Artist demos, for sake of authenticity
Native artisans asked to display their talents, and some aren’t happy about it
In the Palace of the Governors courtyard, the Native American artisans set to work making jewelry. The sound of their tools, as well as a notice placed out on the sidewalk, drew the attention of passersby who stopped to observe and ask questions.
This was a rare peek behind the scenes — one that some of the creators of items for sale in front of the iconic downtown Santa Fe building did not appreciate.
The artists who display their handcrafted wares on layers of cloth under the museum’s portal fronting the Plaza are bound by strict authenticity and originality requirements. One essential prerequisite: They must demonstrate their ability to make what they aim to sell. No one — not the artists who create, not the visitors who browse and buy —
likes a counterfeit.
Those demonstrations usually take place in the artists’ homes, where they work. On Wednesday and Thursday, some were done in public, as more than a dozen members of the Portal Native American Artisans program crafted pieces in the courtyard under the watchful eye of colleagues who serve on the program’s organizing committee — and anyone else who happened to stop in.
Glenn Pearsall, a portfolio manager for a financial firm who lives part time in Santa Fe, and Ed Welch, a visitor from Johnsburg, N.Y., were seated together on a courtyard bench after observing the artists Thursday.
“It’s just a beautiful day to walk downtown, and our wives are certainly enamored with it,” Pearsall said. “We’ve been here a half-hour.”
“We walked past, and I said, ‘Now I can see why those prices are so high!’ ” Welch said.
Portal artists’ reactions were mixed. Some, who requested anonymity to speak freely and said they feared retribution from the committee that helps manage the program, were miffed, saying the public demonstrations were unfair and unnecessary. Others, meanwhile, said they were glad the regulations that ensure authenticity were being enforced.
Seth McFarland, operations manager at the New Mexico History Museum and coordinator of the portal program, said the program was trying to update its files on the artists’ qualifications. Some files are missing, either not turned into the museum or misplaced, he said. The new demonstrations are meant to verify the portal artists have made their own work and to certify their materials and methods, McFarland said.
“Too many times throughout New Mexico and the Southwest, there have been problems about using synthetic materials or imported materials,” McFarland said. “… That’s why we have such high criteria for our program, and that’s why we’re trying to do public demonstrations, as well. … Anybody that’s coming to that artist will know their work is authentic and traditional.”
In October 2015, federal and state agents raided jewelry stores in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Gallup; three people were subsequently charged with passing off jewelry made in the Philippines as Native American.
The courtyard demonstrations this week were also “public outreach,” McFarland said, describing them as a chance to witness the precious crafts being made. He said a similar public demonstration is scheduled to take place June 21-23.
The director of the New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors, Andrew J. Wulf, said the museum takes its partnership with artists and vendors seriously and works closely with them to ensure portal program participants offer authentic and original items.
Wulf said the museum would look into the complaints made Thursday to “ensure that all our artists and participants are treated fairly and that the integrity and authenticity of the program — as well as the artistic traditions it showcases — are protected.”
Representatives of the 10-member portal artisan committee — who are portal artists themselves and are voted into those positions annually by their colleagues — determine whether the pieces meet the requirements and thus whether the artist is eligible for a spot under the portal on the Plaza. Lee Paquin was one of five committee members in the courtyard Thursday overseeing the demonstrations and answering visitors’ questions about the art in progress. Paquin said seven artists demonstrated Wednesday and that seven more were scheduled for Thursday.
He said some artists were being certified for “add-ons,” or different techniques they wished to include in their portfolio of what they are approved to sell. He stressed that the demonstrations were voluntary but added that regulation was essential. “We’re not specifically here to judge how good of an artist you are,” he said.
“The way I look at it, if you’re asked to do a demo, you do a demo,” he added. “We don’t do it to harass people. This is to protect us as a program.”
Paquin said that in the 1980s, portal artists, including his father, would regularly perform public demonstrations in the Palace of the Governors courtyard. He said he would like to resurrect the practice.
But some portal artists dislike the idea. One, who asked not to be identified, said the courtyard demonstrations were “unfair” because they were not as thorough as demonstrations performed in the artists’ homes. The courtyard demonstrators might not have to complete a piece from “start to finish,” which is required for a home demonstration, this artist said.
Another longtime portal artist, who said he was a former member of the portal committee, said he has been certified through demonstrations three or four times in the nearly three decades he has been selling his pieces under the portal.
“After so many times, you get tired of doing it,” said the artist, who also asked not to be identified. “It’s a hassle, it affects your income. … It’s a lot of redundancy over and over.”
But, the artist added, “I understand if you’re doing a new thing and want to get that,” referring to an add-on certification.
Christopher J. Hoskie, a jeweler, said he has been certified three times in his time selling under the portal, the most recent of which was six months ago.
“You hear a lot of people complaining, but what are you going to do? Sometimes your neighbors get upset; that’s just a part of life,” Hoskie said.
Passerby Pearsall said of the artists’ demonstrations, “The craftsmanship is incredible.”
“It’s amazing,” his companion, Welch, said. “It was really worth it to see them doing it.”