Walking through Santa Fe Indian Market can be an exhilarating experience. The booths are full of art, the streets are full of people and the artists are eager to talk to new friends and old. And yet this experience is essentially the end result of a longer journey. It’s the period on a very long sentence. The art didn’t just appear on the Santa Fe Plaza—it had to be made by the artists. And even that is an abbreviated explanation. Artists gather materials, they plan, they sketch, they process, they think. Many sleepless nights are likely lost as they work it all out in their heads. Then they still need to actually make the artwork. All of these steps—the process part of the art—can sometimes get lost amid all the festivity in Santa Fe, so every year we like to take a glimpse behind the scenes to remind ourselves that Santa Fe Indian Market might be only two days for collectors, but to many of the artists it’s a market that demands 365 days of their attention.
Rykelle Kemp (Muscogee (Creek)/Choctaw Nation/Navajo)
www.indigenouswomanmade.com
Instagram: @ahlazuafinearts
Booth: LIN E 766
Known for her fresh designs and careful use of materials—from vintage beads and seed pearls to glimmering shell and horse hair—jeweler Rykelle Kemp is quickly on the rise as one of the top young artists to watch. The daughter of painter and printmaker Randy Kemp, Rykelle uses a small worktable in her family’s home to cut and polish stones, melt and form silver, and to turn beautiful, natural materials into delicate jewelry that includes necklaces, rings, bolos and bracelets. She creates work for her own brand, Ahlazua: Indigenous Woman Made (Ahlazua is her Euchee/Yuchi name).
Calandra L. Cook (Navajo)
www.clctextiles.com
Instagram: @calandralcook2161
Booth: WA E 417
In just a few short years, Calandra L. Cook’s weavings have lit up the art world. Rooted in classic design, but showing a contemporary edge, Cook’s works of art reveal line and form, and their delicate interplay with color and contrast. Her weavings are often hopeful and playful—her pieces have featured little birds on cornstalks and vibrant skies—but they also show her deep fascination with the process of Navajo weaving, from hand-spun wools to natural dyes. A student of architecture, Cook sees her artwork as a journey of personal exploration. “I enjoy conceptualizing with the design intentions of creating composition, transition, light, color and detail,” she says. “My art embodies cultural Navajo influences and traditional journeys of self-expression.”
Olin Tsingine (Navajo/Hopi)
Instagram: @olinjewelry
Booth: LIN W 732
It’s hard to miss a jewelry piece by Olin Tsingine. Known for his bold designs, attention to detail and his exquisite inlay, the Phoenix-based artist is highly respected among collectors and other jewelers. Tsingine freely admits one of the forces that drives him forward is his quest for the biggest and best stones. Rare corral pieces, high-grade turquoise, large stones in unique cuts…he’s interested in all of it. “And I’m a bit of a stone hoarder, so when other artists need something, they come to me,” he says. “I just can’t help but get these great stones when they pop up.” Tsingine has lately been creating bracelets and other pieces featuring uncut pieces of corral that emphasize the tree-like shape of the material.
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