Get ready: Indian Market week kicks off Sunday
Finally, after a long, often hot and occasionally stormy summer, it is time. The event of summer is almost upon us. Take a deep breath. Consider alternate routes to avoid traffic. Avoid tourist favorites for a spell, even if you are hankering for enchiladas. Revel, too, in the buzz that is forming. Most of all, get ready, to immerse yourself in Native culture — traditional and contemporary — as Santa Fe becomes the center of the Indian art world once more.
Yes, Indian Market 2018 is just around the corner, bringing thousands of people, events, museum shows, gallery openings, films, lectures and next weekend, the premier juried Native art show on the planet. All brought together in one small Southwestern city.
To help navigate the events and excitement, make sure to grab a Sunday newspaper, where you will find the best guide to all things Indian Market, The New Mexican’s 2018 Indian Market magazine. It’s the only publication with the much-desired list of market artists and map showing where to find them, and it remains the official Southwestern Association for Indian Arts guide. (SWAIA is the group that produces Indian Market each year.)
Indian Market magazine, put together by creative director Deborah Villa with magazine editor America Meredith, is so much more than a simple guide. It starts with this year’s futuristic cover featuring a Virgil Ortiz concept — unlike any we’ve published before — and continues inside with more of Cochiti Pueblo artist Ortiz’s view of the Pueblo Revolt past and future only he can imagine. All told, the magazine provides information you need now and stories to linger long after Indian Market is over.
New SWAIA Executive Director Ira Wilson is exactly right when he compares anticipation for Indian Market among artists, collectors and others to the excitement before a Super Bowl. This is Santa Fe’s week to shine — and boy, does the city take advantage of its moment. In his welcoming letter, Wilson writes, “I’ve said many times that Native art is truly the heartbeat of the Southwest. It is a way for artists to support themselves while sharing and celebrating history, tradition and culture. There is no better way to experience this magic than by participating in our 97th Santa Fe Indian Market.”
Participation can be attendance at one of the many events around market itself — or it can involve waking up at 3 a.m. on a Saturday to stand in line for the opportunity to purchase a special piece from a favorite artist. There is the Friday night showcase of the best of the 2018 market’s offerings, and the always remarkable Native clothing competition on Sunday morning on the Plaza.
Because Indian Market is so popular, it creates spinoff events, whether other markets (We Are the Seeds is back this week at the Santa Fe Railyard and the Free Indian Market will take place at the Scottish Rite Temple over the weekend) or fundraisers or the diverse gallery openings.
Indian Market is one of the strongest contributors to the Santa Fe economy during the summer. Hotels fill up. Restaurants and bars are packed. Visitors take time to visit the opera, music festivals or museums. And when the week is over, and the tourists pack up and artists return home, the artists who live and work in and around Santa Fe will remain, spending the dollars they made at market not just this month but throughout the year.
Indian Market is both an event and a way of life — and you can find out all about it on Sunday, inside your local newspaper. Welcome, then, to the most exciting week of summer. Indian Market is just around the corner.