When the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market kicks off on March 1, it will do so with a recently renovated and expanded Heard Museum Shop. This will certainly mean more art and more browsing space for collectors, but it also means expanded and updated exhibition space for the invited shop artists. 

The museum traditionally invites a handful of artists from the market to show their work in the shop, where they can offer a more curated space for viewers. It keeps traffic moving through the shop and also allows a selected group of artists a unique venue to show their work—it’s a win-win for everyone. 

Nancy Youngblood (Santa Clara Pueblo), blackware pot with lid

 

This year’s shop artists are jeweler and flute maker Tim Blueflint Ramel (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), ledger artist Dolores Purdy (Caddo/Winnebago), and then five Santa Clara Pueblo artists closely linked by blood and their high-quality pottery: Nancy Youngblood with her three sons, Youngblood-Lugo, Sergio Lugo and Chris Youngblood, along with Chris’ partner Jennifer Tafoya. 

Ramel, who was the cover artist for the December/January 2025 issue of Native American Art, draws his inspiration from his familial stories, historical perspectives and life experiences. “Blueflint’s works are highly detailed, infused with care and creative passion,” the Heard Shop notes about the artist. “He is known throughout much of the art world for his handcrafted fine art flutes and fabricated jewelry. Beginning with the finest curated domestic and exotic woods, natural and gem quality stones, he combines and melds multiple art forms, techniques, textures and finishes to further the evolution of his works.” Ramel, who is not only a flute maker but an accomplished musician as well, has works in the permanent collections of the Eiteljorg Museum of Native and Western Art, Briscoe Western Art Museum, National Music Museum and the Sioux Museum. 

Dolores Purdy (Caddo/Winnebago), Strong Hearts, antique ledger paper with colored pencils, 15½ x 13"

 

Purdy will be showing her unique ledger pieces on antique paper. The works are colorful and vibrant, and speak to her heritage. “Historic ledger art had been referred to as ‘warrior art’ and a male pictographic storytelling art form. The Plains warriors would decorate their teepees with their heroic deeds,” Purdy says of her works. “With European contact, ledger books and colored pencils quickly became coveted trade items used as a portable means for the warriors to use their pictographic language to tell stories of their war honors.”

Tim Blueflint Ramel (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), Racing the Blue Moon, ledger horse cuff, sterling silver, 14K gold overlay and Bisbee turquoise

 

Purdy acknowledges the history of male ledger artists, and yet her works offer a shift to a woman’s perspective. The shop notes that Purdy is one of the “Grand Dames” of ledger art because she started working within the medium when few women were making ledger pieces. “She followed the tradition of using the same medium of colored pencils and antique, pre-20th-century cotton or linen paper…Layering bright colors with faceless figures, hallmarks of her works, often finds a figure or a horse looking out of the painting directly at the viewer,” the shop writes about her works. Today, Purdy is an award-winning artist who has works in numerous collections, including the National Museum of the American Indian, National Museum of American History, the White House, Tweed Museum, Hood Museum and Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

Jennifer Tafoya (Santa Clara Pueblo), plate with fish

 

The inclusion of Nancy Youngblood, and those she inspired and taught, should be a treat for marketgoers. Although their works are frequently shown together at King Galleries, it is rare to have all five of them together for a show as large as the Heard Fair & Market. Nancy, regarded as one of the greatest living potters working today, is the granddaughter of Margaret Tafoya, the matriarch of Santa Clara pottery. Tafoya won Santa Fe Indian Market’s best of show in 1979, and a decade later Nancy won the same honor. It was the beginning of an award-filled career that continues today with Nancy’s work in major museum and private collections all around the world. Today her works are known for their mastery of pottery techniques, from their exceptional stone polish, elaborate carvings and her famous swirl designs. 

Nancy Youngblood (Santa Clara Pueblo), red carved jar

 

Nancy’s oldest son, Chris Youngblood, has also created many award-winning pieces that are collected at a high level. “Chris says that he focuses on each piece, taking the time to work on the shape and stone polishes the surface to a high shine, often polishing it several times to get it right,” the shop notes about his work. “Chris comes to the clay focused on expanding his illustrious family’s technical and artistic boundaries. His manipulation of the clay surface through his technically inspired imagery expands the art in new directions.”

Dolores Purdy (Caddo/Winnebago), aHuntin’ We Will Go, antique ledger paper with colored pencils, 15½ x 13"

 

Tim Blueflint Ramel (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), Horse Stealing Songs, Artisan Warbling Flute in F, Madrone burl, African blackwood, curly bloodwood, sterling silver, 14K yellow gold and ledger paper

 

Chris’ partner, Jennifer Tafoya, will also be presenting new work in the Heard Museum Shop. Tafoya has won numerous awards, including the Santa Fe Indian Market best of show award in 2023. Her pieces are known for the sgraffito designs, a style originated by Joseph Lonewolf in the 1970s. “Her incising work is particularly detailed and precise—revealing great accuracy and fabulous use of color,” shop representatives say. “Her themes are of wildlife and fish in stunning realistic detail with traditional Santa Clara geometrics adding a great finish to her work.”

Nancy’s youngest son is Joseph Youngblood-Lugo, who creates Santa Clara pots that are both carved and fired using the traditional methods. Joseph’s pottery awards started with youth categories in 2012, and have continued since. 

Nancy Youngblood (Santa Clara Pueblo), swirl pot with lid 

 

Between Chris and Joseph, Nancy’s middle son is Sergio Lugo, an extraordinary artist who has embraced the expert techniques for which his family is known. Sergio has been called an important artist in the next generation of Native American pottery. 

Market visitors are encouraged to visit the shop during the Heard Fair & Market. Not only will these artists’ works be on display, but also all the great material that the shop offers seven days a week. The shop hours are the same as the market hours, so drop in any time once the gates open.  —

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