It’s not the size. Although it is the biggest. A thousand artists.

That is not the story. Although it is the oldest. One hundred and two years, as of 2024.

It’s not even the atmosphere, although with all the smiles and hugs you’ll swear it’s a 100,000-member family reunion.

Bigger is not better. Older is not better. Friendlier is better, but what most distinguishes the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts’ Indian Market every August in Santa Fe, NM, is the quality of the art. The better, the better.

The jewelry here makes everything found on 5^th Avenue in New York looks “okay.” It would be ridiculous to compare contemporary pottery anywhere else in the world to that at Market. The silverwork is out of this world. The painting, sculpture and photography are on par with the best fairs in the world.

What can be seen and purchased at the Santa Fe Indian Market is the best of the best in contemporary art. Local art, but contemporary art on a large scale.

The artists’ stands are crowded not only with collectors but also with museum curators who want to take treasures home with them – directly from the manufacturer.

Imagine if the artworks sold at the Armory Show in New York, EXPO Chicago or Art Basel Miami Beach were not offered by galleries but by the artists themselves. That’s crazy.

That’s exactly what happens at the Indian Market.

There is Kathleen Wall (Jemez Pueblo), who, like every year, has a stand right on the plaza with her cheerful ceramic figures. One of her pieces can be seen in the permanent exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Just like Van Gogh.

Cara Romero’s (Chemehuevi) stand is about 30 meters away. Her photographs have been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Kelly Church (Anishnabe) makes baskets from black ash, one of which was purchased by a curator from the Art Institute of Chicago in the opening minutes of the 2019 Indian Market. It is now on display in a gallery there next to Edward Hopper’s Nighthawksprobably the most famous painting in American art history.

Church’s booth is across from Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pubelo), considered the forefather of a genre known as “Indigenous Futurism.” For much of 2023 and 2024, a solo exhibition of his clay sculptures and a video about the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 were on view at the History Colorado Center in Denver.

Jamie Okuma (La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indians) is here with her beadwork. She is a fashion designer and has already dressed attendees at the Met Gala and Oscar nominee Lilly Gladstone at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Fashion? The Indian market has a lot to offer

Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo) took second place on Season 11 of Bravo’s “Project Runway” with her Native American-inspired fashion. She’s here.

Lauren Good Day (Arikara, Hidatsa, Blackfeet and Plains Cree) had visitors waiting in line for hours to see her ready-to-wear fashions. She designed the dress Gladstone wore in the latest “Women in Hollywood” issue of ELLE magazine.

Oh, and Teri Greeves (Kiowa), another bead artist who has participated in countless museum exhibitions and will be exhibiting this summer at the New York Times.

Mateo Romero (Cochiti Pueblo) has a booth near Greeves and Church. He was commissioned to do a painting by the Met last year.

Jody Folwell (Santa Clara Pueblo) has a pottery show at the Minneapolis Institute of Art this fall. Jody Naranjo’s pottery (Santa Clara Pueblo) is in museums. Russell Sanchez’s pottery wins virtually every festival he enters.

The ledger drawings of Delores Purdy (Caddo) are in the collection of a small town called White House. She and Terrance Guardipee (Blackfeet) are the two outstanding ledger artists of today.

A different legend every few stands.

They’re all in museums. They’ve all renewed their media. Each of them is the best of the best and each of them is at the Indian Market. Every year. Under their tents they sell artwork like Maria Martinez (San Ildefonso Pueblo) – the GOAT – used to do.

It’s not just about selling artwork, it’s about talking to visitors. Right there. Go up and say hello.

Great.

Damien Hirst does not talk to visitors at Art Basel. At most major contemporary art fairs, the few artists present are kept away from the public. Not so at the Indian Market.

However, you will have to speak louder to be heard over the drumming, tinkling and singing. The background noises at this art fair are not malicious industry gossip, but the soundtrack of the continuation of ancient cultures.

There is nothing like this anywhere else in the world.

Admission is free.

Tips for visiting the Santa Fe Indian Market

If you’re visiting the SWAIA Indian Market, be sure to be in town no later than Friday noon to stop by the Best of Show preview at the Convention Center. Tickets are required for this event. The award winners in each category and division will be on display, and visitors can get a glimpse of which artists’ booths they’d like to visit first thing Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. when the market opens. The event runs from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days.

Be sure to check the weather forecast. While August mornings in Santa Fe are pleasant, afternoon temperatures can reach 90 degrees under relentless sun. The Indian Market is held outdoors around the Santa Fe Plaza. A hat and sunscreen are recommended.

Visitors seeking shade can find it under the giant cottonwoods and pines at the Free Indian Market, a satellite event next to the SWAIA Indian Market. Hundreds of other Native American artists sell their jewelry, pottery, carvings and paintings here. You can also find respite from the sun at La Fonda in the Plaza Hotel, where more contemporary Native American art is for sale at the Sovereign Santa Fe Fair – with air conditioning. Admission is also free.

Booking a hotel on or near the plaza is the best tip for Indian Market insiders. Try Hotel Chimayo. Artist stalls are set up on the street in front of the building. You’ll be grateful to be so close to the action, where you can take a private bath and keep warm, and keep your purchases in the room without lugging them around all day. Hotel Chimayo’s on-site parking also saves you the hassle and expense of finding parking on market days, both of which can be significant.

If you want to buy something – and whether you intend to or not – you’ll be bringing cash and checks (remember those?). Many of the merchants don’t accept credit cards. Leave extra room in your luggage to store small items on the return trip. Packing and shipping are available locally.

Because the artworks are purchased directly from the artist with no gallery markup, prices are about half of what you would expect. Small paintings and jewelry can be had for under $100. Large sculptures and the rarest and most unusual pieces, such as Bobby Brower’s (Native Village of Barrow) fur parkas, cost over $100,000.

Shoppers who want to ensure availability of their most coveted items from the most sought-after artists should be at their stalls when the market opens. Bargain hunters can score bargains on Sunday, especially after noon, when artists offer items at a lower price that they don’t want to travel home for.

A little haggling over price is acceptable, but remember that your purchase at Indian Market does more than just bring a unique piece of art into your home, it also supports a local artist, it ensures the continuation of a cultural tradition. How you spend your money makes a statement, and money spent at Indian Market supports local artists and local culture.

Many of the artists at the Indian Market make most of their annual income from selling there. Conversation with the artists is encouraged, but if there are other visitors milling around the booth who may be interested in buying, keep it brief so the artist can attend to them as well. Saturday is selling time, especially in the morning. Save longer conversations for Sunday.

The Indian Market is the biggest, the oldest, the best and should be on the to-do list of art lovers worldwide.