Back to the Basics

After the centennial celebration and rain, Santa Fe Indian Market returns in sunshine for its 101st year.

Major anniversaries can be wonderful and stressful all at the same time, especially when the weather is determined to make its presence known. That was the story of the remarkable 2022 Santa Fe Indian Market, which was the waterlogged centennial of the famous market.

Visitors walk past booths near the Palace of Governors in Santa Fe.

Fast forward a year to August 2023, and the pressure was off the artists, the organizers and the market’s fervent supporters. And, best of all, the weather held for nearly the entire weekend. SWAIA couldn’t have asked for a better set of conditions as collectors turned up in droves to buy artwork and support some of the most talented artists in the country.

Events kicked off Friday, August 18, during the Best of Show Ceremony, where Santa Clara Pueblo potter Jennifer Tafoya was given the top honor, the best of show award, for her dinosaur pot Caught by Surprise. She struggled to speak during her speech, and was still struggling later on that day. “I’m speechless,” she said. Later, during an interview with our podcast, the American Art Collective, she admitted to being overcome with emotion and elaborated, “This means I should write something up in case that happens again. I was totally unprepared. And normally, for me I want to be prepared.” She later described the award as a huge honor to her work and career.

Considerable attention was also paid to the two fashion shows, one during the annual gala on Saturday night and another on Sunday afternoon that featured a sold-out crowd. Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, the curator and organizer of the show, was excited to announce the upcoming Indigenous Fashion Week that will take place in May 2024.

1. Jennifer Tafoya (Santa Clara Pueblo) reacts in shock and surprise as she is named the winner of the Best of Show on August 18. Photo by Gabriella Marks. 2. Navajo weaver Barbara Teller Ornelas holds up a decorated Barbie doll in her artist booth. Photo by Gabriella Marks. 3. Carver Mark Taho holds up one of his katsina carvings near the Santa Fe Plaza. 4. Models walk the runway during the SWAIA gala and fashion show on August 19. Photo by Kitty Leaken.

In addition to the designers’ new pieces, the show also saw considerable attention from Hollywood filmmakers, including actors and directors. Regular attendees of the show include actor and Academy Award winner Wes Studi and director Chris Eyre. This year’s show also saw other famous attendees: Amber Midthunder (Prey), Cara Jade Myers (Killers of the Flower Moon), Eugene Brave Rock (Dark Winds, Wonder Woman) and Kiowa Gordon (Twilight Saga, Dark Winds).

SWAIA executive director Jamie Schulze, the ringmaster for all of this year’s Santa Fe Indian Market, was experiencing her first market as the director and could be seen all around the Santa Fe Plaza working with artists, SWAIA staff and loyal volunteers. “It’s going to be a great day,” she told booths as she popped in to say hello.

Thousands of artists, visitors and SWAIA supporters would agree with her.

Award Winners

Best of Class I: Jewelry
Lyndon Tsosie (Navajo), Untitled, silver sea turtle pendant with movable flippers, sterling stamped silver, inlay with coral, turquoise, lapis and Boulder opal, all hand-fabricated, 4½ x 3”

Best of Show / Best of Class II: Pottery
Jennifer Tafoya (Santa Clara Pueblo), Caught by Surprise, etched black pot with dinosaurs, hand-dug Santa Clara Clay, coil method, stone polished, etched and then painted with hand-dug natural clay paint, 4¼ x 4¼”

Best of Class III: Painting, Drawing, Graphics & Photography
Dan HorseChief (Pawnee/Cherokee), Judgement Day Manifest, The Greasy Grass 1976 Keough’s Stand, water-based oil on canvas, 24 x 36”

Class IV: Wooden Pueblo Figurative Carving & Sculpture
Arthur Holmes Jr. (Hopi), Talavi Morning Katsina, root of cottonwood tree, fine wood burner, knives and oil paint, 18½ x 9½”

Class V: Sculpture
Ryan Benally (Navajo), Dreamscapes of Love, calcite onyx, black Indian granite, hand-carved stone with electric and hand tools, 68 x 22 x 12”

Class VI: Textiles
TahNibaa Naataanii (Navajo), Autumn Rose Carnival, Navajo shawl and purse, sheep wool with 26 aniline acid dyes in different colors, 16½ x 62”

Class VII: Diverse Arts
Victoria G. Adams (Southern Cheyenne/Arapaho), Sundance on Muddy Creek, tripod with glass containers, copper, deerskin, American Indian-head pennies (dating from 1878 to 1910), glass, steel chain, wrought-iron, wood, acrylic paint, cotton fabric, sweet grass, snake root, Big Medicine, bee balm, sweet pine, sage, yellow ochre pigment, red ochre pigment, Ammonite fossils, sterling silver, mother-of-pearl beads, photographs, Edward S. Curtis photogravures, 64 x 36 x 32”

Class VIII: Beadwork & Quillwork
Jackie Larson Bread (Blackfeet), We Are Fierce, Blackfeet horse mask, wool, seed beads, brass beads and bells, wood, plexiglass, satin, lane stitch, applique stitch and edge stitch, 18 x 15 x 23”

Class IX: Youth
Aydrian Day (HoChunk/Anishinaabe/Lakota), Father’s Love (Ate Iyocicila), Lakota-style cradle board, size 11 true-cut sterling silver beads, 24-karat beads, smoked hide, brass sequins, pine and cotton, 24 x 9”

Class XI: Basketry
Carol Emarthle Douglas (Northern Arapaho/Seminole), Skywoman Watches, coiled basket, waxed linen, thread, hemp and beads, 7 x 9½ x 9½”

Native American Art Award of Excellence
Jason Garcia (Santa Clara Pueblo), Tewa Tales of Suspense! #110, clay tile

Around Market

More images from around the 2023 Santa Fe Indian Market

Everton Tsosie in his market booth. Tsosie was featured in the August/September issue.

Potters Melody Gutierrez and Sammy Naranjo in their booth on Sunday.

Painter Nocona Burgess, right, with Native American Art co-publisher Adolfo Castillo.

Rykelle Kemp with some of her jewelry work.

Shane Hendren, left, and a family member in his jewelry booth

Designers Melanie Rose, Jamie Okuma, Orlando Dugi, Jontay Kahm, Lauren Good Day, Jason Baerg and Himikalas Pamela Baker during the Sunday fashion show.