Back in Phoenix

The Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market returns to an in-person event in Arizona.

More than 17,000 people attended the 2022 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market in Phoenix. It was the first time the annual event had taken place with in-person booths and crowds since 2020. For those in attendance, it was good to be back.

Arthur Holmes Jr. (Hopi), Reaching Out for Strength, Encouragement, carving. Winner of Best of Show.

“Oh yeah, it does feel good to be here in person again,” Shane Hendren, a top jeweler, said within a large tent where visitors were filing past his work. “Any year we can’t do this is not a good year. It’s good seeing everyone and being able to bring some material I’ve been working on. That’s what this is all about.”Arthur Holmes Jr. (Hopi), Reaching Out for Strength, Encouragement, carving. Winner of Best of Show.

Phoenix, long known for its sweltering summers, has magnificent springs with cool temperatures and clear days. The March weather held together nicely as visitors from all around the country meandered through the Heard Museum campus and popped into artist booths to ask questions, make small introductions or inquire about artwork available for purchase. In 2020, the event took place without restraints, though the cloud of what would become the pandemic cast a shadow over the event. The market went virtual in 2021 and, although it was considered a success, collectors and artists were vocal in their desire to return to an in-person market as quickly as possible.

Jamie Okuma (Luiseño/Shoshone/Bannock), Becoming, mixed media. Winner of Conrad House Innovation Award.

“There is nothing quite like a market,” says artist Sheridan MacKnight. “You don’t really know what you have until it is gone. I’m just glad that we can all celebrate again together in this special place.”

Not only were collectors out in force, but they were buying, much to the pleasure of the artists who had spent months preparing for the two-day market. Strong sales were reported from all the categories, but especially jewelry, pottery, pueblo carvings, weavings and fashion items, which is seeing a surge amid collectors who are following along with their favorite designers.

Jeremy Frey (Passamaquoddy), Fine Weave, basket

The top award winner was Hopi carver Arthur Holmes Jr., whose carving Reaching Out for Strength, Encouragement also won the best in class ribbon for pueblo carvings. Other award winners include: Lyndon Tsosie, jewelry and lapidary; Alvina Yepa, pottery; Carlin Bear Don’t Walk, two-dimensional art; Tim Washburn, sculpture; Mary Henderson Begay, weavings and textiles; Jeremy Frey, basketry; Rain Scott, open standards; and Elias Not Afraid won two top awards, one in diverse art forms and another in the personal attire and accessories department.

4. Cara Romero with her award-winning image, 3 Sisters. 5. Award-winner Elias Not Afraid speaks about his piece Life After Death, which won the best of class in the diverse art forms category. 6.Randy Brokeshoulder demonstrates how he applies paint to one of his katsina carvings. 7.Arthur Holmes Jr. greets visitors as they admire his carving. 8. Jeremy Frey shows a guest one of his ash baskets. Frey is considered one of the top artists in Native American basketry. 9. Terrance Guardipee in his ledger art booth. Images courtesy Craig Smith/Heard Museum.

Cara Romero won the Idyllwild Arts Imagination Award, as well as a judge’s choice award for a photograph titled 3 Sisters. Jamie Okuma won the Conrad House Innovation Award for her chain and nail backpack that had a motif inspired by the 1987 horror film Hellraiser. Like Santa Fe Indian Market held in the summer, the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market is known for its stunning mixture of traditional and highly contemporary work, all of which spans many art forms, styles, mediums, regions and cultures. The market also brings out artists from across the country. Discussions are already underway to expand the show even further in 2023.