatowa) Michelle Tsosie Sisneros (Santa Clara/Navajo/Laguna/Luiseno Mission) Textile artist Michelle Tsosie Sisneros lives in Santa Clara Pueblo located in Northern New Mexico,…

Praised for its precise detail and time-consuming difficulty, basketry has been celebrated at Santa Fe Indian Market since its very inception. And although it has long been established in the art world, Native American basketry still holds many secrets, which is evident when speaking to the basket makers at market. For starters, they are not just makers of baskets. They are also experts on trees, grasses and special plants used in their work. They are harvesters, who must know how and when to acquire these natural materials. They are organized and meticulous in their processes. They have delicate hands that can produce consistent materials. All of this before a basket is even started. Adding to the specialness and rarity of basketry are the number of artists who work within the…

SANTA FE, NM A new exhibition at Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe will highlight new artwork by Southern Keresan Cochiti Pueblo painter Mateo Romero. Places of Power will shine a spotlight on Romero’s extraordinary contributions as a contemporary Pueblo artist as well as his deeply rooted connection to his Southern Keresan Cochiti heritage. “Born in Berkeley, California…Mateo’s work masterfully bridges urban and Pueblo cultural experiences. With an MFA in printmaking from the University of New Mexico and tutelage under celebrated artists like Ben Frank Moss, Mateo has honed a distinct artistic voice that resonates internationally,” the gallery notes. “His creations, infused with the essence of the Rio Grande Pueblo world, explore themes of identity, place and resilience. Places of Power offers viewers a profound opportunity to engage with Mateo’s award-winning…

SANTA FE, NM Waddell Gallery’s Jewelry Pop-Up show is poised to offer collectors some truly stunning treasures in the realm of wearable art. Held at the five-star Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi in the heart of downtown Santa Fe, the jewelry show will have more than 170 pieces from the Andrea Rumley Collection, and a number of high-grade pieces from other collections as well. Over the years, Waddell’s pop-up jewelry show has become an anticipated annual event amidst all of the excitement surrounding Indian Market. “There are so many great things in Santa Fe. You know how it is,” says Gene Waddell, owner of the Scottsdale, Arizona-based gallery. “The focus of this show is the Andrea Rumley Collection. She passed away last year and was a dear friend of our…

SANTA FE, NM Virgil Ortiz is truly a revolutionary multi-media artist. Not only is the Cochiti Pueblo artist known as one of the most innovative potters of his time, Ortiz has also made a name for himself in the fields of décor, fashion, video and film, and for his ability to bring them all together into a cutting edge art form all his own. Ortiz draws from and upholds his artistic and cultural Cochiti heritage, and translates it into a contemporary language that blends apocalyptic themes, science fiction and storytelling. Themes of revolution course through his work so it’s fitting that the August 10 opening of an exhibition of Ortiz’s work at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian coincides with the anniversary of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The Revolt…

SANTA FE, NM One of the great summer traditions in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is the annual IAIA Benefit & Auction. The popular event returns on August 13 with a roster of artists that should thrill collectors of Native American art. The event, which benefits the Institute of American Indian Arts, raises essential scholarship support for IAIA students, 90 percent of whom depend on scholarships to study at the Santa Fe school. The benefit and gala features a reception, silent auction, dinner and entertainment, all of it at La Fonda on the Plaza, the iconic hotel just steps away from the Santa Fe Plaza. Artists whose works will be offered at this year’s benefit include painter and jeweler Tony Abeyta, painter George Alexander, jewelry artist Shane Hendren, potter and multimedia…

SUBSCRIBE IN PERSON AUG 16-17 NEAR THE PLAZA STAGE AT SANTA FE INDIAN MARKET!!! $ 40 FOR 6 ISSUES! 50% off NEWSSTANDS! » 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 magazine. Get your subscription started today at www.NativeAmericanArtMagazine.com. SUBSCRIBE TODAY BY VISITING www.NativeAmericanArtMagazine.com/subscribe Save $10 for The Perfect Pairing 1 Year of Native American Art (6 Issues) + 1 Year of Western Art Collector…