Get inside Indian Market with ‘Legacy’ magazine

The largest event of the Santa Fe summer is around the corner. Santa Fe Indian Market, taking place Aug. 19-20 on the Plaza, isn’t simply two days of artists sharing their culture and creativity with the world.

For one thing, more than two days are involved. For the Native artists, work begins months ahead of market. Every piece is handcrafted, reflecting the artist’s years of training but also centuries of culture.

So much creative energy in one place can’t be presented in just two days. There will be events leading up to the 101st Santa Fe Indian Market — put on by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts — all of next week. To make sure both locals and visitors can plot out their Indian Market activities, The New Mexican each year publishes a magazine featuring the people and places that make August in Santa Fe so special.

Legacy will be part of Friday’s New Mexican, a fully glossy magazine that breaks down the events of market week as well as highlighting the people who make it happen. If you miss the Friday newspaper, the magazine is available at various locations — downtown news racks, hotel lobbies and online at santafenewmexican.com.

Edited by Ashley M. Biggers and guest editor Ungelbah Dávila, Legacy presents a wide range of interviews and images, with the focus on the artists and their world view.

Pulitzer Prize winner Raven Chacon (Diné) described how he worked during the pandemic to avoid distraction:

“I rented a storage unit in Northside Albuquerque to work out of, just to get out of the house, and I’d go there to work, every day,” he said. From this storage unit, Chacon wrote Voiceless Mass, which won him the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Music, the first Native to win the award.

Filmmaker Ramona Emerson (Diné), another featured interview, turned her storytelling abilities to fiction. Her debut novel, Shutter, was longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award. The mystery features forensic photographer Rita Todacheene and is a rich, complex read, with settings ranging from stark Albuquerque crime scenes to the Navajo Nation.

Those are just two of the fascinating artists featured in Legacy, with other pieces featuring creative multigenerational families, Native comedians, the growth of Indigenous fashion and San Ildefonso Pueblo potter Russell Sanchez, the 2022 Indian Market Best of Show winner.

It’s a journey through contemporary Native accomplishments placed in their cultural context.

The magazine’s stories and superb photography will allow readers to come to Indian Market better informed and better able to appreciate the offerings. In addition to stories about Indian Market, there is information about Pathways, the show at Buffalo Thunder, and Free Indian Market, which is downtown.

So much is happening during Indian Market week, it’s smart to take time to make a plan so you don’t miss anything — whether it’s the Best of Show Ceremony Luncheon, the traditional Native American Clothing Competition, the Indigenous Fashion Show, the Native Cinema Showcase or gallery exhibitions. All of it can be found in Legacy.

Whether you’re a first-time Indian Market-goer or a longtime fan, the magazine will enrich your experience of the busy week to come. For Indian Market, the biggest week of a Santa Fe summer, it pays to be prepared.