Here’s some of what’s going on in the City Different in the run-up to Indian Market.
Between the booths of Indian Market, the SWAIA Haute Couture Fashion Show, and the year-round charms of Santa Fe itself, it might seem like there’s already too much to fit in. But as collectors and enthusiasts from around the world gather in Santa Fe for this year’s Indian Market August 17 – 18, there are all sorts of other itinerary possibilities to consider.
The parties, exhibitions, and special events start well before the market, so if you pull into town early — and you should — there’s plenty to do. We know we’ll be there with bells on — or should we say turquoise — for Samsville’s first Indian Market party to enjoy music, dance, refreshments, and the chance to meet and see the work of special guests, including knockout silversmith Matthew Charley (above) at Samsville.
Through August 16
Artist Openings at Shiprock Santa Fe
“We look forward to the summer season all year. It is a time to meet new collectors and to see old friends,” says owner Jed Foutz, of Shiprock. From August 13 through August 16, the gallery will be hosting various artist openings each day from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
August 13: Saints & Sinners” Diego Romero, 2017: Master ceramicist Diego Romero (Cochiti Pueblo) will be displaying new works with his first Shiprock Santa Fe show; the artist will be in attendance.
August 14: Painter Phillip Vigil (Jemez Pueblo/Jicarilla Apache) celebrates his 10-year-anniversary at Shiprock Santa Fe with an exhibition of new works on canvas. A fourth-generation visual artist based in New Mexico, Vigil works in a variety of media; this will be his first time exhibiting large format paintings on canvas.
August 15: Jeweler Verma Nequatewa/Sonwai (Hopi) and Ken Williams Jr. (Arapaho/Seneca Beadworker) present individual work and their fourth and final collaboration. The annual SONWAI and Williams collaboration is a beloved event and an opportunity for the public to view and purchase work from the artists ahead of Indian Market.
August 16: One of the world’s foremost turquoise experts, Japanese jeweler Yasutomo Kodera returns for his yearly Sky Blue Hawk trunk show of new jewelry.
Through August 18
Smithsonian’s Native Cinema Showcase
Adeana Young plays Hlaaya in Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Film Sgaawaay K’uuna/Edge of the Knife.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian presents the 19th annual Native Cinema Showcase August 13 – 18. In this year’s installment, nearly all of the films were made by Native filmmakers; more than half were made by women, including the opening and closing films. In all, this year’s event includes 53 films from 11 countries, representing nearly 40 Indigenous groups.
In an affirmation of the power of self-representation, and in recognition of the International Year of Indigenous Languages, the lineup includes films such as SGaawaay K’uuna (Edge of the Knife), the first feature-length film to be spoken entirely in the Haida language; and Wiñaypacha (Eternity), the first feature-length film shot entirely in the Aymara language. In all, the showcase includes dialogue and narration in 20 Indigenous languages. There will also be appearances by Kiowa writer N. Scott Momaday and Tlingit glass artist Preston Singletary.
For additional showcase information and a complete schedule, visit americanindian.si.edu/ncs.
August 14 – 21
Coming of Age Ceremony exhibition by Jan Butchofsky
Click on the image above to view the slideshow of images from Jan Butchofsky’s exhibition, Coming of Age Ceremony: Mescalero Apache Maidens.
Shelby House presents photographer Jan Butchofsky’s Coming of Age Ceremony: Mescalero Apache Maidens. The opening event of the exhibition will be held at 220 Shelby Street on Wednesday, August 14, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with members of the Mescalero tribe in attendance.
Award-winning photographer Jan Butchofsky, a longtime resident of Southern New Mexico and the homelands of the Mescalero Apache, was an invited guest of the family asked to witness the coming of age ceremony of two maidens during two separate celebrations. She was honored to bear witness with her camera to the sacred and very private preparations and ceremonies. shelbyhousesf.com
Miss Chief Eagle Testickle
August 14 – September 28
Kent Monkman and Laura Ortman at Vital Spaces
Kent Monkman, whose Dance to Mischief will be on view from August 14 through September 28 (opening reception on August 14 at 6 p.m.), is a Cree artist widely known for his provocative interventions into Western European and American art history. He explores themes of colonization, sexuality, loss, and resilience — the complexities of historic and contemporary Indigenous experiences — across a variety of mediums, including painting, film/video, performance, and installation pieces. Monkman’s gender-fluid alter ego Miss Chief Eagle Testickle often appears in his work as a time-traveling, shape-shifting, supernatural being who reverses the colonial gaze to challenge received notions of history and Indigenous peoples.
On August 14, Laura Ortman performs Wild Waves at 6:30 p.m. in the courtyard of Vital Spaces. “Ortman’s music is known for compositions that alternate lyrical intimacy with layered improvisation, often experimenting with four-track tapes and remixing her own audio catalogue in an evolving dialogue with herself.” vitalspaces.org
August 15
Samsville’s First Special Indian Market Party
Meet special guests Matthew Charley, Adam Fierro, Meredith Lockhart, and Sacraments at Samsville’s First Special Indian Market Party, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Enjoy music and dance by world-renowned performing artists Larry Yazzie & the Native Pride Dancers. Food and refreshments will be served. Samsville Plaza in the Plaza Galleria, 66 E. San Francisco Street, #12 – 13. samsvillegallery.com
Jamie Chavez (Raramuri/Tarahumara, Chicano)
August 16 – 17
Sovereign Santa Fe at La Fonda Hotel
Sovereign Santa Fe is a 48-hour curated contemporary Native American arts exhibition. Organized by FaraHNHeight Fine Art, Tony Abeyta, and Randy L. Barton and taking place at La Fonda on the Plaza in The La Terraza ballroom and terrace, the pop-up exhibition features contemporary paintings, sculptures, and other mediums.
The intimate context lets you view the work of and interact with more than 20 different contemporary native artists, including Craig George, Melissa Cody, George Alexander, Avis Charley, Aaron Kiyaani, Sandra Cohoe, Jamie Chavez, Antoinette Thompson, Monty Little, and Jordan Craig.
Friday and Saturday evenings, Sovereign morphs into an interactive experience. On Friday night at 6 p.m. “Sovereign Social Club” will be curated by Randy L. Barton, a neo-contemporary Navajo multi-disciplinary artist, fashion designer, and the creative director. Music, fashion, and performance art happenings will feature Rezcoast GRIZZ, Liv the Artist, Neon Nativez & NEO (No End Of designs), and more. On Saturday at 6 p.m., “Rumble on the Roof” brings musical acts Derek Miller, an Aboriginal Canadian singer-songwriter; as well as Scotti Clifford & Spirits Cry, an alternative trio rooted in blues and indie rock formed in the Badlands of South Dakota in 2018 and inspired lyrically by their Oglala Lakota ancestry. farahnheight.com
Photography: (featured) Courtesy Shiprock Santa Fe, Courtesy Niijang Xyaalas Productions © Isuma Distribution International, Courtesy Vital Spaces, Courtesy Samsville Gallery, Courtesy FaraHNHeight Fine Art
