Prepare for Native markets with ‘Legacy’
The buzz is getting louder. The opening of Santa Fe Indian Market and other Native markets is just around the corner, and the activities that accompany our city’s biggest market are starting to happen now.
It’s not just a weekend. Indian Market is event after event after event, leading up to two days of culture, tradition and — we hope — sales for artists who make their living creating unique pieces that will be treasured for generations.
This is a somewhat uneasy moment for the market, to be sure. The pandemic canceled Indian Market entirely in 2020, and in a week there will be thousands of people in town for in-person events. Remember, most events are outdoors, and all artists, volunteers and marketgoers should be masked as they take part in the festivities.
And there are many festivities.
To keep track of all the happenings, The Santa Fe New Mexican has created our newest magazine — Legacy, which introduces the markets, events and, most of all, the people who celebrate Native arts and culture during August in Santa Fe. You will find it inside today’s newspaper.
Scheduled for next weekend are the many events of the 99th Santa Fe Indian Market, put on each year by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. The market is different this year. There’s a fence around the Plaza, and tickets are required, with timed entrances all designed to keep crowds down. Distancing is easier with fewer people on-site.
Tradition lovers will be happy to learn that such Indian Market favorites as the Best of Show ceremony, preview of award-winning art, gala reception and live auction are returning in 2021. To purchase tickets, find out where artists will be located and learn more about the market, visit swaia. org. Santa Fe Indian Market takes place Aug. 21-22 on the Plaza — at least that’s the plan right now. Given the pandemic, it’s smart to keep checking.
Before the actual market opens, much will be happening all over Santa Fe. Galleries and museums will be having shows, receptions and demonstrations. Don’t forget that admission is free all month to the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts.
Starting things off this evening, We Are the Seeds is holding a reception at 5 p.m. Friday at Form & Concept, 435 S. Guadalupe St. The 5-year-old market, usually held in the Santa Fe Railyard, is taking this year off because of COVID-19.
However, Seeds co-directors Tailinh Agoyo and Paula Mirabal felt it important to be in Santa Fe. Their exhibit will share the stories and works of the many creative people who have exhibited at Seeds.
Over at Federal Park on Aug. 21-22, the Free Indian Market will be taking place — and its organizers are moving it completely outdoors. Some 500 artists will be participating, and all artists are vaccinated against
COVID-19 and will be wearing masks.
Pathways Native Arts Festival at Buffalo Thunder Resort in Pojoaque will feature hundreds of booths from tribes across the nation. The show runs Aug. 20-22. The IAIA museum on Cathedral Place has a show for its recent graduates Aug. 21-22. On Museum Hill, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian will be featuring many Native artists’ works at an outdoor market Friday and Saturday.
All of these events — and many more — will be covered in Legacy magazine, with Deborah Villa heading up the creative team that put the stories and photographs together. The magazine showcases the people who make the art and who keep tradition alive in our modern era.
Take time to read our magazine, visit museums, talk to artists and otherwise soak up knowledge about contemporary Native culture. Indian Market is back. No wonder there’s a buzz in the air.