To-Do List

The problem most marketgoers have at Santa Fe Indian Market is not having too little to do, but rather having too much to do. There is so much happening around the third weekend in August, it can become tricky when it comes to choosing which events are worth your time. During your planning, here’s a tip: don’t forget SWAIA’s non-market events.

One of the early events is the Best of Show Ceremony on August 18 at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. Doors open at 11:30 a.m., after which guests can view all of the award-winning work. After everyone has a glance at the pieces, guests are invited to the formal unveiling of the Best of Show winner. The event continues until 1 p.m., and following that is a luncheon at the convention center. SWAIA members will have their own time to view the artwork from 2 to 4 p.m., followed by the general public from 4:30 to 6 p.m. These events are the only times that award-winning work is all shown in one place prior to the market.

1. A model wears a design by Himikalas Pam Baker at the 2022 Santa Fe Indian Market gala. Photo by Shayla Blatchford. 2. A guest views art at the best of show event during the 2022 market. Photo by Shayla Blatchford. 3. Jill Giller, left, and artist Dominique Toya move a pot prior to the judging at the 2022 market. Photo by Shayla Blatchford. 4. Auction emcee Scott Hale hypes the crowd during the 2022 live auction. Photo by Shayla Blatchford.

After the market closes on Saturday, August 19, the action again returns to the convention center for the SWAIA gala, which includes a live auction, dinner and a fashion show. The ticketed event is a great opportunity to support SWAIA, buy some art and mingle with VIP guests that often include artists, museum curators, gallery owners, actors, musicians and many other movers and shakers from all around the Southwest. This year’s gala fashion show will include designers Tracy Toulouse, Rebecca Baker-Grenier, Elias Not Afraid, and Qaulluq / Clara McConnell.

On Sunday, August 20, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will be the Native American Clothing Contest on the plaza stage. It’s here where contestants wear traditional clothing and regalia that speaks to their families, tribes, clans and to their individual style.

Also on Sunday, over at the convention center, is the world-famous Indigenous Fashion Show, which will include designers Jamie Okuma, Orlando Dugi, Himikalas Pam Baker, Dusty LeGrande of Mobilize, Jontay Kham, Lauren Good Day and Jason Baerg. This year SWAIA is offering the Diamond Experience, from noon to 3 pm., which includes exclusive seats to the fashion show and a tasting menu. All of this leads up to the main fashion show that starts at 3 p.m. Tickets go fast, so guests are encouraged to go to www.swaia.org to get their seats. A small number of standing tickets are offered the day of the show.

Jamie Schulze (Northern Cheyenne/Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate) is the new executive director of SWAIA, and she’s thrilled to be part of this year’s events. “Market is special to my heart. It’s something I didn’t truly understand until I started working with them. The empowerment it brings to Native artists, the guidance it gives them as they make decisions for them and their families, it’s a remarkable community to be a part of,” she says. “SWAIA also provides a cultural narrative that is vital. It is extremely needed in these communities. I’m so excited to be a part of the market this year.”