Market for Indian art undergoing changes
With both buying and donating down, auction won’t be held this year
A slowdown in both buying and donating American Indian art has triggered major changes in auctions operating for decades during the Santa Fe Indian Market.
The 82-year-old Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian has hosted an annual auction as a major fundraiser for more than 40 years. This year’s switch to a sale of donated and consignment items is a reaction to marketplace changes, said Ken Williams, manager of the museum’s Case Trading Post.
“The auction crowd seemed to be diminishing,” Williams said. “The numbers have declined and also the amount of donations has declined.”
This year’s reconfigured sale will open with a ticketed preview on Wednesday in the museum library and will continue from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.
Williams says the change reflects a demographic shift as well as economics. Older collectors are dying and leaving their art to museums or selling them at auction because their adult children aren’t interested.
“A lot of the kids just don’t want it,” he said. “We would get a lot of big name artists in the jewelry,
especially, like (Charles) Loloma. We’re just not seeing that anymore.”
Santa Fe Indian Market executive director Ira Wilson says the shift has impacted the benefit gala and live auction for the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, the market’s umbrella organization. This year’s 98th event takes place on Saturday at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.
Rep. Deb Haaland will be the guest of honor, U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo will do a poetry reading, and Shondien (Sonwai) LaRance will perform hoop dancing.
The auction will offer hand drums decorated by Haaland, Harjo and other notable Native American female artists. A portion of the sales will be shared with Albuquerque’s Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women.
The drop “absolutely is true of Indian Market,” Wilson said. “Mainly, a decline in people that are buying the high end of it. As far as our gala, we’re not seeing those high-end purchases. That’s why we’re going so big at our gala this year.”
Attendance at the live auction and gala has also declined, Wilson said.
While older collectors are dying and either donating or selling their collections online, Wilson said, there’s “also a lack of interest in the youth. Part of it is financial, and part of it is in the know. They don’t realize how important it is to support Native American art.”
Williams added that he believes there will always be collectors.
“But it’s at different levels now. People aren’t spending the money on the high-end stuff. There’s maybe five people left doing that.”
Williams says he tries to encourage younger people to buy native art, but they lack the money for big-ticket items.
“They aren’t spending as much,” he said. “People will always show up (at Indian Market). But are they going to buy a $1,000 piece, or are they going to buy a $100 piece? Chances are they’re buying the $100 piece. Art isn’t a necessity, so people can sit on their money in the bank.”