At Indian Market, brilliance on display
What a wonderful weekend to be in Santa Fe. The 96th annual Santa Fe Indian Market is taking place, that time each year when Native artists come from far-flung towns and reservations to show their best work to the world. What began as a small fair featuring artists of the Southwest back in 1922 has become a full-fledged celebration of the accomplishments and contributions of Native people. The weekend market, presented by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, is the grand finale of a week that has included parties, galas, movie showings, art openings and so many other events. As always, the big draw on the final day of market is the Native American Clothing Competition, starting at 9 a.m. on the Santa Fe Plaza.
From the original market, the breadth and depth of offerings has grown, with new shows springing up. Indian Market provides the roots of a sheltering tree, and the newer offerings are like branches shooting out from a solid trunk. The Zuni Show presents the artists of the largest pueblo at the Scottish Rite Center, and it also concludes today. We Are the Seeds had its run at the Santa Fe Railyard, and the Indigenous Fine Art Market at the Inn and Spa at Loretto.
Indian Market, as big as it is with 1,000 or more artists, cannot accommodate all the talent deserving of a place at the table. This year, many traditional potters from area pueblos felt excluded because their pieces did not make the cut to get into the market. Indeed, some of the rejected artists came from the founding families of Indian Market. It is difficult to understand how potters who are in the world’s most respected museums have lost the skills they need to exhibit on a street in Santa Fe.
The differences over the process to enter market, though, offers a path to improve opportunities for all artists. The purpose of SWAIA, market sponsor, is to help artists share their work with collectors and the curious. It is a financial and emotional transaction, with part of the goal of Indian Market being a place where Native traditions are celebrated and honored.
Yes, those traditions are changing. Younger artists might have their training at an art college rather than at the side of a grandmother. Filmmakers are in the market today alongside basket weavers or fetish carvers. Indian art is what a Native artist says it is, and as an artist’s creative visions expands, so will the offerings at markets.
That does not mean the traditional bulwarks of the market — pottery, weaving and silversmithing — should be left behind. The elders have much to teach, both to other artists and to the collectors who come to see them each year. Losing too much of their knowledge would leave a void.
The challenge is balancing the real need to open up slots for fresh faces while maintaining a commitment to Southwestern artists — a promise made at the very beginning of the market and that continued with the establishment of tenure, which allowed certain artists to be grandfathered in. The process of eliminating tenure is difficult, as this year’s controversy demonstrates. More has to be done to assist the transition from what Indian Market has been to its future.
One obstacle faced by many traditional artists is simply meeting admittance guidelines for photographing work and submitting it online — Indians are the least likely Americans to be connected to the internet. An isolated resident of a tribal village without a computer or internet at home cannot upload an application as easily as someone from Albuquerque or Seattle. Resources are not spread equally in Indian Country, one reason SWAIA offers photography help and allows for some mailed applications.
Artists (and their tribes) must step up to ensure their work is photographed and sent in through the best, most efficient way. For both individual and tribe, this is an economic development issue. More grants, workshops and other assistance are needed; SWAIA officials also should be on hand to provide advice and improve access. Otherwise, the supposedly fair jurying process contains an unfair advantage for Indians who live near modern conveniences.
A lesson from the controversy over who gets in and who doesn’t is the reality that Indian artists need more places to share and sell their work. It might be, in years to come, that local tribes come together to put on The Pueblo Pottery Show, a place to gather the knowledge and experience in conjunction with Indian Market, perhaps in the days leading up to the weekend so that whatever happens, artists have a way to make a living. Non-tribal governments might want to assist, too, considering that many artists who are not at Indian Market this year are from the Santa Fe area. This is an economic development issue for Santa Fe, as well as for individuals and area pueblos.
We are encouraged by the success of The Zuni Show, now in its second year at the Scottish Rite Center. Supporters of traditional Zuni artists saw the need to bring more of their work to market; in its first year, some 5,000 people attended. The show is back, with 153 artists this year, up from 105 in 2016. With firstyear sales estimated at about $250,000 over the two days, the market is an obvious financial shot in the arm for Zuni.
Now, let’s take time to brainstorm for other ways to provide outlets for artists to sell — whether in person, in galleries, at markets or online — so that they can find a way to make a living and preserve their important art forms. Those are challenges for the future, however, after the busy time of market. Today, we can enjoy the spectacle of so much brilliance gathered in one place, in and around the Santa Fe Plaza. There is no better weekend to be in Santa Fe.