SWAIA planning live event on Plaza
Organizers envision socially distanced and virtual format
The 99th Santa Fe Indian Market is likely to be the first in the event’s history with paid entry and timed admissions.
Organizers say they are considering a plan to hold the annual Native arts showcase in a fenced-off area encompassing the Plaza and adjacent downtown streets to ensure marketgoers and artists can practice social distancing amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Still, if all goes well, a live Indian Market is on for Aug. 20-21.
So is an online virtual market. “We are going to have a hybrid market,” said Kim Peone, executive director of the Southwestern Association of Indian Arts, which stages the event billed as the world’s oldest and largest Native
American art market. In most years, it draws of tens of thousands of visitors to the city.
“The virtual market will capture those artists who cannot be live and enhance the market for those who are live,” Peone said.
Only 500 Native American artists will showcase their work this summer instead of the usual 800. Participants will be selected from the same 1,100 artists whose works were juried ahead of the 2020 market, which was canceled as the pandemic swept through the state. In place of the live event, SWAIA launched its first virtual market.
“It will be the top tier of the artists,” Peone said of those chosen for this year’s event.
SWAIA’s plans are subject to change, depending on how the pandemic plays out in the next four months. Conditions could allow for more artists to participate or could force the organization to narrow its list, Peone said.
Market shoppers might be required to buy timed tickets online in advance, offering a two-hour limit at the market, to contain the number of people in attendance at any time.
SWAIA has not yet determined how many people will be allowed on the market grounds at once, Peone said, and ticket prices have not been determined.
The online ticket sales will enable SWAIA to obtain visitor information for contact-tracing purposes.
Along with limiting shoppers, organizers are planning other safety procedures to prevent the spread of the virus.
“As of today, there is definitely going to be temperature checks,” Peone said. “Masking is necessary. Safe distancing is necessary.”
Organizers of the International Folk Art Market also are planning to hold a live event this summer. They announced their intention in January to have an extended live market July 7-18 at two locations: the usual Museum Hill venue and the International Folk Art Market Center parking lot at 620 Cerrillos Road.
The International Folk Art Market also might have timed tickets and two-hour limits for shoppers, CEO Stuart Ashman said.
The Spanish Colonial Arts Society, which stages the downtown Traditional Spanish Market, has not yet announced its summer plans. But Executive Director Jennifer Berkley said it likely will hold a live event on the Plaza.