Dominique Toya (Jemez, 1971-2023)
Jemez Pueblo potter Dominique Toya, who was a strong advocate for Native American art and artists, died in December 2023. In addition to recently serving on the board at SWAIA, the organization that organizes Santa Fe Indian Market, Toya was also a talented and well-respected potter whose works were widely collected. “Dominique Toya, a fifth-generation potter from Jemez Pueblo, leaves a legacy of beauty and service. A leading traditional potter, Toya received awards from nearly everywhere she showed, including the Heard Indian Market, the Eiteljorg Indian Market and multiple times from the Santa Fe Indian Market,” SWAIA said in an online statement. “Toya learned pottery from her mother, Maxine Toya, and was known for her distinctive works of native clay with a micaceous slip.”
Baje Whitethorne Sr. (Navajo (Diné), 1951-2023)
Painter Baje Whitethorne Sr. died November 17 after a lengthy illness. He was 73 years old. “His art friends and relatives say he was one of the most transformative Diné artists who highlighted Navajo land and its life—such as livestock and water—in his paintings, each with a small hogan and a chair, a nod to his late mother, and to indicate life,” wrote Krista Allen and Boderra Joe for the Navajo Times. “He showcased his work worldwide, including at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Indian, the Booth Western Art Museum, the Heard Museum, and his community’s Rock the Canyon Art and Music Festival.” Whitethorne, who was from Shonto, Arizona, was a regular at the Heard market.
Mark Swazo-Hinds (Tesuque Pueblo, 1959-2023)
Award-winning sculptor and stone carver Mark Swazo-Hinds died December 9, 2023. He was 64 years old. The son of painter Patrick Swazo-Hinds, the Tesuque Pueblo sculptor primarily worked in stone, but also painted. He was formally trained at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he learned under Doug Coffin (Potawatomi/Creek). His work was shown at many of the major art shows and is also in the permanent collection of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.; the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian and on the grounds of the Santa Fe Opera, both in Santa Fe, New Mexico; and in other collections throughout the United States, Europe and Japan.
Presley LaFountain (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, 1956-2023)
Chippewa artist Presley LaFountain died on March 30, 2023, in Belcourt, North Dakota. He was 67 years old. “An artist, a sculptor, a stone carver, a printmaker, an image maker; a father, brother, uncle and grandfather; a good and loyal friend; a fierce protector and feared enemy; widely respected and loved; beloved by many in Indian Country,” his family wrote in an obituary. “He traveled this country coast to coast by motorcycle, muscle car, vintage car and Indian Car. He regaled people he met with tall and true tales, he made instant friends, he had lifelong friends and deeply felt the passing of every close comrade who left this world before him.”
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