2011 Santa Fe Indian Market Official Schedule

The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts has issued the official events schedule for the 2011 Santa Fe Indian Market in August. We will attend and report on most of these events on this blog and on websites at ZuniLink, Native-American-Jewelry, TribalWorks and Native-PotteryLink

2011 Santa Fe Indian Market Week
Official Schedule of Events
August 15-August 21

Class X Film Screenings
Monday, August 15, 2011, 6:30 p.m.
New Mexico History Museum
113 Lincoln Avenue
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Free Admission

This special evening of film screenings features the work of Classification X winners. This is the tenth and one of the newest art classifications at Santa Fe Indian Market. Classification X is the moving images category. It is divided into four divisions: Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Animation Short and Experimental Short. The Santa Fe Indian Market Awards Program invites art experts and collectors to Santa Fe to judge more than 1,000 artist entries and distribute over $70,000 in prize money in numerous categories to SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market artists. Awards are given to recognize an artist's dedication and skill in working with traditional materials and techniques, as well as experimentation with new media and innovative art forms.

Native Cinema Showcase
Monday, August 15 to Sunday August 21, 2011
Film Schedule: TBA
New Mexico History Museum
113 Lincoln Avenue
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Free Admission

The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), present the 11th Annual Native Cinema Showcase, a celebration of films and videos by and about indigenous peoples in connection with the Santa Fe Indian Market. All films will be shown at the New Mexico History Museum.

SWAIA and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Present: Breakfast With the Curators
Tuesday, August 16, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
710 Camino Lejo
Santa Fe, NM 87501
$25 per person, or $20 per person for MNMF members
Museum Admission Included

Learn all about the history, splendor and future plans of the 90th Annual Santa Fe Indian Market over breakfast with SWAIA's Executive Director, Bruce Bernstein, PhD.

Janet Marie Rogers and Alex Jacobs
Tuesday, August 16, 2011, 6:00 p.m.
Collected Works Bookstore & Coffee House
202 Galisteo St. #A, Santa Fe, 87501
Free Admission

Mohawk spoken word performance about living away from their homelands while maintaining Indian identity. Jacob’s says, “I am creating spiritual and emotional landscapes that speak and connect through the Soft Therapy of my Fabric Collage, and to tell large political and historical narratives with paper cut outs, and to connect directly with people through spoken word performances.”

Robert Mirabal Presents: Po’Pay Speaks
Tuesday, August 16 to September 4, 2011
The Lodge at Santa Fe
750 N. St. Francis Dr.
$45 Per ticket

Robert Mirabal, a two-time Grammy Award winner, will be performing Po’Pay Speaks from August 16th thru September 4th at The Lodge at Santa Fe. This new one-man show will showcase the history of Po’Pay during the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, and his continuing influence today. Mirabal, a native of Taos Pueblo, has released nearly a dozen CDs, ranging from traditional ceremonial music to Rock n’ Roll. His highly praised PBS special, Music from a Painted Cave, was aired in 2002. The multi- talented Mirabal is also an artist and published author. His novel, Running Alone with Photographs, was published in 2009, and, Skeletons of a Bridge, a book of poetry, was published in 1994. When not touring, he lives a traditional life at Taos Pueblo with his wife, Dawn, and three daughters. Po’Pay Speaks is being developed with the aid of a grant from the New Mexico Multi-Cultural Foundation. Tickets are $55.00 for floor seating and $45.00 for mezzanine, and can be purchased at www.TicketsSantaFe.org. Collaborating with Mirabal on the production are Taos writers Stephen Parks and Nelson Zink. For more information, please contact Danette Lovato at 505.242.8355 or visit www.Mirabal.com.

Welcoming Reception at Patina Gallery
Thursday, August 18, 2011, 9: 00 a.m.
Patina Gallery
131 West Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, 87501
Free Admission

Join us for a continental breakfast and a welcoming orientation to Santa Fe at the internationally renowned Patina Gallery on Palace Avenue--an ardent business supporter of SWAIA and Indian Market. Tom Maguire, former Director of Arts and Cultural Tourism for the City of Santa Fe, will give a brief talk on the rich history, culture and creative energy of our vibrant community. Based on the Navajo Beauty Way, this audio-visual presentation conjures up the wealth of inspiring experiences you can discover during your visit here.

Simon Ortiz and Sara Maria Ortiz
Thursday, August 18, 2011, 6:00 p.m.
Collected Works Bookstore & Coffee House
202 Galisteo St. #A, Santa Fe, 87501
Free Admission

Readings by a father and daughter. Sara will be reading from her manuscript Red Milk: A Requiem in Three Act, and “…we’ll be engaging in an open dialogue about ‘the business of writing,’ our creative processes, inspirations, experiences, our challenges as contemporary Indigenous writers, etc.”

SWAIA Presents Music on the Plaza Bandstand
Thursday, August 18, 2011, 6:00 p.m.
Downtown Santa Fe

The final day of the inimitable Santa Fe Music Bandstand Series sponsored by SWAIA featuring Clan/Destine (Native Soul Operation Peace) and Levi & the Plateros (Native high powered Rock and Blues)

Best of Show Ceremony and Luncheon
Friday, August 19, 2011, 11:30am-2:00pm
Santa Fe Convention Center
201 W. Marcy St., Santa Fe, 87501
For Ticket Information, Please Contact SWAIA (505) 983-5220

This annual event, which precedes the Santa Fe Indian Market, is where the Best of Show Award is presented to a SWAIA artist; it is the Native art world’s most prestigious prize. Over 1000 pieces of artwork are submitted for judging in 10 art classifications. At no other time during Indian Market Week are the most exquisite works of art gathered in one location. This intimate gathering is a ticketed event and reserved for SWAIA Members only. Ticket information TBA. For more information on becoming a SWAIA Member, click here. For ticket information visit swaia.org or call 983-5220.

Sneak and General Previews
Friday, August 19, 2011
Sneak Preview, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
General Preview: 7:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Santa Fe Convention Center
201 W. Marcy St., Santa Fe, 87501

SWAIA's Artist Awards Sneak Preview gives SWAIA members the early opportunity to see the best of Indian Market art after the Best of Show Awards Ceremony. The General Preview that follows opens the doors to the public for a glimpse at the award-winning artwork.

The 90th Santa Fe Indian Market
Saturday, August 20 and Sunday, August 21, 2011, 7:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m.
The Plaza, Santa Fe
Free Admission

The Santa Fe Indian Market is the preeminent Native arts market in the world; it simultaneously embraces the past, present and future of Indian Arts. There is simply no other time and place in the Native arts world where the impact and influence of Native culture and identity is reinforced, reestablished and reinvented. The Indian Market features visual arts, literature, film, music, culinary arts, symposiums and much more. The Santa Fe Indian Market hosts over 1100 artists from 100 tribes and is the largest cultural event in New Mexico, attracting 100,000 visitors per year.

SWAIA Live Auction Gala, Dinner and Auctions
Saturday, August 20, 2011, 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
La Fonda on the Plaza
Santa Fe, NM
For Ticket Information, Please Contact SWAIA (505) 983-5220

As SWAIA's largest fundraiser of the year, the Live Auction Gala is the most glamorous and exciting event during Indian Market Week. Each year, some of the country's most exceptional Native artists donate a piece of artwork to be auction in the silent or live auction. The auction items represent an eclectic array of Native art. Many of the one-of-a kind art pieces have been specifically made for the auctions. Tickets sell out well in advance of this event. For ticket information visit swaia.org or call 983-5220.

Lifetime Achievement Allan Houser Legacy and Povika Awards Presentation
Saturday, August 20, 2011, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
The Santa Fe Plaza Stage
Downtown Santa Fe

The Houser Award is the highest honor that SWAIA bestows upon a Native artist. The annual award recognizes the contributions by a distinguished Native American artist to Native arts and Native culture. The Povika Award recognizes service, leadership and support that Native and non-Native people (the broad range of individuals who make up the Indian Market family) provide to the annual Santa Fe Indian Market and to Native artists and their communities.

Native American Clothing Contest
Sunday, August 21, 2011, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The Santa Fe Plaza Stage
Downtown Santa Fe

Among the many cherished traditions at the Santa Fe Indian Market, the Native American Clothing Contest (NACC) is one of the most beloved and anticipated events. For over twenty years, the NACC has been the most photographed event at the Santa Fe Indian Market. The contest includes categories for traditional and contemporary Native American fashions, features children and adult participants, and awards prizes in over 20 categories.

Open Studio Santa Fe Art Institute
Thursday, August 25, 2011, 5:30 p.m.
Santa Fe Art Institute
1600 Saint Michaels Dr., Santa Fe, 87505
Free Admission

Every month, the Santa Fe Art Institute hosts an Open Studio for the Artists & Writers in Residence to show their work to the public and to give folks a sneak peek into the closed door world of studio practice. The artists in residence for August will be:

Ryan Lee Smith, Park Hill, OK, SWAIA Residency Fellow - painter
Lisa Hageman Yahgulanaas, Masset, BC Canada, SWAIA Residency Fellow – weaver
Lenka Novakova, Quebec, Canada – video and installation
Pricilla Hollingsworth – Augusta, GA – ceramicist
Alyssa Phoebus and Murad Kahn Mumatz, Pakistan – mixed media
Marylin Waltzer, Haverford, PA – botanical illustrator
Judith Stein, Philadelphia, PA - writer

Another happy customer

An interesting aspect of doing business on line is that customers have to take us at our word that we are are presenting Zuni fetish carvings accurately, and that, when their Tribal Art purchase arrives it will satisfy them. In a retail store or gallery, the customer can pick it up and hold it before deciding to buy. He or she can't do that on line.

It helps when the seller can guarantee satisfaction. We do. After all, even if the item is described and pictured 100% perfectly, when the buyer holds in his or her hands, if may not live up to expectations. So we guarantee that the item will satisfy or we will refund the buyer's purchase price.

That makes it all the more gratifying when we receive a note like this one.

"Hi Susanne,

The carving arrived today in perfect condition!

It does look exactly like the photo on your web side, however holding it and seeing it in reality and knowing - this is mine now - is quite a wonderful experience.
This carving is such an outstanding masterpiece and I was very touched when I was holding it in my hands.

Thanks a lot for your prompt delivery and I can surely recommend your address to others, who are sharing the same passion for this kind of art!"

Thanks for sharing our gratitude.

William & Susanne Waites
ZuniLink.com
Native-American-jewelry.og
TribalWorks.Com
Native-PotteryLink.com

Our Native American pottery website, offers pottery made by artists in a wide range of Native American pueblos and tribes.

It also includes a selection beautifully made pots from the famed Village of Mata Ortiz in northern Mexico. I would like to present one of the most stunning examples, a large olla (11" tall) by Lionel Lopez Saenz. The artwork adorning it is simply spectacular.

If you enjoy this, you may be similarly charmed by other pottery presented on the website.

A Primer on Old Zuni Pueblo Art

We have recently come across a video that was recorded by Deb Slaney, currently Curator at the Albuquerque Museum, when she was with the Heard Museum, Phoenix.

It is a fascinating discussion of the background of the C.G. Wallace Collection and the artists and work represented in it.

This link will take you to it on YouTube. http://youtu.be/0J1Kwij6PJs

As collectors, dealers and students of Native American jewelry, and Zuni art particularly, we are always interested in learning more about the history of Zuni jewelry and carvings, and the techniques of the artists who created it a generation ago.

Another Small World Story concerning Native American Art

A few days ago, we decided to post a couple of items from our inventory to eBay.

One of them was a Choctaw river cane basket by Rosie Joe. The buyer turned out to be someone who had previously owned the basket. He recognized it when he saw it listed in our eBay store. Upon completion of the transaction, he notified us of his prior involvement with the basket. Here are some excerpts from what he wrote us.

"Thanks, I'll tell you a little more about it. I sold items regularly to OIAG and this was one of the items I should have kept, but accidently (sic) got included in a group package that I had put together for them. I could not get it back because they told me it was not available for sale.

I had met Rosie Joe some years before that and had purchased many of her baskets from her. I had helped her collect river cane in Eastern Oklahoma and watched her prepare the cane and start weaving baskets. One day as I had gone to pick her up in Shawnee Oklahoma to take her to Eastern Oklahoma to gather river cane, she came out carrying this basket and gifted it to me for my help to her.

I was upset when it got away from me, and am glad it is returning home.

Rosie Joe also went by the name Rosie Lewis, never signed her baskets that I am aware of, and came from Eastern Choctaw family where her mother and grandmother taught her to weave baskets.

Thanks again for the opportunity given to me, to regain this lost basket back into my now very small collection."

This one of the things we love about trading in tribal art, whether it's Navajo folk art, Zuni carvings, pueblo pottery, African tribal masks and figurative carvings, Australian Aboriginal art and artefacts or Arctic/Inuit carvings, there is a friendly circle of shared interests and values.

We are glad to include you, dear reader, en the circle.

Count on Delbert Buck for Navajo folk art with a smile.

Among the names that stand out in the circle of talented Navajo Folk Artists, Delbert Buck may be the most “creative”.

Born in Shiprock, NM in September 1976, Delbert began carving at a very early age. Some say his first carvings were when he was around nine-years-old and he carved toy guns to play with. Others say he began to hit his carving stride in his early teens, when his fascination with horses and airplanes inserted those subjects into his portfolio of carvings.

In any case, this son of Wilford and Jenny Buck quickly expanded his carving activities, with his first “shows” at 13. His work soon was included in the authoritative books about Navajo folk art, “The People Speak – Contemporary Navajo Folk Art” and “The Trading Post Guidebook.”

The single characteristic that consistently emerges from Buck's creations is his sense of humor.

He has been quoted as saying his favorite part of what he does, and what he hopes others will get out of it, is a “smile”. His eclectic sculptures, combining horses, broncs, motorcycles, airplanes and a wide range of other colorful characters from Navajo culture, and his own unconventional imagination, are very popular and highly collectable.

He works in a shack at his home, using simple tools such as a hand saw, utility knife and hammer. He carves from pieces of cottonwood that are found on in nearby washes. Delbert does the carving and the painting, with assistance from his mother and sisters when it comes to dressing up the carvings.

As buyers, collectors and resellers of Delbert's work, we often are drawn to his pieces simply because of their delightful perspective on subjects that are otherwise cliched, but not in the hands of Delbert Buck.

They also often have a patriotic quality, which appeals to us, and makes them wonderful works to display around national holidays such as the 4^th of July. The flag-toting, red, white and blue, biker grandma to the left, is and example.

See also the portrayal of Uncle Sam piloting a bi-plane with sheep as his wing-critters.

Special Note: TribalWorks.com is taking temporary mark-downs on Delbert Buck's pieces in stock. You are encouraged to take advantage of these savings now.

Santa Fe Getting Ready for August

Among the events that happen in Santa Fe in August, triggered by Indian Market, are the WhiteHawk shows.

We've now received notice that the 28th Annual Antique Ethnographic Art Show will take place on Thursday, August 11, Friday, August 12 and Saturday, August 13.

The hours are 6-9PM on Thursday, 10-6PM on Friday and 10-5PM on Saturday.

This usually is an extraordinary show, featuring antiquities offered by the most reputable dealers in the country.

The venue is the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.

Admission for the Thursday preview, which includes beer and wine, and eats by Cowgirl Catering, is $75 per person. That also includes admission to the Friday and Saturday openings. These are otherwise priced at $10 each. Bring cash or a checkbook. No credit cards accepted.

The 33rd Annual Antique Indian Art Show follows, with a $75 preview on Sunday, August 14 from 6-9PM, and open shows from 10-5PM on Monday, August 15 and Tuesday, August 16. The venue is the same and the $75 deal is the same.

An additional value is offered by the Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association (ATADA), who will be offering workshops concerning the laws of collecting antique Native American artifacts. These will be open to the public at no charge. For more information about ATADA, visit their website at http://www.ATADA.org. WhiteHawk's web site is at http://www.WhiteHawkShows.com.

Aboriginals: Art of the First Person and its websites devoted to African, Australian, Arctic and Native American art; Native American Indian Jewelry; Native American Pueblo Pottery and fetish carvings from Zuni, Cochiti, San Felipe and other Native American sources is a member of ATADA.

Controversy continues to boil in artifacts case.

The Indian Trader issue of this month reports a story about Indian trader Bill Malone, who was abused and deprived of property under false pretenses by the National Park Service. According to a book about Malone by Paul D. Berkowitz, "The Case of the Indian Trader", After his investigation into the case, Berkowitz was able to get the case against Malone dropped and the government was forced to return his property - after several years and significant damage to Malone's reputation.

Such over zealousness now shows up in cases the Federal Government brings against dealers and collectors of Native American artifacts. This subject is covered in ongoing commentary by the Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association. Despite the law exempting material that was collected before 1979 and material collected from private land, the Feds routinely raid and seize privately held and museum collections, based on flimsy allegations.

The recent case in Utah was based on the testimony of a disgruntled trader, who allegedly was paid by the government to entrap fellow traders. Based on that "evidence", collectors premises were raided with entire collections confiscated for supposed lack of provenance. The case is till working its way through appeals and trials, without incidentally any further testimony from the government informant, who committed suicide.

What contributes to this attitude about lawful trading in Native artifacts, including those contributed to museums and made available for research and viewing by the public? There may be an answer in a recent talk given to collectors in Santa Fe, when a federal agent said he wished the legal trade would dry up. Theoretically, it would make his job easier, which is an interesting standard on which to base policy decisions that affect lawful activities.

We have seen, however, what happens when lawful activities are prohibited. In the case of alcoholic beverages, a perceived problem was not solved, but was worsened by the fostering of crime gangs that still operate in other areas.

Good intentions don't matter when bad ends result.

ATADA Alerts of Native American Art Theft

Recently, the Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association, of which Aboriginals: Art of the First Person is a member, published an alert about two Navajo weavings stolen from a Santa Fe, NM gallery.

Alerts like this are intended to call attention to items that may subsequently show up in the resale or collector market. This time, as in the past, it worked. With one of the weavings being recovered already.

Please look at the linked-to page to see a photo of the weaving that still is at large. If you run across it, please report your information to ATADA or the gallery. It is against the law to possess stolen merchandise.

Aboriginals offers Native American art at ZuniLink (Zuni and other Native carvings), Native-American-jewelry (Native American silver and turquoise jewelry), Native-PotteryLink (Pueblo Pottery) and TribalWorks (Navajo folk art).