Every August in Santa Fe, New Mexico, thousands of art collectors descend on the Santa Fe Plaza and surrounding streets to meet artists, browse artwork and add to their collections at Santa Fe Indian Market. This ongoing tradition, one of the most popular events in New Mexico, is celebrating its centennial in 2022, and to commemorate the milestone the New Mexico History Museum is presenting the exhibition Honoring Tradition and Innovation: 100 Years of Santa Fe’s Indian Market 1922-2022.Maria Martinez (1887-1980) and Julian Martinez (1879-1943), polychrome jar. Courtesy of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.

Although the market—presently run by the Southwestern Association of Indian Arts—shows artwork by contemporary Native American artists, its long reach into the past reveals participants that include some of the top artists of the early 20th century. Some of these important artists include San Ildefonso Pueblo potters Maria Martinez and Susanna Aguilar, Maria’s husband Julian Martinez, painters Romando Vigil and Alfonso Roybal and Santa Clara Pueblo potter Lufina Baca. Today these artists are in major museum collections all around the world. Maria Martinez’s work is especially treasured and several pieces are in the collection of the White House, which has displayed her work in the Oval Office during several presidential administrations. Pueblo pottery vendors on Palace of the Governors portal during Fiesta, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1948. Photo by Robert H. Martin. 041392.

Displays at first Indian Fair in the Armory building, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1922. 023317.

The exhibition will trace the 100-year history of the market and “explore its impact of U.S. Indian policies on the Native American art world over the last century,” the museum notes. “It also celebrates the artists, collectors and volunteers that continue to make it happen. The exhibition will display more than 200 examples of works by Indian Market artists from private and public collections and historic and contemporary photographs, as well as interviews with artists and collectors.”Eagle Dancers performing at Indian Market, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1991. The Santa Fe New Mexican Collection, HP.2014.14.676.

The event, this year held August 20 and 21, is the largest juried Native American art show in the world, and it generates an estimated $160 million for Native American artists and the local economy. More than 100,000 people arrive in Santa Fe to attend the market and the array of complementary events. Not only does the market present work from more than 1,000 artists, it also represents more than 200 tribal communities in North America and Canada. Though earlier shows were smaller, their impact was huge and introduced countless collectors to the magnificent work of Native American artists and artisans. And today, thanks to shows like Santa Fe Indian Market and increased recognition of the importance of the art and artists, Native American art is presented by institutions around the country as a vital component within American art departments. —

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