LAST UPDATED: 08/20/21

It’s that time of year again…SANTA FE INDIGENOUS ART MARKET WEEK!

I hesitated about making this due to the pandemic…which is why it’s coming out super late. But I talked to a couple friends and came to the conclusion that people are coming and for those who are vaccinated, there are ways to enjoy your time in a safe manner. So in this year’s guide, I will highlight “COVID safer” events and locations, this basically means that they have outdoor space because if anything has become apparent in the past year, airborne germs spread a lot easier indoors vs out. Please wear a mask, ESPECIALLY INDOORS. As a parent in Santa Fe with children who are too young to be vaccinated, I am worried about an increase in cases here due to the market, I also worry about artists and their families who will travel back home to Indigenous communities and possibly spread it there, please wear a mask so we can all protect each other.

There is an indoor mask mandate for the entire state of New Mexico, please plan accordingly.

There are less events this year than usual, but still a lot going on…

1. Masks are required indoors for everyone no matter vaccination status in the state of New Mexico.
2. SWAIA Indian Market is a ticketed event this year, get your tickets!
3. Uber and Lyft are both available in Santa Fe but availability is VERY LIMITED.
4. Elevation – Santa Fe is at 7000 ft elevation. High elevation has a few side effects you should be aware of – thinner air means you may be more tired due to less oxygen; it also means you are more likely to get dehydrated so drink lots of water (the Institute for Altitude Medicine recommends an extra 1 to 1.5 liters/day). Also, thinner air means the sun is intense, so plan accordingly.
5. Nightlife – there is none. This town pretty much goes to sleep with the sun. There are a few places to go, but don’t be surprised if they are mostly empty.
6. There are multiple art markets this year:
   1. Sovereign Santa Fe, Aug 16-21
   2. Native Guitar Tours Resurgence Festival Art Market, Aug 20-21
   3. Wheelwright Museum Artist’s Market, Aug 20-21
   4. Pathways @ Buffalo Thunder Casino, Aug 20-22
   5. Free Indian Market, Aug 21-22
   6. IAIA Recent Graduate Art Market, Aug 21-22
   7. Santa Fe Indian Market, Aug 21-22

Other stuff to check out…

1. If you’re into galleries, check out Canyon Road, it’s basically ALL galleries. Check out the Teahouse for good food and coffee/tea, they have a nice outdoor dining space. Hecho a Mano seems to be doing a good job highlighting Indigenous artists.
2. Museum of Contemporary Native Art (MoCNA) is free for Natives.
3. SITE Santa Fe art museum/gallery @ the railyard. Neat space. Free admission on Fridays and from 10am-noon on Saturdays.
4. If you’re going to the Poeh Cultural Center or Buffalo Thunder Resort Casino, note that they are both about a 20 minute drive out of town.
5. Farmers’ Market Saturday mornings at the Railyard Park, 7am-1pm. Really good people watching 😉
   

Events
I’ve compiled a list of events that I am aware of with links to more info (will add more as info becomes available)

💚 = event is outdoors: “COVID safer”

💚💚 = event is outdoors AND requires a mask: “COVID safest”

💜 = partially outdoors

Wednesday, August 18

1. Sovereign Santa Fe: curated Contemporary Native American Arts exhibition showcasing cutting edge indigenous creativity. Sovereign’s mission is to create a platform to highlight ‘NewSchool’ Native American Arts and its elusive relationship between traditional and contemporary. 10am-8pm

Thursday, August 19

1. Sovereign Santa Fe: curated Contemporary Native American Arts exhibition showcasing cutting edge indigenous creativity. Sovereign’s mission is to create a platform to highlight ‘NewSchool’ Native American Arts and its elusive relationship between traditional and contemporary. 10am-8pm
2. Exclusive Pre-Market Trunk Show @ Hervé Wine Bar: Join us for an exclusive pre-Market show featuring 2 Native artists: metalsmith Matagi Sorensen (Yavapai-Apache) and silversmith Shandiin Wood (Diné/Seminole). 4-7pm
3. 💚 Get Hands On with the Coe @ Ralph T Coe Center for the Arts: co-presented by First American Art Magazine, is an interactive art celebration to intimately understand the dynamic partnerships of, and the significant collection at, the Coe Center. The event personifies the Coe’s work to foster dialogue and hands-on experiential education through worldwide Indigenous arts. 6-8pm.
4. Cara Romero Photography Reception, Open Studio & Gallery: Indian Market preview at the artist’s studio. 5-8pm

Friday, August 20

1. 💚 Wheelwright Museum Case Trading Post Artist’s Market: featuring established and emerging artists. 8am-4pm
2. 💚💚 Pathways Native Arts Festival: spend the day talking to artists and shopping for original jewelry, pottery, textiles and other arts by Native artists from across the United States. Come eat at one of the local Native food vendors with fresh flavors and traditional recipes. 9am-5pm
3. Sovereign Santa Fe: curated Contemporary Native American Arts exhibition showcasing cutting edge indigenous creativity. Sovereign’s mission is to create a platform to highlight ‘NewSchool’ Native American Arts and its elusive relationship between traditional and contemporary. 10am-8pm
4. Native Guitars Tour Resurgence Festival: featuring music, art vendors, fashion, food and brews from Native Country. 12-11pm
5. SWAIA Best of Show Preview:  opportunity to view the Best of Show and Best of Classification artwork ahead of the weekend market. 4:30-6:30pm
6. Coming in Hot — The Eleven: artwork in diverse media by six of the artists in The Eleven. Come see (and hear) painting, photography, clay, music, and video from this diverse group of young artists this weekend. 5-7pm @ the Railyard
7. RLB X DRB Gallery Grand Opening: Join us the weekend of the Santa Fe Indian Market as we open and celebrate our grand opening which will include Native art from Critically-acclaimed artist Randy L Barton and selected collaborators, focusing on neo-contemporary art, presenting exhibitions and master pieces that are teamed with Dr.b Collection’s accessory line. Rooted in social entrepreneurial practices that aims to positively impact Indigenous communities. 6-9pm

Saturday, August 21

1. 💚 IAIA Recent Graduate Art Market @ MoCNA: held under the museum’s portal, located in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. Twenty IAIA graduates within the last six years, 2016 to 2021, will be showing work in this year’s Art Market. 7am-5pm
2. 💚 Wheelwright Museum Case Trading Post Artist’s Market: featuring established and emerging artists. 8am-4pm
3. 💚 SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market: the original market, located downtown, near and on the plaza. Check out the plaza stage for various performances all weekend long. Also get a guide when you arrive to locate your favorite artists and plan your route. TICKETS REQUIRED THIS YEAR. 8am-5pm
4. 💚 Santa Fe’s Free Indian Market Show @ the Federal Park: Featuring Native American Elders, Master Artists and their families. Top-Award Winners, Lifetime Achievement Award Winners and Living Treasures. *moved outdoors to Federal Park for safety* 8am-5pm
5. 💚💚 Pathways Native Arts Festival: spend the day talking to artists and shopping for original jewelry, pottery, textiles and other arts by Native artists from across the United States. Come eat at one of the local Native food vendors with fresh flavors and traditional recipes. 9am-5pm
6. Coming in Hot — The Eleven: artwork in diverse media by six of the artists in The Eleven. Come see (and hear) painting, photography, clay, music, and video from this diverse group of young artists this weekend. 10am-6pm @ Vital Spaces
7. Sovereign Santa Fe: curated Contemporary Native American Arts exhibition showcasing cutting edge indigenous creativity. Sovereign’s mission is to create a platform to highlight ‘NewSchool’ Native American Arts and its elusive relationship between traditional and contemporary. 10am-8pm
8. 💚 Sacred Native Fashion Show: 12th annual fashion show for the purpose of bringing together talented native artists and the youth that are interested in modeling and being apart of a inspiring artistic group of people that want to share thier work. 11am
9. 💜 Native Guitars Tour Resurgence Festival: featuring music, art vendors, fashion, food and brews from Native Country. 7-11:30pm
10. After Party: Nataanii Means and Def-i with Young Native and B3ar: Curated by Echota Killsnight, this show and party dovetails with the events of Indian Market weekend and features Taos Pueblo tribal member and powerful emcee B3ar with DJ Element, DJ Young Native from Albuquerque, recognized Hip-Hop Artist, and Activist Nataanii Means (Oglala Lakota, Omaha, Dine’) joined by New Mexico based musician and beatmaker Def-i (Navajo). 

Sunday, August 22

1. 💚 IAIA Recent Graduate Art Market @ MoCNA: held under the museum’s portal, located in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. Twenty IAIA graduates within the last six years, 2016 to 2021, will be showing work in this year’s Art Market. 7am-5pm
2. 💚 SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market: the original market, located downtown, near and on the plaza. Check out the plaza stage for various performances all weekend long. Also get a guide when you arrive to locate your favorite artists and plan your route. TICKETS REQUIRED THIS YEAR. 8am-5pm
3. 💚 Santa Fe’s Free Indian Market Show @ the Federal Park: Featuring Native American Elders, Master Artists and their families. Top-Award Winners, Lifetime Achievement Award Winners and Living Treasures. *moved outdoors to Federal Park for safety* 8am-5pm
4. 💚💚 Pathways Native Arts Festival: spend the day talking to artists and shopping for original jewelry, pottery, textiles and other arts by Native artists from across the United States. Come eat at one of the local Native food vendors with fresh flavors and traditional recipes. 9am-3pm
5. Coming in Hot — The Eleven: artwork in diverse media by six of the artists in The Eleven. Come see (and hear) painting, photography, clay, music, and video from this diverse group of young artists this weekend. 9am-3pm @ Pathways
6. SWAIA Indigenous Fashion Show: The Eighth Annual Indigenous Fashion Show will showcase the best in North American Indigenous fashion with collections by Jamie Okuma (Luiseño, Wailaki, Okinawan, and Shoshone-Bannock), Himikalas / Pamela Baker (Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw/Tlingit/Haida), Orlando Dugi (Diné), and Lauren Good Day (Arikara, Hidatsa, Blackfeet and Plains Cree). The Indigenous Fashion Show is produced by Amber-Dawn Bear Robe (Sikska Nation) for SWAIA. Fashion Show ticketholders will be able to shop at the exclusive Indigenous Fashion Trunk Show immediately after. Get tickets early — this event sells out. 3-4pm
7. 💜 Grand Exit Live @ Tumbleroot: Live music, food, artist booths. 6-11:30pm

If you see a mistake – please let me know!

ENJOY 😷