A Sign of Renewal

Rain and shine mark the joyous centennial celebration for Santa Fe Indian Market.

As a symbol, rain can have dozens of different meanings, including life, growth, change, fertility and renewal—almost exclusively these are good things. So when Santa Fe Indian Market started under a massive blanket of clouds and consistent rain throughout all of the Saturday market, few people were truly complaining. Even eight hours later—with clothing drenched, umbrellas and ponchos sold out at the nearby Five & Dime and collectors ducking from booth to booth to stay dry—there were smiles all around downtown Santa Fe.

A view up Lincoln Avenue during the 2022 Santa Fe Indian Market.

“Yes, there is rain, but it’s beautiful,” Jessa Rae Growing Thunder said from her booth on Washington Street. “Because me and my family are dealing with hides and buckskins, we can’t take our work out—the humidity is not good on those materials—but we’ve been showing work from our phones. No one
is complaining.”

Even amid the relentless showers, artists were seeing strong sales, consistent attention at their booths and even occasional sell-outs. Dan Vallo, a flintknapper, had brought more than 50 pieces to market. By the end of the water-logged Saturday he had sold more than half. By Sunday morning he was loading up to go home. “It’s always a nice feeling to sell everything,” he said as he packed up his booth materials. “It was a great market and we had a great response.”

Another artist who had a very strong year was potter Russell Sanchez, who not only won the best of classification for pottery, but also best of show. He dedicated his award to “all the potters who came before me, all the work they’ve put in and all the trials and tribulations they’ve gone through to get here.” Pottery has long been a staple at Indian Market, so his award was a fitting tribute to the potters who came before him, including Maria Martinez, who won the pottery award in 1922.

1. Karen Clarkson in her booth with the August/September cover of Native American Art magazine. 2. Painter Marla Allison with new work. 3. Arizona weaver Lola Cody with one of her contemporary works. 4. Jamie Jacobs in his market booth. 5. Filmmaker Quannah Chasinghorse wearing Lauren Good Day designs during the fashion show. Photo by Tira Howard. 6. Jonathan Naranjo with his market-themed pot. 7. Painter Mateo Romero in his booth. 8. Jeweler Olin Tsingine in the Santa Fe Plaza. 9. Jeweler Ernest Benally holds up a belt.

After Saturday’s near constant barrage of rain, Sunday was a reprieve with dry conditions and sunshine. To those that had been to market numerous times, even they admitted the contrasting conditions were unique, but also wonderful. As the sun shone on the Santa Fe Plaza, thousands of collectors came out to browse the art, meet the artists, watch the various fashion shows and even spot celebrities from Prey, Reservation Dogs, Dark Winds and other Native American-led film and TV mingling in the crowds.

One thing that was said over and over again by artists and collectors was how the centennial market felt more like a pre-Covid event: the crowds were strong, excitement was high, hugs and handshakes returned to booths, and there a positive charge in the air. “Everyone is just so glad to be back,” said Karen Clarkson, whose work appeared on the cover of Native American Art’s market issue. “We all needed this. We depend on it.”

TOP AWARDS

Best of Show and Best of Classification at the 100th Santa Fe Indian Market

Photography by Tira Howard

Best of Show
Class II: Pottery
Russell Sanchez (San Ildefonso Pueblo), polychrome jar, incised, then painted, inlaid with Sleeping Beauty hematite and Lone Mountain turquoise, all traditional materials and firing, 8 x 7 x 10½”

Class I: Jewelry
Ernest Benally (Navajo), Turtle Family, jeweled belt, handmade and stamped tooled bezel, 12 turtle pieces made with natural stones and shells, 2 x 3”

Class III: Painting, Drawing, Graphics & Photography
Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), The Zenith, archival pigment print, digital capture of model with corn on fishing line, 43 x 48 x 3”

Class IV: Wooden Pueblo Figurative Carving & Sculpture
Manuel Chavarria (Hopi), Qooglee Storyteller Hunters, Hopi old-style katsina dolls, leather, cottonwood root, pigment paint, parrot feathers, leather attire, sinew, copper on knives and arrow tips, cotton string, turquoise necklace and sterling silver pendants, 15 x 4½” and 15½ x 8½”

Class V: Sculpture
Ryan Benally (Diné), Bold as Love, hand-carved Italian marble and granite sculpture, 34 x 24 x 10”

Class VI: Textiles
Ahkima Honyumptewa (Hopi), Oryavi Kenel Kwasa, weaving, woven wool in diamond and diagonal twills with hills and valleys, 43 x 46½”

Class VII: Diverse Arts
Glenda McKay (Ingalik Athabascan), traditional walrus harpoon with float, hand-carved walrus ivory, Harpoon: 6’ x 2½”; Float: 48 x 12”; Handmade four-strand rope: 30+”

Class VIII: Beadwork & Quillwork
Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty (Assiniboine Sioux), Walking this Good Way of Life Together, beaded and quilled horse collar, porcupine quills, smoked moose hide, antique size-15 beads, brass beads, bells, thimbles, French-cut beads, silk ribbon, ermine and horsehair, 60”

Class XI: Basketry
Jeremy Frey (Passamaquoddy), Dawnland, plate-weave basket, black ash, sweet grass and dye, 21½ x 11½”

Class IX: Youth (Artists aged 17 and under)
TobieMae Patricio (Acoma Pueblo), Basket Weave Polychrome Pot, traditional clay, traditional paints, sandstone paints, wild spinach, hand coiled and traditionally fired, 4 x 5”

Native American Art Award of Excellence
Karis Jackson (Fort Berthold Arikara/Hidatsa/Crow), Family Market Day, beaded portrait against beaded ledger paper (photo by Michael Clawson)

Star-Studded Runway

Photography by Tira Howard

As SWAIA’s Indigenous Fashion Show has continued to grow, not only has the runway show attracted national and international attention, but it has also further connected Native American fashion with Native American film and television as well. This year’s show brought in a huge number of actors, directors and producers, including many who donned new designs and made the walk with the rest of the models. Popular and critically acclaimed shows and films such as Outer Range, Prey, Reservation Dogs, Dark Winds and others were represented. They wore new designs from Jamie Okuma, Lauren Good Day, Lesley Hampton and many others.

Designers from the Indigenous Fashion Show (from left): Catherine Blackburn, Melanie LeBlanc, Jamie Okuma, Lauren Good Day, Orlando Dugi, Patricia Michaels and Sho Sho Esquiro.