Multiple artists had a hand in transforming this 1974 TR6 Roadster for MNIAC (paint, hand-woven upholstery, beads, deer hide, sterling silver, multimedia)
Tira Howard/Courtesy New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs
Pottery by Maria and Julian Martinez (inset) that was a winner in the 1922 Southwest Indian Fair and Industrial Arts and Crafts Exhibition, a precursor to today’s Indian Market.
Guy Cross,Display at first Indian Fair, National Guard Armory on Washington Avenue, Santa Fe, New Mexico(1922), photograph
Palace of the Governors Photo Archives
Multiple artists had a hand in transforming this 1974 TR6 Roadster for MNIAC (paint, hand-woven upholstery, beads, deer hide, sterling silver, multimedia)
Tira Howard/Courtesy New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs
Pottery by Maria and Julian Martinez (inset) that was a winner in the 1922 Southwest Indian Fair and Industrial Arts and Crafts Exhibition, a precursor to today’s Indian Market.
During Santa Fe’s annual Indian Market, the energy around town is palpable. Galleries are buzzing, restaurants are booked, and folks are strolling and exploring the plaza, the Railyard, Canyon Road, Museum Hill, and other pockets of the city offering antiques shops, bookstores, boutiques, museums, and coffeehouses.
Best advice for experiencing Indian Market is to go early and often. And be sure to also make time to explore and learn about the many Native American and Indigenous cultures that bring their arts and traditions to Santa Fe for everyone to experience through their creations and conversations.
Following are 10 ways to expand your knowledge and enhance your experiences during the SWAIA Indian Market season (and beyond) in Santa Fe.
❶ New on the scene: The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture’s grand opening of its JoAnn and Bob Balzer Native Market and Contemporary Art Gallery will be Sunday, August 18, with its first exhibition, Driving the Market: Award Winning Native Contemporary Art. The gallery will feature an array of contemporary Native artists and serve to spotlight the impact of Native arts markets around the U.S. 710 Camino Lejo, 505-476-1269; indianartsandculture.org
❷ Sneak peek: SWAIA Indian Market veterans know the Santa Fe Indian Market Preview Event is one of the best ways to peruse the award-winning artists from the market’s 10 categories. Tickets cost $50 for the event, which is from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Friday, August 16. Santa Fe Community Convention Center ballroom. 201 W. Marcy Street; swaia.org
Cara Romero, Kaa (2017), photograph
Courtesy the artist
❸ Home of the free: The Indian Market booths fill the Santa Fe Plaza and stretch down several side streets, but don’t think you’ve finished gawking and talking to artists when you’ve seen all the rows of booths there. Just down Washington Avenue and South Federal Place is the Free Indian Market, which started in 2018 and has been growing ever since. You’ll find more than 600 artists as well as a concert stage, which this year features a performance by Ed Kabotie (Hopi) and the Yoties, which bills itself as “Hopi-style reggae.” 505-670-5918, 505-473-5375; freeindianmarket.org
❹ Go deep: Santa Fe is home to an array of museums where you can study Native cultures and discover the roots and traditions of many arts and artists, from pottery and baskets to weaving and couture. On Museum Hill, explore the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (710 Camino Lejo, 505-476-1269; indianartsandculture.org), which is dedicated to Native art and exhibits on Native culture, and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian (704 Camino Lejo, 505-982-4636; wheelwright.org) is a private nonprofit museum that’s focused on contemporary and historic Native art. The Institute of American Indian Arts oversees the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts downtown (108 Cathedral Place, 505-428-5912; iaia.edu). The Poeh Cultural Center (78 Cities of Gold Road, 505-455-5041; poehcenter.org) is located in the Pueblo of Pojoaque and offers exhibits on Tewa Puebloan history and its arts and artisans. The museum’s annual Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival is Friday, August 16, through Sunday, August 18, at Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino. The School for Advanced Research (660 Garcia Street, 505-954-7200; sarweb.org) offers a Native speaker series, Indigenous Writer in Residence programs, and exhibits, among other educational resources.
❺ Keep it moving: The dragon-painted rolling stock of the Sky Railway in the Santa Fe Railyard offers a variety of themed train treks, and during Indian Market, the famed Lightning Boy Hoop Dancers perform with a moving New Mexico landscape as a backdrop. Tickets are $125. skyrailway.com
Nocona Burgess (Comanche), Quanah Parker in Red Shirt (2002), acrylic on canvas
❻ Go for the gallery: Santa Fe has more than 300 galleries, and several of them host Indian Market-centric shows, receptions, and special events featuring Native artists. Check out shows and exhibitions opening Indian Market weekend at King Galleries (Ascendence), Manitou Galleries, Niman Fine Art, Blue Rain Gallery, and others.
❼ Tour to the epicenter: One of the best ways to explore Puebloan life, history, culture, and art is by taking a docent-led tour at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which provides key insights into the 19 pueblos located in modern-day New Mexico. Visitors to the museum, located on the site of the former Albuquerque Indian School, learn that each pueblo has distinct traditions, languages, and governance and can discover the significance of many of the pueblos’ artistic traditions. Tours are offered Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the calendar also includes dance performances from a variety of Puebloan groups, story times, lectures, and other events. IPCC’s Indian Pueblo Kitchen serves dishes made with traditional ingredients and recipes. 2401 12th Street NW, Albuquerque, 505-843-7270; indianpueblo.org
❽ Written in stone: Learn about famed Chiricahua Apache sculptor Allan Houser (1914-1994) with a guided tour of the artist’s meandering sculpture garden and gallery. Tours are available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The annual open house of the sculpture gardens and gallery is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, August 17, and Sunday, August 18. 26 Haozous Road (gallery located at 125 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 112); 505-471-7409; allanhouser.com
❾ Ancient history: Learn about ancestral Puebloan peoples at various sites and dwellings in Northern New Mexico. Pecos National Historical Park (nps.gov/peco), Bandelier National Monument (nps.gov/band), and La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Site (blm.gov/visit/la-cieneguilla-petroglyphs) are just a few of the places that offer educational programs, exhibits, and trails to sites where ancient peoples lived, hunted, harvested, carved pictures into rocks, and established communities.
❿ Ready to roll: Chamisa Skateboards, which integrates the work of Native artists with skateboard culture, celebrates its 10th year with a pop-up shop from noon to 5 p.m. through Saturday, August 17, at Bishop’s Lodge. In addition, an exhibition called Routes in the resort’s Horseshoe Gallery showcases the work of Native photographer Kevin Beltran and printmaker Jimmy Dean Horn. An opening reception is Friday, August 16; the exhibition runs through August 26. 1297 Bishops Lodge Road, aubergeresorts.com/bishopslodge/experiences/chamisa-auction ◀
